Hundreds Expected in Town for Ultra Triathlon September 7

CAPE CHARLES WAVE

January 12, 2013

Cape Charles will host an estimated 200-600 participants for a 140-mile ultra-triathlon – swim, bike, run – Saturday, September 7, with Mason Avenue the epicenter of the event.

Each participant is expected to be accompanied by 1.3 supporters, resulting in somewhere between 500 and 1500 visitors that weekend.

The course entails a 2.4-mile swim on the Chesapeake Bay, followed by a 112-mile bike stage and finishing with a 26.2-mile marathon.

The entire marathon course will be in Cape Charles, with a 13.1-mile loop through the town and Bay Creek which will be run twice, starting and finishing on Mason Avenue.

Local resident Beth Davis is the community relations manager for the event. She and race organizer Don Mann provided an overview of the event at last Thursday’s Town Council meeting.

Mann owns a home on the Eastern Shore, and decided the area was a perfect place for an ultra-sporting event because of its natural beauty and tranquil surroundings.

“We don’t need your money — just your support,” Davis said. She and Mann have met with Town Manager Heather Arcos, recreation director Jennifer Lewis, and Police Chief Sambo Brown.

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Mann explained that 30 annual “Ironman” triathlons, which were popularized in Hawaii, typically have 2,000 competitors and “fill up immediately.”

The Cape Charles event, called a “140,” is not an official “Ironman,” although the distances are the same.

“There are two big events in the world — the Ironman and the 140. It’s the same event, but the Ironman has bigger name recognition,” Mann said. “We’re not there yet.”

“It’s our hope — if the community is supportive and they want this — that we’ll be one of those events that immediately fills up again for next year,” Mann said.

Triathletes’ average age is 38 and average income is $126,000. They and their supporters will  shop, eat and stay in hotels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation rentals. Many will stay a few days, the organizers said.

The Eastern Shore 140 Ultra Triathlon website is http://es140.com/.