Fifth Door County Triathlon Saturday

Egg Harbor will welcome close to 2,000 tough athletes this weekend as the Door County Triathlon brings its largest event yet to the shores of the town. This year both a sprint course and a Half Ironman course will be offered in the 5th annual event.

The race will be staged at Murphy Park once again, with the sprint distance race starting Saturday at 8 am, and the Half Iron distance on Sunday at 8 am.

The sprint distance includes a 1/4 mile swim, 18 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run, while the Half Ironman poses the challenge of a daunting 1.2 mile swim, 53 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run.

As of July 14, the registration rolls included 1,000 sprint course entrants and 726 Half Iron entrants, easily surpassing the goal of 1,500 total competitors. The race is capped at 1,000 participants for each distance. Last year’s event was capped at 1050 people, but the 2009 edition will be split over two days due to surging demand.

Organizers say the best place to watch the action is in and around Murphy Park, which has bleachers where people can sit and take it in. Competitors will finish at the entrance to the park.

For photos and other information visit http://www.doorcountytriathlon.com.

Last year’s champions were Jeff Tarkowski and Alicia Jones in the Half Iron, and Lauren Birkel and Mark Hauser in the sprint distance.