The 16th annual Long Beach Triathlon welcomed a large crowd of participants and spectators on Sunday 17 September in Long Beach, California, in what is being hailed as one of the more successful years in the event’s history.
With near perfect weather conditions on race day, the 2017 event reportedly increased in participation size by more than 20% over the previous year, and ‘brought a swell of spectators from across Southern California’.
New event categories were introduced this year. The all-new MegaSprint triathlon distance category was a sell-out in its first year of competition. This new distance brought a unique challenge to triathletes of all skill levels, and injected some additional excitement into the race. The organising team at Pacific Sports added that the Sprint and SuperSprint categories also saw increases in size this year.
The SwimStream start, created by Pacific Sports has proven over the past four years to be ‘one of the best and safest ways to start a triathlon’. Pacific Sports adds that it has increasingly been adopted by race production companies throughout the US.
The inaugural Children Today 5K Run brought a group of runners out to support the Official Charity of the Long Beach Triathlon. Local non-profit organisation Children Today provides trauma-informed child development and support services to children and families who are facing homelessness or maltreatment in Long Beach. The 5K supporting the charity helped to increase the ‘already strong commitment The Long Beach Triathlon has to the local community’.
Supporting the race staff this year were dozens of volunteers from schools and organizations throughout the area, including: Woodrow Wilson High School, Madrid Middle School, Ramona High School, Long Beach Key Club and Children Today. ‘Hard work and dedication was on display as volunteers showed up before dawn to set up the race and stayed long after it was finished for breakdown and clean-up.’
Based in Anaheim, California, Pacific Sports has been a sports consulting firm and event organiser for over 35 years. The firm specializes in event development, production, management and corporate sports marketing and development in participatory lifestyle events – including triathlon, running and cycling.
Pacific Sports produces a number of events annually including the Brooklyn 15K, Cleveland Triathlon, Long Beach Triathlon, Newport Beach Triathlon and the US Open Triathlon in Rockwall, Heath, and Dallas, Texas. The company and its founder and President, Jack Caress, have ‘produced more than 430 endurance events in the United States, including the 1996 Triathlon World Championships in Cleveland, Ohio and 12 US Championships’.
www.thelongbeachtriathlon.com
www.PacificSportsLLC.com
