Taking place on Saturday 22 November, the second annual Digicel-sponsored St Lucia Triathlon is picking up momentum. With around a month to go before the event gets underway, the organisers note that it is becoming an international occasion with athletes already entered from the UK, Canada, USA (New York), Guadalupe, Martinique and Dominica.
More athletes are expected to join the race from Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and Trinidad – and from this the Digicel St Lucia Triathlon will be one of the biggest triathlon events held in the Caribbean.
Last year, the inaugural Digicel St Lucia Triathlon saw 115 take part, and this year the organisers are pleased that the event will double in size. 2014 will also see the popular children’s event return; and new in 2014 will be a Children with Special Needs event, which will make the triathlon fully inclusive.
To be held on Saturday 22 November 2014 in the tranquil surroundings of Rodney Bay and the picturesque Pigeon Island, the event will again be powered by telecoms network Digicel. As the largest telecoms provider in St Lucia, Digicel Group is a leading global communications operator with operations in 31 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and Asia Pacific.
With four separate competitive distances available, the St Lucia Triathlon course includes a swim in the beautiful clear waters of Rodney Bay, then a tough hilly and challenging bike ride, and finally the run loop to Pigeon Island and back. These distances can be done individually or as a relay team of 2 or 3 people.
Event distances include:
- The Dagger: 200m swim, 6.6K bike, 2.5K run
- The Pistol: 750m swim, 13.2K bike, 5K run
- The Cutlass: 1500m swim, 26.4K bike, 10K run
- The Musket: 2250m swim, 39.6K bike, 15K run
Children’s events:
- 5-9yrs triathlon: 100m swim, 800m bike, 800m run
- 9-15yrs Aquathlon: swim 200m and then run 800m
- Special needs event: 100m swim and 800m run/wheelchair push
“Triathlon is a tough sport and shows people can do extraordinary things when they put their mind to it,” said St Lucia Triathlon Event Director John Lunt, formerly of Human Race and who organised the triathlon at the Olympic Games in London.
“New this year is the Special Needs event, which will see a local Special Needs school take part. This can only be a good thing for the event and the island,” he added. “The adult distances are all achievable. The shortest – 200m swim, 3 mile bike and 1.5 mile run – makes it ideal for your first triathlon. We will also have a number of other children’s events running on the day.”
As a pre-Christmas travel period, November is off peak. Weekly, all inclusive food packages including flights from the UK and accommodation start at around £1,000. With two flights a day into Saint Lucia, and with so many options of travel and accommodation, the event is positioned as being easy for UK and international triathletes to book a package online.
