WINONA LAKE – Winona Lake residents near the town park will be woken early by an influx of nearly 500 triathletes from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois on June 27. The parking lot will begin its transformation into the Transition Area in the afternoon as the Optimist Club brings in and assembles bike racks and fencing to designate the staging area for the race, according to Ron Donkers, race director, in a release from the club. The adult race event (15 to 80 year old) provides a major source of funding for the Breakfast Optimist Club since all of the proceeds of the race are used to sponsor programs and activities that benefit children in the Warsaw and Winona Lake area. The Youth race (11 to 14 year old) is a recent feature added to allow younger athletes an opportunity to get involved. All youth will compete by swimming, biking and running on a shortened version of the adult course. New features of the race this year include two new events. Several myTeam Triumph athletes will participate for the first time. myTeam Triumph is an athletic ride-along program created for children, teens, adults and veterans with disabilities who would normally not be able to experience endurance events such as triathlons or road races. The athlete in the chair is the team “captain.” Each captain is surrounded by at least three athletes who are their wings, called “angels.” myTeam Triumph exists to help everyone “Run Like Angels,” the release states. Another first-time opportunity has been designed for athletes who can finish the 13.8-mile bike and 3.7 mile run, but do not feel comfortable with the .25-mile swim. The new "adult kayak wave" removes the swim portion and instead, athletes will use a kayak to navigate a separate course which begins and ends at the beach. Then they continue with the normal bike and run portions of the race. Athletes are responsible for supplying their own kayaks or make arrangements to rent or borrow a kayak before signing up for the race. Winona Lake Park has a limited number of kayaks for rent. All participants will wear a timing chip attached to their ankle that will record their start times. As each person returns to the transition area they cross timing mats that let the organizers know that they are safely out of the water, and how long it took to complete each challenge. The race uses 14 certified lifeguards in the water, assisted by additional volunteers in kayaks and jet skis, as well as the Warsaw Police Department dive team to ensure course safety. Some of the fastest racers will take about one hour to complete the course but many will take between one and two hours from when they depart. After the race is over food is provided in a picnic atmosphere for all the triathletes with chicken quarters, pizza donated by race sponsors, perogis made by the volunteers in the Senior Center kitchen, fresh fruit and energy drinks. Over 100 Optimist Club volunteers, assisted by Winona Lake, Warsaw and Pierceton police and fire departments, will be out in force to help with the race. Pre-registration for the event is required and race registration will close June 23. To register for the race and to see the course map for the adult or youth race, visit the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Triathlon home page, www.warsawoptimist.org/triathlon or for questions about the race contact Donkers at 574-265-5699.
