An exciting new partnership was announced at the weekend, with Letterkenny 24/7 Triathlon Club and Aura Leisure Centre joining forces to launch a series of triathlon and duathlon races over the coming months.
The race series will comprise of an Adults Duathlon, Adults Tri a Tri and finally a Junior Triathlon. With the continued growth and develop of the sport of triathlon in the town over the past number of years the local club seen it as imperative that it cater for the demand from both juniors and adults around the county.
“Choosing a base for these races was a simple choice when it came to the crunch” said club chairman Gavin Crawford, “the facilities on offer at Aura are of the best in the county, with its ability to raise the pool floor, its abundance of space for athletes during the race and for refreshments afterwards with their event bar and catering area”.
The club has seen a new influx of members of the past number of months and with the launch of the junior academy a couple of weeks ago, it is envisaged that the races will attract large numbers.
Adults Duathlon – The duathlon is perfectly suited for individuals who may not be too confident in the water and prefer to do their exercising on dry land. The race consists of a 2 mile run, 10 mile bike and 2 mile run. Both the run and bike sections leave from Aura car park and head out the Churchill road. The run is a mile out and back with the bike course going as far as the Foxhall in Glenswilly and returning back into town on the main road. Both routes are nice and flat with a small incline just before the turn around on the bike. Perfect for beginners or the more advanced competitor.
Tri a Tri – The Tri a Tri is designed to give newcomers to the sport or indeed individuals who think triathlon might be for them a chance to give it a go, in a relaxed and pressure free environment with a shorter distance than other races. The race will consist of 400m Swim , which translates to 16 lengths in the warmth and safety of the pool, a 13km bike on nice flat roads and a 3.5km run, which is again nice and flat finishing off on the track at Aura. The pool floor will be raised so being out of depth will not be an issue and any type of roadworthy bike can be used for the cycle, although helmets are compulsory.
Kids Triathlon – With the launch of the junior academy a couple of weeks ago and the addition of 60 new members to the club this race was a must in the club calendar. The race distances are outlined on the race website as it will depend on the age group the juniors fall into. Again the base for this race will be Aura.
To book a place in any of the races visit our website www.letterkenny247.com, this has links to all our race websites or contact the club directly on facebook.
