Rhyl in North Wales experienced the inaugural Rhyl Sprint Triathlon Festival last Sunday 1 June, receiving ‘encouraging crowd support and high praise from the competitors’.
The race featured an open water swim in Rhyl Marine Lake, transition on the quayside and a fast, criterium style cycle leg on closed roads along the seafront. The unique course design aimed to create regular direct interaction with the supporting crowds who were lining the streets and seafront of Rhyl, bringing a real festival atmosphere to the town.
The different approach to the triathlon concept was supported by entrants from 22 local clubs from the North West and North Wales and it was hailed as being ‘great fun’, ‘really enjoyable’ and ‘something different’ by participating athletes. Benefiting from motivational crowd support along the route, the athletes praised the encouraging festival style atmosphere and vowed to be back in 2015. The Rhyl Sprint Triathlon Festival also made for a great day out on the North Welsh coast.
The Mayor of Rhyl Councillor David Simmonds said “It was great to see so many competitors taking part in the triathlon here in Rhyl, making full use of Marine Lake and West Parade right by the sea. The weather was kind to us and the athletes seemed really pleased with the course.
“They were even treated to seeing our stunning new Pont Y Ddraig Bridge in glorious sunshine! Well done to all who entered and thank you to the organisers for bringing this excellent event to our lovely town.”
Entrants could choose from 3 distances: Sprint (750m swim/ 21K cycle / 5K run), Super Sprint (400m / 15K / 2.5K) and Mega Sprint (100m / 10K / 1K), with the sprint distance attracting the largest number of athletes.
Race Director Simon Hill commented “The first Rhyl Sprint Triathlon Festival has been a brilliant success, with a lot of growth potential for future years. We are delighted that this new, unique triathlon concept received such positive feedback from athletes and spectators alike and was perceived as being great fun and very enjoyable.
“It was even described as a right hoot due to the incredible festival-like atmosphere and being able to see who is ahead and by how much. We have great plans for this event and would love to see it host a sprint championships or a club sprint festival next year.”
Simon continued, “I would like to express a big thank you to all the athletes who signed up and took part as well the spectators, supporters, sponsors, and Denbighshire County Council. We are also very grateful to Rhyl Sea Cadets, Rhyl Swimming Club, Rhyl Hockey Club and Rhyl Football Club for supplying volunteers.”
Sponsors of the Rhyl Sprint Triathlon Festival included Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative (Official Bicycle Retail Partner), Starley Bikes (Official Specialist Bike Brand), Clif Bar (Official Sports Nutrition Partner), Zone3 (Official Wetsuit Partner), Aftershokz (Official Headphone Partner) and Athlete Matters (Official Physio and Rehab Partner).
The next event on the Xtra Mile Events calendar is the Buxton Triathlon on 15 June.
