700 entered in triathlon

If there was any doubt about the ever growing popularity of triathlons in Culpeper, Sunday’s fifth annual Culpeper Sprint at Mountain Run Lake should put an end to it.

A full slate of 700 triathletes registered to participate in the 8 a.m. race, which is put on each year by Greg Hawkins of Set Up Events. That’s nearly 200 more than competed in last year’s Culpeper Sprint. Of those registered, 39 are from Culpeper County and another 41 are from the surrounding counties.

In recent years Culpeper has hosted two sprint triathlons, which consist of a 750-meter swim, a 16-mile bike ride and a 5K run. This year the Culpeper Sprint is the only local race, but that hasn’t cooled enthusiasm for the sport locally.

“I’m sad that there’s only one race this year,” said Julia Peck, a Culpeper resident that participates in triathlons across the country and a veteran of the Culpeper Sprint. “But I’m excited this one is still here and I’ll do anything to keep it coming here. Seeing the number of local people participating grow like it has is a good indicator that it should stay here.”

The number of local participants seems to have grown with the number of opportunities to train for the sport. This year the Bike Stop Pro Team was formed to provide a group for area residents interested in competing in triathlons and cycling races.

In addition, there are training sessions available to novices and experienced triathletes alike. Vivian Arenas, a USAT certified coach offers such sessions.
Last summer she trained people new to the sport and this year she added several veteran triathletes to the roster.

Twenty-eight of the area participants trained with Arenas and will wear red Tri Training Virginia jerseys on Sunday.

“I’ve been so busy with my athletes,” Arenas said. “They are all so pumped and so ready to do this thing. Bike Stop has been amazing getting people set up on bikes and now we have a community that is really into cycling and triathlon.”

Peck gives Arenas a lot of credit for increasing the popularity of the sport in Culpeper.

“It’s incredibly amazing the number of people we have,” Peck said. “Vivian is responsible for bringing a good number of these Culpeper residents in.”

The Culpeper Sprint has attracted athletes 17 states and the District of Columbia. Some athletes will come from as far away as California. But the locals get to enjoy some advantages of having the race in Culpeper. Traveling to races is a major expense for the serious triathletes and competing on a familiar course also benefits the area participants.

“It’s absolutely an advantage to compete at home,” Peck said. “It’s special to have a home court advantage. It’s beautiful here and I think it’s helping local businesses too. I think the sport is helping the local economy.”