Applications are now available for the 23rd anniversary Runner’s Edge, Town of Oyster Bay Triathlon, Long Island’s largest triathlon, and perhaps the most athlete friendly, multi-sport event in the country. Fifteen hundred athletes representing 12 states participated in the 2009 edition of the Triathlon and an equally big turnout is expected for 2010.
The date is Sunday, Aug. 29 at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park in Oyster Bay, and the distances are a half-mile swim in Oyster Bay Harbor, a 15-kilometer bike through Oyster Bay Cove and Laurel Hollow, and a five-kilometer run up to the Planting Fields Arboretum, and back to the exciting finish at Roosevelt Park. This is an event that is perfect for first-timers, but yet is challenging enough to satisfy the veteran triathlete.
The Runner’s Edge-TOBAY Triathlon gives athletes an opportunity to have some fun and do some good at the same time, since major portions of the proceeds of the great event will once again be distributed to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation, and to the Gerald Kaufman Memorial Fund whose sole purpose is to provide assistance to local athletes and their families in times of personal financial emergency. In addition, the Doubleday Babcock Senior Center in Oyster Bay has been selected as the third major beneficiary of the event, bringing a distinct local flavor to the beneficiary list.
The entry fee for the Runner’s Edge-TOBAY Triathlon is $60 if you register by March 31, The entry fee jumps to $70 on April 1, to $85 on May 1, $100 on June 1, and $120 on July 1 until entries close. Town of Oyster Bay residents are entitled to a $10 discount on all entry fees. The event closed out in early June last year, so don’t delay!
The event is once again dedicated to the memory of Gerald Kaufman, one of the founding members of the Greater Long Island Running Club, as well as an outstanding triathlete and good friend.
Not up to a full triathlon? The event also features a team competition, with each team member doing one of the three legs of the triathlon, so talk to your buddies and come up with a team for the Runner’s Edge-TOBAY Tri-Relay. The team entry fee through Match 31 is only $40 per team member. The team fee goes to $45 per team member on April 1, $55 per team member on May 1, and $65 per team member on June 1. Town of Oyster Bay residents can deduct $6 from all fees.
There’s something for the younger athletes as well. The 6th annual Runner’s Edge – TOBAY Junior Triathlon for youngsters ages 8-13 will be held at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park on Saturday, Aug. 28, the day before the main event. It consists of a 200-yard swim, 2.5-mile bike and one-mile run, all within the confines of the park. The entry fee is only $20.
Registration is now open online at runnersedgetobaytriathlon.com or glirc.org. For more info and/or a hard copy entry booklet call Linda at the Greater Long Island Running Club office at (516) 349-7646 or Diane at the Town of Oyster Bay Recreation office at (516) 433-7465.
