More racing in Alberta – Tri for Evan to go on August 8

The fourth year of the Tri For Evan triathlon appears to be a go – the race is scheduled for August 8 in Elbow Valley, near Calgary.

The event is dedicated and inspired by 16-year-old Evan who is “a 16 year old boy who suffered a severe brain injury 10 years ago as a result of mitochondrial disease rendering him a non-verbal spastic quadriplegic,” according to the event website. “Evan struggles every day to cope with chronic pain, low energy levels, and overall quality of life. Evan knows better than anyone how thankful we should be for our health and is inspired to see others, especially kids, being active, having fun and making the most of everyday life.”

Race director Cheryl Lowery says that the event will be capped at 150 entrants, which is “partly due to COVID and partly because our venue won’t hold more.”

The sprint triathlon (750 m swim, 20 km bike and 5 km run) and duathlon (2.5 km run, 20 km bike, 5 km run) will follow strict protocols “following provincial guidelines” including:

• You will choose a window of time for package pick up and will only be allowed to collect your package at that time.
• The transition zone will be bigger than normal to allow bike racks to be placed with adequate physical distance.
• You will place your bikes on the racks at one of the pre-marked spots to allow for distance.
• The swim start will be rolling with two athletes going into the water every 10 seconds.
• We may decide to shorten the swim so you are only doing one loop instead of two.
• Markers will be on the ground to indicate where you will stand before entering the swim.
• All bike drafting rules remain the same as they allow for physical distancing.
• When in transition, you will need to maintain 2 m of distance from others at all times.
• If two athletes are entering the transition at the same time, volunteers will be on hand to ensure distancing.
• When running, you must maintain physical distancing and call out when you’re passing another athlete.
• The finish line will be separated into two sides.
• You will be encouraged to depart shortly after finishing.
• A pre event screening questionnaire will be sent to all athletes.
• You will be required to acknowledge that you have read all of the race information including Covid protocols.

Related: Chinook Classic Triathlon returns on August 15

Lowery runs a number of events through “Be There Races” and a few others are set to take place later this year, including a couple of runs later in August.

“We have the Sprung Trio 5/10/15 km on August 16 – this was previously our Spring Trio race in April,” she says. “I’m calling it ‘Sprung’ Trio because I feel like we’ve been sprung free to have a run. We’re also doing Sprung Trio Trail on August 24.”