By Anna Desmarteau
In August, there are two triathlons being presented by JCPRD, but you might want to hurry to sign up!
The two August events are the Kill Creek Park Triathlon and Duathlon on Aug. 12, and the JCPRD Kids Triathlon on Aug. 19. Both races will take place in and around Kill Creek Park, 11670 Homestead Lane, Olathe. For both races, athletes must participate and compete in the age division corresponding to their age on Dec. 31, 2023.
“We’re seeing an increase in numbers for both events over last year. Right now, we are about 6% up for the Kill Creek event and 12% up for the Kids Tri,” said Special Events Coordinator Katy Renner. “Both events have hard registration caps so we encourage folks to register early, especially for the Kids Tri, as we will sell out.”
The Kill Creek Park Triathlon is a coed sprint triathlon open to individuals, Athena/Clydesdale, and two or three-person relay teams. This race is for ages 11 and older with participants competing in five-year age groups from 11 years old to 89+. The Kill Creek Park Sprint Triathlon consists of a 500-meter swim, followed by a 10.6-mile bike, and a 3.1-mile run.
“We’ve added an Aquabike option to the Kill Creek Park event this year. We had several requests for this type of race over the last few years and we’re excited to give it a try at this event.” Renner said. “Most of the requests come from folks that are either unable to run or don’t enjoy that discipline of the triathlon. In this race, athletes will swim and bike only.”
The Kill Creek Sprint Duathlon consists of a 1.5-
mile run, followed by a 10.6-mile bike, and a 3.1-mile run. The bike courses for both races leave the park and will be largely on county roads surrounding the park.
For the triathlon, fees for this event are $97 for individuals and $155 for relay entries. For the duathlon, fees are $87 for individuals and $145 for relay entries. All participants will receive a finisher’s medal at the finish line, and race T-shirts are guaranteed to those who register by Aug. 5. For more information or to register for this race, go to runsignup.com/Race/KS/Olathe/2021KillCreekParkTriathlon.
If it doesn’t fill prior to this, online registration for the Kill Creek Park Triathlon will close on Thursday, Aug. 10, but late registrations will be accepted during the Friday packet pickup, if space is still available. No race day registrations will be accepted.
Packet pickup will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 11, at the Mill Creek Activity Center, 6518 Vista Dr. Shawnee. Participants can also pick up their packets from 5:30 to 7:15 a.m. on the morning of the race at the park. The race begins at 7:30 a.m.
Sponsors for this event are: BikeStop, FedEx Ground, Hiland Dairy, and Kurt’s Bars.
“Kill Creek Park is a true hidden gem of Johnson County” Renner states. “Not many folks know that it’s there, so we give them an opportunity to compete in this beautiful park. These are also smaller events that allow for new athletes to get their feet wet in the sport prior to taking on a larger event such as the Shawnee Mission Triathlon & Duathlon.
The JCPRD Kids Triathlon will take place on Saturday, Aug. 19. This triathlon is designed to let kids ages 14 and under be the stars of the show.
Athletes up to 14 years of age will compete in individual age groups in this race that is truly an event for all abilities. The Tots Triathlon for athletes ages five and under involves a 25-meter swim/splash in the lake (athletes are allowed to wear flotation devices), a 0.15-mile bike, and a 0.20-mile run. The Super Sprint Triathlon for athletes ages six to eight involves a 100-meter swim, a 1.6-mile bike, and a 1-mile run. The Sprint Triathlon for ages nine to ten involves a 100-meter swim, a 3.2-mile bike, and a 1-mile run. The Long Triathlon for ages 11 to 14 involves a 200-meter beach or open water swim, a 4.8-mile bike, and a 2-mile run. Bike courses for the Kids Triathlon will be inside Kill Creek Park on completely closed roads.
“It’s so fun to introduce people to a sport that they can continue to do for the rest of their life,” Renner said. “ We see folks out on the course that range in age from two years old (Kids Tri) all the way up to 80+ (KCP Tri). It’s also fun to see the entire family come out and compete together. Several families participate in the relay events.”
Until registrations end on Aug. 18, the cost is $30 per child for the Tots Triathlon, and $50 per child for the Super Sprint, Sprint, and Long triathlons. To learn more and register today, visit runsignup.com/Race/KS/Olathe/JCPRDKidsTriathlon.
Packet pickup for the JCPRD Kids Triathlon will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18, at Mill Creek Activity Center, 6518 Vista Dr. Shawnee. Participants can also pick up their packets from 6 to 7:30 a.m. on the morning of the race at the park. This year, the race begins at 8 a.m., which differs from the previous 9 a.m. start time.
Sponsors for this event are: BikeStop, FedEx Ground, and TriKC.
If you are interested in volunteering or need additional information about either of these triathlons, call 913-826-2964.