By Steve Sears

The Mayors Wellness Campaign is presenting the 9th annual Lincoln Park Triathlon on Sunday June 23.

The proceeds of the event, organized by the  Lincoln Park Triathlon Committee and sanctioned by USA Triathlon, will benefit Mayors Wellness Events, programs and various charities.

The Triathlon begins at 8:00 a.m.

Josh Kaufman is acting Race Director. “We’re a friendly group who, for the most part, are distance athletes ourselves. So, we know what it feels like to be participating in an event like this. We try to do everything we can to allow our athletes to succeed, but to enjoy the experience.”

Per Kaufman, there is a core committee of five Lincoln Park residents and an amazing group of volunteers that come out each year to help during the event. “Most of us,” he confirms, “have run marathons or completed different lengths of triathlons ourselves.”

Kaufman says the event is a big undertaking. Planning is very involved, and things are busy until and including the day of. “We start preparing each January for that year’s event with administrative tasks like getting our event registered with USAT and having the usage of the town properties approved. We open registration shortly thereafter and then start soliciting sponsors and advertisers in the Spring. These sponsors allow us to provide ‘swag’ to the athletes in the form of event t-shirts, bags, and more.”

A triathlon is a race where the entrant swims, bikes, and runs, in that exact order. “Our event consists of a 500m swim, followed by a 10-mile bike ride, and culminating with a 5k run. Once all the athletes cross the finish line, we have an awards ceremony for the top three athletes in each age bracket. There is a more detailed schedule on our website if you’d like to see what actually happens on race day,” adds Kaufman.

Per Kaufman, athletes have different reasons for competing in the Lincoln Park Triathlon. It all depends on the individual. “Some do it for a challenge;  others use it as a training race for future, larger races.” The event has a maximum of 300 athletes. Since its inception, between 250 and 300 athletes have registered and taken part yearly.

The result is always extremely beneficial to all. Kaufman explains. “Our event is part of the Mayors Wellness Campaign. It’s also an event used to raise money for local charities and youth sports. Over the past eight years, we’ve raised over $90,000 which has all been donated to different groups and causes. We helped the Lincoln Park EMS purchase a new emergency vehicle. We’ve purchased AED’s for the many different fields in town. We’ve donated to the different youth sports in the Lincoln Park PAL. And we’ve donated money towards the Project Graduation nights for our kids graduating from High School.”

If interested in competing or even volunteering, visit www.lptri.com for more information regarding a complete schedule and fees.