After a series of nine water tests taken over the 30 days leading up to race day, the Government of the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment approved water quality in the Potomac River as safe for the swim portion of the 2017 Nation’s Triathlon. The race took place on Sunday 10 September, with more than 2,000 triathletes hitting the waters of the Potomac River, starting at West Potomac Park. The swim portion of the Nation’s Triathlon was previously cancelled in 2016, 2014, 2011 and 2005, with water quality an ongoing issue.
On Sunday, 2,000 amateur and 20 professional triathletes took to the waters of the Potomac River and streets of the District of Columbia to compete in the 12th annual Nation’s Triathlon. Jason West from Pennsylvania and Olympian Sarah Haskins from Eureka, Missouri, took first place honours in the men’s and women’s pro divisions. This was the first time the Nation’s Triathlon had ever hosted a field of professional triathletes and a prize purse of US$20,000.
New this year, the Nation’s Triathlon served as a qualifying race for the 2018 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. The top three Olympic finishers per age group received coveted entry slots into the iconic San Francisco race. First place finishers in each age group also won a complimentary race entry. 2017 Nation’s Triathlon sponsors include TYR Sport, velofix, Gryphon Technologies, TriBike Transport, Potomac Conservancy, TBLOCKS Transition Racks and Gatorade. Nation’s Triathlon is owned and produced by Premier Event Management
According to the Department of Energy, ‘the numeric criteria for Class A waters listed in 21 DCMR § 1108 were not exceeded in the samples collected between 10 August and 5 September 2017.’ Therefore, permission was granted to allow the swim portion of the event to take place.
In previous years, high levels of E.coli pollution in the river, caused by polluted runoff from heavy rains, have led to the cancellation of the swim portion of the race. Though overall pollution levels in the Potomac are decreasing, there is still a lot of work to be done, which inspired, for the first time, the Potomac Conservancy and the Nation’s Triathlon to join forces to fight for a safe clean Potomac River.
“The Potomac River is a local and national treasure,” said Potomac Conservancy President Hedrick Belin. “We’re excited to have the Nation’s Triathlon supporting our work to safeguard our local lands and waters. When triathletes take to the Potomac, they should be proud of the progress our community has made and energized to continue the fight for a swimmable, accessible river every day of the year.”
The Nation’s Triathlon organizers add that they ‘recognize the Potomac River challenges with water quality and conservation and want to help make a difference by encouraging athletes to volunteer, donate and provide ongoing support to the Potomac Conservancy’s efforts, not just today, but year round.’
www.NationsTri.com
www.potomac.org
