SECOND TRI: A competitor gets ready to take the plunge at the start of the inaugural Princeton Triathlon last June. The event is back on June 6 for another year and looks to be bigger and better in its second go-around. (Photo by Allison Brooks)
By Bill Alden
After undergoing a two-year process, the Princeton High Triathlon Club achieved its goal last June of staging a triathlon in Princeton.
In the wake of the success of the inaugural event which drew nearly 240 participants, the Princeton Triathlon is back on June 6 for another year and looks to be bigger and better in its second go-around.
The race director, Shawn Elwood, a PHS senior, believes that the positive vibe emanating from the debut of the event will carry over to this June.
“I know from being a participant in triathlon events, all the way up to being a race director, the energy from a triathlon is unbeatable,” said Elwood of the event, which starts with a swim in the Community Park Pool and then winds around nearly streets for the bike and running legs. “Now as a race director it was an unbelievable feeling. I know we can capture that feeling and that energy. I know that all of the participants will keep coming back. It is definitely an active community.”
The organizers have added a sprint triathlon to the event which features a super sprint, super sprint triathlon, super sprint triathlon relay, duathlon, and aquabike, which are for all ages 13 and above along with a youth triathlon event for those ages 12 and under.
“Last year we had just a youth and super sprint event,” said Elwood. “This year we included a sprint event which is double the length of the super sprint.”
As for the swimming leg, the super sprint event will be 300 meters and the sprint will be 400. The bike leg is going to be five and a half miles for the super sprint and the sprint is going to be just about double that between 10.5 and 11 miles. The youth will be around three.
“We reworked the entire course,” said Elwood, referring to the bike leg. “Whereas before it mirrored the Princeton 5k course last year, now it is more of a chunk of the Princeton half marathon course. With the sprint being 10 and half miles, we needed to expand pretty significantly.”
As for the run, the super sprint is 1.5 miles, the sprint is 3.1 miles and .75 for the youth event.
Like the bike leg, the running course has been reworked.
“It was fairly complicated last year just going through just the park,” said Elwood. “This year we are expanding out on to the roads just to give us a little more space for the run course. It mirrors the 5K course a little bit and finishes in the park again.”
The field of competitors will be expanding this year. “With under a month to go we are at almost 300 already,” said Elwood, noting that one can log onto trisignup.com/Race/NJ/Princeton/PrincetonTriathlon for race information and to register. “I am pretty sure we will sell out which I am really excited about. The cap went from 250 to 500 this year, which I am very happy with.”
In order to handle more entrants, Elwood and his planning group have received a lot of help from town officials.
“I worked with the town a long time and they have been incredibly supportive,” said Elwood, noting that organizers have gotten assistance from the Princeton Council, Recreation Department, Police Department, Public Works, and Engineering. “We were definitely banking on the success of the first year and now that we have established a well-run event, they are on board.”
In addition, local businesses have stepped up in terms of sponsorship.
“We focused on getting high tier sponsorship, there have been so many local companies that have decided to support this year,” said Elwood, whose planning group includes his father, Doug, and his younger brother, Darren, along with Braedyn Capone, Tyler Cenci, Harrison Knoch, Patrick Remboski, Ziyang Ling, Steven Cenci, and B Rizzo. “I don’t think we lost a single one from last year. We are upwards of 25, it was above 10 left year.”
The net proceeds from the event go to Dare2Tri (a national nonprofit organization that aids disabled athletes), the PHS Triathlon Club, and all of the municipal groups involved in helping to stage the triathlon.
Noting that the event is currently a little short on volunteers, Elwood added that those interested can sign up though a Google form on the website home page.
In an effort to make the Princeton Triathlon a fixture on the local athletics calendar, the organizers have fine-tuned their efforts and added touches to make the event more memorable.
“We have stressed the same amount to making sure the event runs well,” said Elwood. “I think this year we have stepped up our game in terms of addition of those extra elements. At the finish line, we are having something that we are calling the ‘family corner.’ About 40 percent of our participants are taking part with family members. We are making family into our brand. Those small adjustments and extra little special touches that we have been making will definitely push it over the line for everyone in the community to come and support.”