Inaugural Hever Castle Triathlon
Triathletes of all abilities are encouraged to sign up for one of the most picturesque races of its kind in the South East of England - registration for the inaugural Hever Castle Triathlon (27 Sept) opens today.
Triathletes of all abilities are encouraged to sign up for one of the most picturesque races of its kind in the South East of England – registration for the inaugural Hever Castle Triathlon opens today.
The Hever Castle Triathlon will take place on 27 September 2009 and have a series of races to cater for all levels of ability. All can be undertaken as an individual or as part of a relay team (i.e. one person swims, the other cycles and the other runs). For the elite triathlete there is the Henry VIII race (800m swim, 40km bike, 8k run) and for all first timers there is the Anne Boleyn race (400m swim, 20k bike, 4k run).
The open water swim will be in the stunning Hever Castle Lake, the cycle for the two longer adult races will take place around a 20k circuit through the High Weald of Kent an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and finally the run will circumnavigate the Hever Castle estate and the award winning gardens for a challenging but beautiful final leg of the triathlon.
Sponsored by Zoggs, Bat and Ball Sports and Bike, Bike, Bike, the triathlon aims to set the bar for a family sports event combining excellent logistics, organisation and cutting edge race technology with an eye for detail and respect for this historic venue.
The youth charity The Prince’s Trust will benefit from the race with 10% of profits being donated by the organisers, along with additional “on-the-day” fundraising activities and also the Trust will be the main beneficiary of personal giving / sponsorship.
Jill Parker, Elite Triathlete and World Age Group Silver Medalist said, “What could be a more perfect triathlon? Swimming in the beautiful lake in the grounds of the stunning world famous Hever Castle and cycling round the beautiful Kent countryside, and all within a stone’s throw of London? I’ll definitely be there to compete in this inaugural triathlon which is perfect for both novice triathletes, with a shallow lake and the option of a shorter course, and more experience triathletes alike who can up the distance to the full Henry VIII course, a real challenge.”
To register for the Hever Castle Triathlon 2009 log onto www.hevercastle.co.uk/triathlon or call 01892 870679.
Costs for entry: Henry VIII race £60 (£55 for BTA members), Anne Boleyn race £40 (£37 for BTA members), team entry (for both races) £75 (£25 each). There is also a team entry category (i.e. 1 person swims, another bikes and another runs) in both races charged at £75 (i.e. £25 per person). Places limited to 1000 entries.
Open to all from 18 to 80 years, 2 for 1 entry for adults and children into Hever Castle and Gardens.
Matt Baird
Editor of Cycling Plus magazine 
