Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Big Lick Triathlon teams wanted
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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For a serious swimmer, stroking a mile through the water isn't a major deal.
A 25-mile cycling time trial is no picnic, but it wouldn't scare off an avid rider.
And few regular runners would cringe at the idea of running a 10-kilometer road race.
It's when you put all of those things together -- such as at the Big Lick Triathlon at Smith Mountain Lake in September -- that things can get intimidating.
Take a guy I met during the winter at the YMCA pool. The guy is a strong cyclist and, though just starting swimming, showed real potential in the water.
When I told him he should try a triathlon he said, "I can't run," and that was it.
I've got another friend who's a great runner and cyclist, but can't swim a lick and doesn't care to learn.
But these folks can still race.
Most triathlons offer relay options for participants who aren't up to -- either mentally or physically -- tackling the whole trifecta.
The relay option doesn't get much attention at shorter, so-call sprint distance races. But it is a relatively popular for moderately long Olympic distance races such as the Big Lick, which will be Sept. 26 at Smith Mountain Lake State Park.
In recent years the Big Lick race has attracted in the neighborhood of 30 teams, with most of those co-ed squads.
Officials with the YMCA of the Roanoke Valley, which puts on the race each year, would like to see that number grow.
So Pat Bateman, an associate branch director at the Kirk Family YMCA in Roanoke, is serving as something of a matchmaker between athletes looking for teams, or teams looking for athletes.
"We thought it might be fun to make a little bit bigger deal out of the team thing," said Bateman, a former professional triathlete.
Fun is important. And, speaking from experience, I can say that doing a triathlon as part of a team is a lot more fun than racing solo.
But money is also important.
All proceeds from the race go into the organization's Partners program. That program provides scholarship money for kids and families that otherwise couldn't afford to memberships to the Y.
There's plenty of room for growth.
The race, which the YMCA contracts professional race management service Set-Up Inc. to run, has space for 600 racers, but usually draws about 300.
As of Monday, 130 individuals and six teams were registered.
Executive director Cal Johnson said there's another benefit to bringing in more teams.
"Quite frankly," he said, "we're also looking to bring people together."
In fact, Bateman said, the plan is to hold a mixer at Fork in the City so teammates can connect.
"It will be kind of like a speed dating thing," Bateman said, chuckling.
So what happens to, in Bateman's words, "the skinny guy who doesn't get picked, but can run a 34-minute 10K?"
Bateman said he'll be able to help connect racers who have similar abilities.
"You probably wouldn't want to put a speedy swimmer with the cyclist doing this for the first time, on a mountain bike," said Bateman, who can be reached at pbatemen@ ymcaroanoke.org, or 342-9622.
So how tough are the race legs?
In September the lake water will still be warm enough that a wet suit won't be required -- but would be appreciated -- for the 1,500-meter swim.
The 40-kilometer bike course is rolling, and not easy. Same goes for the run.
The entry fee for a team is $120, with a $10 additional fee for racers who need a one-day U.S.A. Triathlon race license. The individual entry is $75, plus the license fee if needed.
More information and registration is available at setupevents.com.
Elk foundation hosting banquet
With the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries actively looking into the feasibility of an elk restoration program in Virginia, these are exciting times for fans of one of North America's most amazing big game animals.
That progress will no doubt be a hot topic on Aug. 22, when the recently reinvigorated Blue Ridge chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation hosts a fundraising banquet at 5 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center.
Tickets to the event are $60 for a single; $80 for couples. Each includes one RMEF membership and a subscription to the group's excellent Bugle magazine.
Sponsor and corporate packages are also available.
For more information contact, Brandy or Pete Vassar at 556-6998 or e-mail brandyvassar@gmail.com.
