Triathletes seek glory at Rose Hall

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:  A strong blend of local and international triathletes will descend on Montego Bay this morning for the third staging of the Rose Hall Triathlon & Multi-sports Festival, which is expected to unfold in its customary blaze of glory along the scenic Rose Hall coastline.

"In just three years we are now a globally recognised event," said Rayne Russell, the CEO of Entertain Jamaica, which conceptualised and is staging the multi-disciplined event.

"We are now rated second in the sub-category of the 'Best Vacation Triathlon'," Rayne added.

While all the participants will not be known until final registration this morning, defending champion Nicholas Becker of France, who topped the field last year, will definitely be in the field again this year for the 1,500-metre swim, 40-kilometre bike ride and a 10km run event.

The event, which will have its customary 6:30 a.m. start, will first see action in the swim off the coast of the 750-metre Iberostar coastline. The swim will be followed by the 40km bike ride from Iberostar to Ironshore and back to the Rose Hall Great House. The 10k run along Cinnamon Hill Championship Golf Course will bring the curtain down on the event.

The triathlon weekend, which started yesterday, will also feature several new attractions this year as the organisers seeks to strengthen the local side of the event. The new events include the Sunshine Kids Triathlon, the North Coast Bike Ride, the Lightning 5K Run and the Rose Hall Open Ocean Swim.

"These new events will be targeting corporate companies, triathlon participants, sporting organisations, gyms and high school students," said Russell. "We want this to be as much a local event as it is an international event."

healthy lifestyle

In a bid to ensure that the health and wellness component gets serious treatment, the organisers staged a seminar at the Rose Hall Hilton Resort yesterday to showcase the importance of good nutrition, a healthy lifestyle and the utilisation of proper training techniques.

The seminar, which was slated to have 50 schools in attendance, had Olympian Dennis Johnson, Jamaica's renowned international triathlete Iona Wynter, and Vaughn Phang, president of the Jamaica Cycling Association, as special presenters.

While the event will not carry a prize package this year, the organiser does not expect that to dampen the enthusiasm of the event, which has attracted renowned stars such as Olympian Isabelle Ferrer and the Australian husband-and-wife duo of Greg and Laura Bennett in the past.