Olympic and Half distance triathlon racing join in a celebration of the great outdoors as Challenge Pocono Mountains kicks off on 16 August. The 2015 Challenge Pocono Mountains, taking place primarily in eastern Pennsylvania’s Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, is honoured to partner with the National Park Service as a part of the NPS’ 50th Year Anniversary celebration series of events.
After a refreshing swim on the FINIS swim course in the Delaware River, athletes will enjoy a scenic bike course, the entirety of which is contained within the DWGNRA, a 70,000-acre protected natural recreation area. Challenge Pocono Mountains competitors will ride securely on the completely closed course and enjoy the challenge of tackling the rolling hills on both the bike and the run.
Among the most visited of the National Park Service properties, the DWGNRA provides breathtaking views of the Appalachian Mountains, the Delaware River and the river valley, thus offering a ‘picture perfect backdrop’ for athletes and spectators alike. A fantastic finish at the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort will cap each athlete’s personal accomplishment.
The race’s appeal extends beyond a celebration of one of the NPS’ most revered properties; the local community also rallies behind the event due to the positive economic impact it has generated in the past (as Rev3 Pocono Mountains). The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau reports that the 2014 event generated US$1.23 million in revenue in the area, and with an even larger field of athletes and their families in attendance, that amount is set to rise in 2015. Furthering the community support of the race weekend and the overall family-friendly feel, the Pocono YMCA serves as sponsor for the Kids’ Zone in the race expo.
Featuring in the field at Challenge Pocono Mountains are a number of athletes representing Race2Rebuild, a charity founded by athletes to help bring families home following disaster. R2R Challenge Team Ambassador Tyler Saas and his wife, pro triathlete Darbi Roberts, will both toe the line.
Following the Pocono Mountains race, Saas and Roberts will join the R2R team in New Jersey for another weekend of charitable activity, first racing the Belmar Chase 5K and then rebuilding a Hurricane Sandy-damaged home for a family in Seaside Heights. The drawn-out process of being displaced from their home nearly three years ago has been a source of tremendous stress on the family, a stress that R2R seeks to relieve through their dedicated work.
Those interested can visit race2rebuild.org/2015-events for further information on how to race or volunteer with R2R.
Participation at Challenge Pocono Mountains has nearly doubled from 2014, when athletes from 29 different states and five countries were represented on the start line. All Challenge Pocono Mountains athletes will receive a special gift of a blueseventy Brick Bag. Additionally, they will be eligible to poke fun at their own fashion failures during the blueseventy Worst Wetsuit Contest held at 15:00 local time on Saturday 15 August, earning a chance to win one of two new blueseventy Reaction Fullsuits.
Sponsors of the event include PowerBar, Gatorade, FINIS, blueseventy, Trisports.com, TriBike Transport, Peluso Open Water, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, Vertical Earth Mountain Sports, ShawneeCraft Brewing Company and Pocono YMCA.
For more information or to register for the event visit challenge-pocono.com.
www.challenge-pocono.com
www.race2rebuild.org
