Elite athletes from around the world will gather at the south end of Wrightsville Beach before dawn Saturday, Oct. 25 for the seventh PPD Beach2Battleship iron distance triathlon.
Iron distance athletes will begin with a mass beach start at 7:30 a.m. and have 17 hours to complete the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon run, finishing at the USS North Carolina Battleship. A half iron distance triathlon will begin at 8:30 a.m.
The event serves as the largest fundraiser for the Wilmington Family YMCA. Dick Jones, Wilmington YMCA chief executive officer, said 2,100 athletes from all over the world have signed up so far.
“In any given year, we have between 10 and 15 countries represented and 45 to about 48 states represented,” he said during an Oct. 14 phone interview.
Jones said about 15 to 20 of those competitors would be professional triathletes from as far away as England and Germany.
The popularity of the event is due to the location and the caliber of the race, Jones added. When competing in such a lengthy race, many of the athletes spend several days or longer in the area, so having a welcoming community that supports the event is helpful.
“The community really steps up,” Jones said. “[Participants] prepare for months for either the half or the full iron distance event and then to come to a community that embraces [them], and what a great place to visit, much less compete.”
Jones said the caliber of the race is due not only to the 1,600 volunteers but also to the efforts of Set Up Events, a Wilmington-based company that produces and times triathlons on the East Coast.
In an effort to open the event to all ability levels, this year’s race will include a 5K run that will also finish at the battleship.
“We’ve added the New Hanover Regional Medical Center 5K event from a health and wellness standpoint,” Jones said, “because the YMCA and the hospital would like to get more of the community involved. This will give runners the opportunity to participate on the same course as these iron distance triathletes.”
Due to PPD’s sponsorship, the event also features a special group of competitors, the PPD Heroes.
“They are individuals who, because of clinical trials, are alive today,” Jones said. Among these athletes, many of whom are competing in the iron distance triathlon, are cancer survivors, lung transplant recipients and cystic fibrosis patients, he added.
“Imagine the emotion and just how good people feel when they hear of these stories,” Jones said.
Athletes and spectators can view course maps, get race-day information and find out how to sponsor, volunteer or donate at www.beach2battleship.com
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