Eugene to host summer triathlon

Eugene is known for its track and field legacy, so much so that it’s been called Track Town USA for decades. The city is also known as a mecca for bicyclists. Swimming? Well, maybe not so much — although it does get plenty of water.

So maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise when officials announced Tuesday that the Eugene area will get its own triathlon this summer.

Triathlon Eugene the Oregon Challenge will be held Aug. 28, a Sunday, at Fern Ridge Lake — the first known major triathlon to be held in Lane County.

“Eugene has an incredible sports culture,” said Jack Caress, president and CEO of Anaheim, Calif.-based Pacific Sports LLC, which will put on the triathlon, amid hopes it will emerge as a well-known annual event that can draw hundreds to the area.

There’s precedent, after all: Caress noted that the Eugene Marathon has been “extremely successful” since its inception in 2007.

Pacific Sports, which organizes several triathlons, half-marathons and marathons in Southern California and elsewhere around the country, has been looking for a Northwest location for a triathlon for a while, Caress said. He hopes Triathlon Eugene will appeal not only to local and Northwest triathletes, but to those from all over the world.

“And what better time to be in Eugene?” he said of the late August date.

The event will offer three courses: a Triangle Lake Long Course, a Fern Ridge Short Course and a youth course. The Triangle Lake Long Course will include a 1-kilometer swim in Fern Ridge Lake, a 50-mile bicycle ride heading west out to Triangle Lake and back, and a 10-kilometer run.

The Fern Ridge Short Course will include a 0.5-kilometer swim, a 24-mile bike ride and a 5-kilometer run.

The youth course will include a 200-yard swim, a 9-mile bike ride and a 5-kilometer run.

Relay teams, in which one participant does the swim, one the bike ride, and one the run, also will be allowed.

“So there’s plenty of opportunity for those who are experienced in triathlons and those who are new to the event,” said Lisa Lawton, director of community relations for Travel Lane County, which is partnering with Pacific Sports on the event.

Registration begins March 28. For those who register by May 16, costs to participate will range from $175 for individuals participating in the long course to $275 for relay teams; $95 for individuals and $195 for relay teams in the short course; and $25 for youth participants. Registration includes a race T-shirt and other items.

Kidsports also will be a partner, helping to organize the youth course, Lawton said. Other partners include USA Triathlon, the sanctioning authority for more than 3,000 race events; Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life and Eclectic Edge Events, both of Eugene; the Lane County Parks Department; and the Eugene Celebration, which will be held on the same weekend this year as the triathlon.

“It’s just a great example of trying to connect with the local community and making this a community event that everyone can be a part of,” Lawton said.

The event will not be Lane County’s only triathlon. The Duck Bill Thrill is an annual triathlon in the Fall Creek area, slated for May 22 this year. And Cottage Grove has its own triathlon. But those triathlons are of lesser distance.

“I think we’re going to attract a lot of local athletes, as well as athletes from all over the country,” Lawton said. Caress said he hopes Triathlon Eugene will attract some of the world’s best triathletes, and that he’ll be working to induce some of them to give the local event a try.