No matter what the group activity, the past year has been full of big challenges. The gang at New England Endurance Events appreciates that our athletes have been so understanding and supportive as we have weathered this hopefully once-in-a-lifetime era. We look forward to seeing smiling faces milling about the transition area once again!
Our first scheduled race of the 2021 season is the Hyannis Sprint Triathlon on June 12 — which this year also serves as USA Triathlon’s Massachusetts State Championships. There will be “State Champion” honors for all age groups in the Olympic distance race, as well as for high schoolers in the Sprint event.
Triathletes from all over the state have pre-registered for this big day. The town of Barnstable is fully behind us and has been wonderful in assisting as we plan. As of May 5th this race is now fully approved with Covid procedures in place.
The race will be allowed to proceed at normal capacity (600-800 athletes) we are aware that it is possible we could be asked to limit the field if there were significant Covid spikes that would require additional state-wide restrictions.
Know that we have taken great measures to provide a safe event. We recently made a purchase of bicycle racks for 300 athletes to add to our inventory of bike racks for 900 athletes and will use all of them at Hyannis to allow for better social distancing. You can read about this and other measures in our 2021 Race Procedures web page.
We’d like to give thanks to former U.S. Senator Scott Brown, a triathlete who has been persistently reminding state officials on how a triathlon is different from other permitted outdoor activities (such as a wedding!), as well as to State Representatives (and avid endurance athletes) Timothy Whalen and Steve Xiarhos, who have also advocated on our behalf.
We promise to keep our athletes informed of any other updates as June nears — by email, social media and our website. Keep checking, keep training, and get ready for what may be a fulfilling and emotional season!