Event to mark 20 years Saturday
By Greg Seubert
Don’t be surprised to see a lot of extra traffic this weekend in Waupaca.
After COVID-19 caused organizers to call off last year’s Waupaca Area Triathlon, this year’s event will return to South Park Saturday, Aug. 21.
“I think it’s great to see Waupaca able to have the triathlon again,” said Dean Sondrol, a member of the triathlon’s board of directors. “A lot of people missed it and it’s good to get people out and active.”
Although the triathlon – which includes a swim in Shadow Lake, a bicycle ride on Waupaca County rural roads and a run on city streets – will begin at 7 a.m., the event kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, with a kids’ triathlon for ages 4-10 at South Park.
Sondrol said about 600 competitors are registered so far.
“We’re very happy to have those numbers,” he said. “We’re down a little bit from past years. We’re hoping for around 600. We were hoping we’d be back up to around 700 or 800. We don’t know what the final numbers will be.”
Registrations are still being accepted and can be made online at www.waupacaareatriathlon.com.
“From what I understand, people are still hesitant because so many things are canceled,” Sondrol said. “They don’t want to sign up and then have it canceled. Some people are waiting and seeing. Some people just don’t want to be in a big crowd yet. Fortunately, the triathlon’s an outdoor event and we don’t have to be overly concerned with that.”
Proceeds from the triathlon are given to several area organizations.
“We were able to give them some money last year even though we didn’t have the triathlon,” Sondrol said. “A lot of them count on that money to come in so they can do their thing.”
Participants won’t see any major changes on the course this year. As in the past, there are long- and short-course options, as well as a paddling course on the lake.
“We’re back to what we call our original course,” Sondrol said. “We’ve had road construction or bridge construction going on for many years. The community likes it better and it’s less stressful for the people on the course, too.”
Volunteers
Volunteers help make the triathlon stand out from other similar events, according to Sondrol.
“From what we hear, one of the top things is the volunteers,” he said. “It’s a very well-organized event with a lot of good volunteers. People like it because it’s all in one area. South Park is a great venue to have it in because you don’t have to go and figure out where to put your bike and everything else. It’s a beautiful course. People like the easy beach access vs. having to crawl up rocks and other things.”
Organizers will mark the event’s 20th anniversary this year.
“Last year, we had big events planned for the 20th,” Sondrol said. “This year, we’re holding back a little bit just because we want to make sure everything goes right.”