Published June 18, 2010 12:54PM
The sprint triathlon of the popular Boulder Triathlon Series will take place this Sunday, June 20. This is the first year the race will be put on under the ownership of the World Triathlon Corporation.
Read the complete press release below:
A sold-out field of more than 1,600 athletes will take part in the sixth annual 5430 Sprint Triathlon presented by Amica Insurance on Sunday, June 20. This will be the first event in the Boulder Triathlon Series, which also includes the July Boulder Peak Triathlon and the August Rohto Ironman 70.3 Boulder.
The 5430 Sprint Triathlon is also part of the 2010 Amica 19.7 Triathlon Series, a sprint distance series of events held throughout the country. It is the second stop in Amica’s 10-event series, which culminates in Phoenix, Ariz., in November.
Sunday’s 5430 Sprint presented by Amica takes place at the Boulder Reservoir beginning at 7:30 a.m. and consists of a one-half mile swim, a 17-mile bike, and a 3.1-mile run. This marks the first race being run under the new ownership of the World Triathlon Corporation (Ironman).
“We are extremely excited that these events are being taken to the next level under the direction of the number one triathlon organization in the world, Ironman. It is particularly gratifying that they are continuing the races’ emphasis on the environment and providing a wide array of ‘extras’ to the participants,” said Barry Siff, former owner of the events under 5430 Sports.
The 5430 Sprint presented by Amica will fully implement a “Tri Sustainability” program, which is aimed at making this a “zero-waste” event. More than 90 percent of all waste generated from the event is to be recycled or composted. This goal was achieved during the 5430 last year, resulting in more than three tons of waste not being sent to a landfill. “We are fully committed and excited to continue and build upon the great environmental program started by 5430 Sports three years ago,” said Scott Straugh, Ironman race director.
The 1,600 athletes competing on Sunday include Jeff Mahoney of Brighton, Colo., who at one point weighed 315 pounds but has lost more than 100 pounds as a result of training. Mahoney said he “changed my life to attain a triathlete fitness level.”
Other athletes competing this weekend include Mark Bottom, 49, from Imperial, NE, who served in Iraq twice, as well as in Operation Just Cause Panama, and Barbara Kish, 45, of Boulder, Colo., who is a breast cancer survivor and the program director for the Eldora Disabled Snow Sports Program.