Triathlon Races Into Oswego Sunday

Sunday there will be a whole lot of running, swimming and biking going on in Oswego.

will host the inaugural in the village beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday at Fox Ridge Stone and Gravel, at the intersection of Orchard Road and Route 71. 

“We pride ourselves on being a community bank and part of that is doing a bunch of different community events,” said Andy Hardin, vice president of operations and marketing at Allied First Bank.

The event is the brainchild of Paul Rathman, race director and vice president of business development at Allied First Bank.

“He’s always wanted to do a triathlon and thought it was a great way to put in a new community event and raise money,” Hardin said.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Heritage YMCA’s Strong Kids Campaign.

The triathlon start and finish line will be located at Fox Valley Stone and Gravel, with on-site parking for competitors, spectators and volunteers.

Coordinators began planning the event about a year ago.

“And now here we are, just a couple of days away,” Hardin said. “We were able to put some horsepower behind it and get a group of really good people involved from the local community on our executive board.”

Sunday’s event includes a 750-meter swim, 20-kilomenter (12.4 miles) bike ride and a 5-kilomenter (3.1 miles) run.

This year’s race is limited to 300 participants.

“And we hope to double that next year,” Hardin said.

He anticipates the event will be sold out by Friday.

“We’ve had a lot of local interest -- a lot of local Oswego folks are doing their first ever triathlon,” Hardin said.

Rathman said after a year of planning, he's looking forward to Sunday.

“There has been a lot of hard work from many different people in the community to make this event happen,” he said. “We can’t wait for the race to start and look forward to a successful day”

For those who prefer the sidelines, volunteers are needed for Sunday’s event to help with packet pick-up, aid stations and operations. Every individual who volunteers will receive an Oswego Triathlon volunteer T-shirt, food, drinks, and the ability to attend a volunteer after-party.

“We need help from the local community to pull this off,” Hardin said.

A volunteer orientation will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Fox Ridge Stone, 6110 Route 71.

Registration ends Friday. There will be no day-of event registration.
All participants will receive a participant T-shirt. Water and sports drinks will be provided before, during and after the race.

The top three male and female competitors in each age division will be awarded.

For more information about the Oswego Triathlon, visit the event’s website.