The Columbus Challenge Triathlon has a new director this year.
Laura Moses, who was program director for Big Brothers, Big Sisters for 10½ years, took over Jan. 1 as health and fitness director at Foundation For Youth, which sponsors the event. One of her duties in that role is to direct the Columbus Challenge.
Moses, who oversees aquatics, athletics and co-manages the registration desk and part of the leadership team at FFY, has helped the effort to secure volunteers for the Columbus Challenge. More volunteers still are needed.
“The number of volunteers that we have for this race is absolutely amazing,” Moses said. “We’ll have like 120 volunteers for this event, and that’s a lot. The more someone understands a discipline (swim, bike or run), the better they are to keep the athletes safe.”
The 22nd annual event, which will begin at 8 a.m. Aug. 5 at Tipton Lakes Marina, will once again feature an Olympic distance and sprint triathlon, along with a few events which were added last year — a Duathlon (bike-run), Aquathon (swim-run) and Aquabike (swim-bike), a 10K run and a 5K run.
The Olympic distance triathlon consists of a 1,500-meter swim, 25-mile bike and 10K (6.2-mile) run. The sprint triathlon will have an 800-meter swim, 15-mile bike and 5K (3.1-mile) run.
The swim, bike and run courses will remain the same as in previous years. A new bike course was being considered for this year, but will not be used at least until next year.
Participants are invited to a free meal and a boat tour of the swim course on the evening prior to the race. The Bicycle Station will be tuning up bikes for free, and food will be available for purchase by non-participants.
The transition area will open at 6 a.m. on race day. The Olympic distance triathlon starts at 8 a.m., and all other races begin at 8:30 a.m.
As a safety precaution, spectators will be kept east of the transition area this year.
