There are no significant changes to the longest standing event in the HSBC Triathlon Series. 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 fed lake and both the bike and run courses, who could ask for more. There will be a CAP on entries for the Sunday Races in 2008: Duathlon (100 Racers), Triathlon (275 Racers), and Give-It-A-Tri (125 Racers). Be sure to enter early!!!

In previous years the Wallace family has been good enough to allow parking on their property for a nominal fee of $2. We have decided to make parking a little easier and faster by including the $2 parking fee in the race entry fee. Now all athletes will be able to drive directly to the Wallace property and park. Directions will be included in the pre-race email for all participants.

 

 

Binbrook - June 15 - An Early Season Race With Warm Water

Now in its 5th Year, the Binbrook event is fast gaining support from racers who are looking for an event to kick start their race season. There is a great transition area with a large grass area and plenty of trees under which to catch some post-race shade. We will be using a narrower triangular swim course this year as the sun rises over the dam and has historically be problematic for swimmers. This change will move the course off a direct line towards the sun.

If you are looking for an early season race with a warm water swim and a bike course that is not too challenging then please join us at the Binbrook Conservation Area on June 15th. The race site is only a 15min drive off of the 403 on New Hwy 6 South. Take a look at the map below:

 

 

 

 

Welland Triathlon – June 29th - Time Trial on a FAST and FLAT course

After taking a break in 2006 the Welland Triathlon returned in 2007 to a new venue, new race courses and a time-trial start format. To many the biggest plus was the very fast and flat bike course with a run along the canal, similar to the old race.

The 23rd Annual Welland Triathlon is 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 a 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!!

 

 

Gravenhurst July 12 & 13th - Improvements To The Steamship Start In 2008. This race Sold Out in 2007

The Gravenhurst event has grown significantly in popularity after the move in 2006 from Gull Lake Park to the NEW Muskoka Wharf. What seems to really get athletes excited is the steamship start to the Sprint Triathlon and Olympic Distance race. 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. Please see the map below:

While there were no issues with the swim starts in 2006 we did experience drift of the steamships in 2007 because of a strong off-shore wind. We are currently finalizing our plans with Muskoka Steamships and will have a solution to the drift we experienced last year and are confident that the start line will remain stationary this year.

The other change that will allow you a greater chance of entry is that the Joe's Team fundraising race will be moved to a separate date and location. Last year we had a waiting list of nearly 100 people and do anticipate that even with Joe's Team moving, the Gravenhurst race will reach the cap sell out again. 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!!

 

Bala Falls - July 27th - Now In Its 12th Year This race sold out in 2007!

Now in its 12th year the Bala Falls Triathlon has been a perennial favourite for Central Ontario athletes. In 2007 we were very happy that Bala became part of the HSBC Triathlon Series. This 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. We are also happy to announce that the Give-It-A-Tri will also be back in 2008. 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 three weeks before race day in 2007, so be sure to enter early!

 

 

 

Bracebridge Half Iron Distance Triathlon and Duathlon - August 10 - The Newest Half Iron Distance Race In Ontario

The newest addition to the HSBC Triathlon Series, and our fourth Central Ontario event in clean and clear waters. 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 swim course will be rectangular in nature and head towards downtown Bracebridge past the Muskoka Riverside Inn.

The first 10km of the bike course heads west out of Bracebridge on Santa’s Village Road before reaching Muskoka Rd 118 at 11km. The course then heads North and West on Rd 118 towards Port Carling. Rd 118 features long steady climbs, scenic rock-cuts and classic Muskoka landscapes. Before Port Carling, the course turns North to head into the more rolling sections south of Three Mile Lake.
Once around the turn-around the course retraces its steps back to Anne Williams Park.

The run course travels over the Muskoka River on Wellington St before turning West on Beaumont Dr. The course is relatively flat as it hugs the Muskoka River as is descends towards Lake Muskoka. The course does two circuits of 10km on Beaumont Dr before returning over the bridge and back to the park for the finish.

If you are in training for an Ironman or 70.3 event in the late-summer or fall, Bracebridge is the perfect tune-up event. Or, set this event as your goal event for the year and still have time in late-August and September for some additional races with all the fitness you have acquired!! We hope to see you out on August 10th for Ontario’s Newest Half Iron Distance Event.

Toronto Island Triathlon - August 16 & 17 - Race In Toronto with no long drive, hotel costs or weekend traffic

We have changed the order of the events for 2008. The Give-It-A-Tri will still be on Saturday and the Triathlon will move 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. There will be a HARD CAP on entries for Both Races in 2008: Give-It-A-Tri (300 Racers) and Triathlon & Relay (600 Racers).

Our 5km & 10km running races will be moved to Saturday and will be hosted at 10:00AM and 10:30AM respectively; after the Give-It-A-Tri is completed.

We have developed a new registration process in order to help minimize the line-up in 2008 with BIB Number pick-up for all events occurring on the mainland. Toronto Parks is adding a well lit 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 ferry regular service. Racers will then pick up their bib and ferry ticket and then line-up for the HANLAN'S POINT.

In 2008, we will have suggested times for each wave of both the Give-It-A-Tri and Triathlon to arrive for the ferry. This 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 on the website before race day so that you can plan ahead. We have also negotiated with the city and have been able to arrange for additional early ferry service strictly for HSBC Triathlon Series athletes.

On the Island registration will be moved North of last year’s location and will be set-up to allow us to push two lines through the tent and deal with the surges of racers coming off of the ferry. T-Shirts, Race Kits and Timing Chips will still be picked-up on the island. Body marking will also be done on the island. Since you receive your BIB number on the mainland, you will be able to pick-up you race kit and technical shirt on the island BEFORE OR AFTER THE RACE.

Race Fees include the $6 Ferry ride to/from the Island. The ferry terminal is behind the Westin Harbour Castle on Queens Quay. There is plenty of paid parking available in the area.

 

Cobourg - August 23 and 24 - A New Date

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 15 minutes earlier to accommodate the expanding nature of the race. The Give-It-A-Tri will now start at 8:15AM 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.

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.

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 did not reduce the general public impact on the event that we felt was necessary for the KOS races to continue.

We are looking to speak with any local triathlon enthusiast who would be interesting in taking over the Kids Of Steel/Triathlon Kids 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.

 

Wasaga Beach - September 6 - With a new swim option in the Nottawasaga River

The Wasaga Beach Triathlon returns as the final Triathlon in the HSBC Series for the 6th straight year with a MAJOR CHANGE TO THE SWIM. In 2008 there will be a river swim option in case of windy conditions in the bay.

We have researched the option of conducting the swim in the Nottawasaga 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. Should we decide to use the river for the swim, the water quality test results will be provided to all athletes prior to the swim.

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.

HSBC Triathlon Series Water Quality Guarantee and Five Splits For Every Race Distance

As far as we know we are the only series that has this guarantee. For the past four years we have been testing the water quality at all of our race sites. We do this to make sure you are well informed about the water quality when you race in an HSBC Triathlon Series race. To learn more about the HSBC Triathlon Series Water Quality Guarantee just click here.

We also offer five timing splits for every race and race distance including the Give-It-A-Tri.