Registration open for second annual Jr. Bears Triathlon
Registration is open for the second annual Jr. Bears Triathlon that will be held on the University of Maine campus Saturday, June 4.
The Jr. Bears Triathlon is a fundraiser for Black Bear Aquatics (BBA), a competition-based swim team located at UMaine’s Wallace Pool. The group aims to provide technical development and racing skills for all age levels. BBA has a growing youth team as well as a Black Bear Masters team for swimmers 18 and older.
The triathlon is open to children 6–14 years old. Athletes will swim in the Wallace Pool and bike and run on closed roads and paths. Participants who are 6–9 years old will swim 50 yards, bike one mile and run half a mile. Those who are 10–14 years old will cover twice the distance with a 100-yard swim, 2.3-mile bike ride and mile run.
Trophies will be awarded to top age group finishers, and all participants will receive a finisher’s medal.
Early registration is online and costs $25 per athlete until April 30. Regular registration will be available for $30 from May 1 through June 2. Registration also will be available from 7:30–8 a.m. on race day for $40 per athlete.
The first 50 athletes to register will be entered into a drawing for two pairs of tickets to a Waterfront Concerts event this summer in Bangor. The first 100 participants to register will receive a T-shirt.
More than 70 children from around the state participated in last year’s inaugural race.
This year, BBA is partnering with the Black Bear Race Series, organizers of the second annual Black Bear Marathon to be held on June 5. Offering the triathlon the same weekend as the marathon provides an opportunity for children of marathon runners to participate in their own race on the UMaine campus.
More information about the Jr. Bears Triathlon is available on Facebook, BBA’s website or by contacting organizer Andrea Oldenberg at andreaoldenburg@gmail.com or 216.375.5248.
People also can support BBA by eating at Moe’s Original Bar B Que in Bangor on Tuesday, March 22, when the restaurant will donate 10 percent of its profits to the group. More information about BBA is online.