A drop in water levels at Cobb’s Pond has resulted in a course change for the inaugural Gander Triathlon.
Scheduled for Aug. 22, the triathlon was supposed to open at Cobb’s Pond with the swim portion. However, due to removal of plant life and a beaver dam last year, the pond has suffered significant water loss, which led the five-member triathlon committee to move the swim portion further up Gander Bay Road to Jonathan’s Pond.
“We changed the venue, actually, and we’re going to have the start of the race at Jonathan’s Pond,” said Mike Dwyer, chair of the triathlon committee. “The low water levels at Cobb’s Pond wouldn’t allow us to have a swim, so we moved the swim to Jonathan’s Pond, changed the bike route, and changed a bit of the run route. The majority of the race will still be held at Cobb’s Pond — it’ll still be the transition and finish area, and a great place for spectators.”
Following the swim, competitors will bike in through Gander Bay Road as far as Raynham Avenue, do a lap around Raynham back to Gander Bay Road, and bike to Cobb’s Pond. From there, the athletes will transition to the run portion, where they’ll race around the Spruce Court area, and back to Cobb’s Pond for the finish.
After making new measurements, Dwyer said it appears the changes will benefit everybody, and he believes the new course is better than the old one.
“We had to redo the maps, but it wasn’t a whole lot of work. It actually worked out really well in terms of distances. We measured out the distances and they were spot on — 20 kilometres for the bike, and 4.89 km for the run,” he said. “It worked out really nice…and I think the course is better this way. Some of the fears people had about swimming in Cobb’s Pond are gone now, so this might work out for the best.”
“It worked out really nice…and I think the course is better this way.” - Mike Dwyer
Like the old route, the new route is a beginner-level course. The distance is shorter than the Olympic standard — 1.5-km swim, 40-km bike ride and 10-km run — which is exactly what the committee wanted.
“The entire race is designed for beginners because it’s a shorter distance. The bike ride, where we did have to move the course, is a bit more difficult because you have the hill coming up from Jonathan’s Pond,” said Dwyer. “The run is flat, and hopefully it will be a nice calm day.
“The main thing we want is new athletes, and we want to develop this sport in this town. I don’t care if anybody shows up from St. John’s and Corner Brook…I really want lots of local people who are saying, ‘I want to try the race’ to go online and register because they’ll be surprised. This isn’t what you think it is. This is a fun, family day, and something that’s motivational.”
As of last week, most of the online registrants have been from St. John’s. Fourteen people were registered as of last Thursday and the committee is hoping that 50 people will sign on for the first-ever triathlon.
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