By Neto Baptiste
Organisers of the popular Rohrman Triathlon are urging athletes to finalise their registration ahead of the event.
The plea, made by one of the main organisers and athlete, Rory Butler, comes on the cusp of the event set for August 24-25 at Ffryes Beach.
“One of the messages I want to get out there, because I keep seeing people and they are saying they coming out for the event, and I would say well, I haven’t seen you sign-up. There is no on-the-day registration because for an event like this, we just can’t do the on-the-day registration because it would affect the quality of the event for everybody who has signed up. We need to be able to move on time, and in order to do that there will be no on-the-day registration. There is also no package collection on the day, so the last package collection is at 6:00 pm at St Anthony’s [Secondary School] this Friday, and even if you can’t, then you can send somebody to collect your package for you,” he said.
This year’s event, being put on by the Rohrman Sports Association, will be held in honour of former national cyclist and triathlete, Andre Simon, who died in June 2023. Simon, a 36-year-old father-of-one, was seriously injured in the horrific 2022 Mother’s Day vehicular accident when a motorist ploughed into him and three other cyclists during a training ride on the Sir George Walter Highway. He died one year and one month following the incident.
Noting that up to earlier this week there were a little over 160 athletes registered for the event, Butler said the aim is to get off to a prompt start on both days.
“On Saturday we have 10 different triathlons, so the athletes will check in [arrive] at 5:00 am, they are checked in at 5:30, and then the event starts at 6:00 o’clock. A bit later, we will have the kids triathlons and the mini triathlons and those happen at 10 and 11 o’clock. On Sunday, everything starts again where the athletes will check in 5:00 am at Morris Bay and Bikeman, Ira Fabian, will have a shuttle to bring everybody back because all of the events end at Ffryes, and then they either swim from Morris Bay to Ffryes, they do the road walk or run, or they do one of the hike options,” he said.
The event features 10 triathlons, including Olympic and sprint distances, as well as categories for various age groups starting from 6 and under, and includes both team and individual competitions.
Adding to the excitement, this year sees the introduction of a Day 2 event with diverse options for participants. Athletes can choose between an approximate 10k swim from Morris Bay to Ffryes Beach, a road run/walk, or a trail hike/run, all starting at Morris Bay, and culminating at the scenic Ffryes Beach.
Registration can be done only via the Ticketing app, and also at H&G Paints located on Dickenson Bay Street.
