There are no significant changes to the HSBC Triathlon Series’ most long standing event. Now in its 7th year, the Lakeside Triathlon has become one of the most popular events in our series. With a tree-covered grass transition area, that is only meters from the spring-fee lake and meters from both the bike and run courses, who could ask for better. There will be a CAP on entries for the Sunday Races in 2008. There will be a CAP of 325 TOTAL RACERS between the Duathlon & Triathlon and 100 RACERS in the Give-It-A-Tri. This is due to the size limits of the Transition Area. Be sure to enter EARLY!!!

Now in its 4th Year, the Binbrook event is fast gaining support from racers that are looking for Warm Water and a Fast & Flat Bike Course in June. With a large grass transition area and plenty of trees under which to catch some post-race shade. If the thought of cold water and steep hills doesn’t seem like exactly what you are looking for in June, come out to the Binbrook Conservation Area on June 15th. The race site is only a 15min drive off of the 403 on New Hwy 6 South

After taking a break in 2006 after 21 years, the Welland Triathlon returned in 2007 with a New Venue, New Race Courses and a Time-Trial Start format. Just 1.5km south of the former race site, the new race site offers more space, more parking and the post-race food & awards inside the cool confines of the Welland Arena!! The swim course will again be rectangular-shaped in the calm waters of the Welland Recreational Waterway. The bike course is Flat, Flat, Flat and travels south along the canal before heading southwest towards the Town of Wainfleet. The run course travels along the fitness paths along the canal. The Time Trial Start will return for 2008 as will the finish at centre ice in the Welland Arena!!

The Gravenhurst event has grown significantly in popularity after the move in 2006 from Gull Lake Park to the NEW Muskoka Wharf. We also introduced the Steamship Start to the Sprint Triathlon in 2006 and added the Steamship Start to the Olympic Distance in 2007.

This event is really something special to witness. Imagine two historic steamships loaded with hundreds of Triathletes pushing back from the dock and heading out into the lake.

The Sprint Triathlon will still feature a 750m straight swim back to the bock, but we will be changing the shape of the Olympic Distance Course.

The Olympic Triathlon is now an L-Shaped course starting 400m North of the current Sprint Start. The first leg of the course will run at just short of right angle to the Sprint Course and turn onto the same line at 500m. The Final 1000m will follow the same line as the Sprint Course, straight into the dock.

There will be a HARD CAP for both the Olympic Triathlon and Sprint Triathlon of 300 Athletes for EACH RACE. The steamships can only hold 300 racers total, so be sure to register early!! The Sprint Triathlon Sold-Out over six weeks before race day and the Olympic Distance Sold-Out over two weeks out.

Now in its 12th year, the Bala Falls Triathlon has been a perennial favourite for Central Ontario athletes and 2007 marked its first year in the HSBC Triathlon Series. The race features warm, clean water, a rolling bike course and a scenic run course will several tree-line cottage road sections. The race is hosted at Jaspen Park on the banks of the Moon River. In 2007 we added a Give-It-A-Tri event, which met with a warm reception. The Give-It-A-Tri will start at 8:00AM, and the long standing Triathlon will now run at 9:00AM.

There will be a HARD CAP on entries for Both Races in 2008: Give-It-A-Tri (100 Racers) and Triathlon & Relay (400 Racers). This event sold out two weeks before race day in 2007, so be sure to enter early!!!

The newest addition to the HSBC Triathlon Series, and our 4th event in the clean and clear waters of Central Ontario. The Bracebridge event is set in beautiful Annie Williams Park which sits along the scenic Muskoka River and is blessed with an abundance of mature trees and lush grass.

The Toronto Island is a one-of-a-kind event in Ontario. Toronto Island is a City Park, and there are no personal vehicles allowed on the Island. Picture doing a race completely inside of a park!!

Couple that with the fact that the Island is usually 3-5 degrees cooler than any other part of the city and a swim course off of the cleanest beach in the city, and you have the makings of a race that will continue to be a part of the series for many years to come. The water tempurate can vary quite a bit, so WETSUITS are MANDATORY for the race unless notified.

We have changes the order of events for 2008 with the Give-It-A-Tri staying on Saturday and the Triathlon moving to its own day on Sunday. Both events will have early starts (GIT at 8:00AM and the Triathlon at 8:00AM) to ensure little pedestrian traffic. Our 5km & 10km Runs will be moved to Saturday and will be hosted at 10:00AM and 10:30AM respectively; after the Give-It-A-Tri is completed.

Bib pick-up for all events will occur on the mainland. Toronto Parks is adding a special ramp/entrance for special events in 2008. Racers will enter the ferry docks on the same side of the Westin Harbour Castle as they would for regular service. The lights will be added to the small park adjacent to the ferry terminal. Racers will pick-up their bib and ferry ticket upon entering the park and they line-up for their respective ferry. That will reduce the number of times that you will be required to wait in line.

In 2008, each wave of both the Give-It-A-Tri and Triathlon will be assigned specific ferry times. That will ensure that you have enough time to get to the Island, and get ready to race with plenty of time to spare. These ferry times will be posted in enough time before race day that you can plan ahead.

T-Shirts, Race Kits and Timing Chips will still be picked-up on the island. Body marking will also be done on the island. Registration will be moved North of last year’s location and will be set-up in a more liner manner to allow us to push two lines through the tent and deal with the surges of racers coming off of the ferry.

There will be a HARD CAP on entries for Both Races in 2008: Give-It-A-Tri (300 Racers) and Triathlon & Relay (600 Racers).

Do you live in the Toronto area? Why not take the ferry over to the island and test out the bike course before race day?

Now in its 5th Year, the Cobourg Triathlon has moved weekends to accommodate our new Bracebridge event. Thanks to Lara Scott and the entire staff at the Town of Cobourg for obliging our request.

The start times for the Sunday evens will be moved earlier to accommodate the expanding nature of the race. The Give-It-A-Tri will now start at 8:00AM and the Sprint Triathlon and Sprint Duathlon start at 9:30AM. That will still give racers that are traveling in from a great distance away a bit more time to sleep-in and a daylight drive to the race site.

It is with a degree of sadness that we have decided not to host the Triathlon Kids event in Cobourg in 2008. We changed the format of the event in 2007 to contain the run course within the closed section of road used for the bike course in an effort to further insulate the race courses. Unfortunately, that change still did not reduce the general public impact on the event that we feel the event needed to continue.

We are looking to speak with any local triathlon enthusiast who would be interesting in taking up the mantle of Race Director and continuing to host the event. The event could stay on the same weekend as in 2007, as the Adult races are moving two weeks later in 2008, and be moved back to a Sunday morning timeframe. We would gladly assist a local race director in any way possible to ensure that Triathlon Kids racing continues in Cobourg.

We are going the change the shape of GIT and Sprint courses to a narrower right-angled triangle. This will allow us to have better guard coverage with the greater number of waves in these events, particularly the sprint. The sun is also a factor in this race and the change to the course will minimize the distance swum in the direction of the sun.

We will be changing the 5km loop (used for both the 5km & 10km courses) to a true out-&-back, eliminating the section where the return leg deviates from the out-bound section of the course. The turn-around for the 5km course will be on Hamilton Ave and the turn-around for the 10km course (2 x 5km) will be just off Hamilton Ave on Parkwood Drive. The Lap/Finish Point for the 10km course will be just inside the concrete barriers on Bay St, just past Green.

The Wasaga Beach Triathlon returns as the final Triathlon in the HSBC Series for the 6th straight year. There are no major changes planned for the 2008.

We have researched the option of conducting the swim in the Notawasaga River, south of the race site. Water Quality in the river (we tested it the week following the 2007 event) can be quite variable based on rainfall. We will be testing the water on the week leading up to the race and, regardless of the wind on the bay; we will have a swim option for you in 2008.

To avoid two-way traffic on what can become a very busy run course, we with change the routing out of Beach Area two on the west end of the course. Previous courses have had a section of two-way traffic between the exit of Beach Area Two onto Mosely and 12th Street, where the course has headed towards the beach and to a turn-around.

We will return to a lengthen version of the course we used in 2005 that used the small path just before the lift gate to exit to 11th Street (the street on the western boundary of Beach Area Two). We will add an extra circuit in the parking lot just past the 2km aid station to make-up the required distance.

Plan on staying around for the day to enjoy the beach, go for a cool-down swim, go for dinner and, if you have the energy, a trip back to Beach Drive that evening for some dancingJ Or, get to bed early and gear-up to run the Half Marathon the next day.

The changes to the race site and the run course for the CFB Borden Duathlon this year were very well received. In 2007, upon the recommendation of our main contact at the base, we moved the race site closer to the Buell Fitness Centre and rerouted the run course onto the cart paths of the Anderson Golf Course.

The first kilometer is of the run is on dirt paths, roads and sidewalks to get to the Anderson Golf course. The next two kilometers are on the cart paths surrounding the golf course. Surfaces vary from crushed limestone to grass/dirt and includes a 50m long sand ladder. The final kilometer takes the course around and past the Rod & Gun Club and is the most challenging portion of the course. There is a trail downhill in/around 3km before reaching the Rod & Gun Club. After passing by the pond and the club the course has two short and steep hills on dirt/sand to get you back up to the elevation of the finish. The final 400m are flat and on grass.
You will want to ensure that you wear shoes with some tread for this course.

The bike course is flat to gently rolling for the first 20km and there are some short hills along Range Rd between 20km and 23km.