55.1 F
Wrightsville Beach
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Runners, SUPers team up for biathlon

Must read

For the sixth year in a row, athletes will test their endurance on water and sand during the March 28 Wrightsville Beach Biathlon.

The race challenges competitors’ overall strength by combining a 4-mile standup paddleboard (SUP) loop with a 4-mile beach run.

“There’s been a lot of swim runs and other types of biathlons, but SUP was really picking up momentum in our area,” race director April Zilg said. “And it’s March, so the water is too chilly … to go swimming.”

At 10:30 a.m., competitors will steer their boards into a line across Banks Channel for the start of the paddleboard leg, making a loop around Money Island and finish where they started, on the Blockade Runner Beach Resort’s sound-side beach.

There, relay competitors tag their runner. Biathletes and runners race over to the beach strand and make their way north to Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, south to Crystal Pier and finish at the Blockade Runner.

Allowing relay teams to participate opens the event up to more athletes, Zilg said.

“It’s a great way to do it if you’re a runner who wants to participate but you don’t have a board, and then there are paddlers who don’t like to run,” she said.

Zilg, a competitor herself in years past, said attempting the entire biathlon is a fun challenge. While people might think running and paddling work different muscle groups, she said, proper paddling technique requires the entire body.

“You’re really rotating your body and slanting that paddle and driving the board forward. It’s more core . . . and more legs than a lot of people realize,” she said.

Combining the two activities is excellent cross training, she added. For that reason, many competitors use the race as a tune-up for the Carolina Cup, planned for the last weekend in April. The distance is also ideal for athletes who want to warm up for the 13-mile Carolina Cup elite course but not overly exhaust themselves so close to the race.

“[Carolina Cup competitors] are not just paddling every week. … They’re running, mountain biking, swimming,” Zilg said. “It’s good practice in kind of getting your nerves shut off … and it’s a good way to practice race starts and finishes  … on the beach.”

While last year’s biathlon winners came from Maryland and South Carolina, the race typically attracts a lot of the local paddleboarding community, said Jenna Davis, Blockade Runner sales manager.

The event is a good environment for first-time racers too, Zilg said, because it is relatively low-key and small.

Davis said the biathlon should draw between 75 and 100 competitors compared to the nearly 1,000 expected at the Carolina Cup.

“I got an email today from someone who’s got an inflatable paddleboard and they wanted to do it but they’ve never raced before,” Zilg said. “It’s not about how fast you do this race, it’s more just for fun.”

Family members and spectators can participate, too, during free clinics offered by Zilg and TOPS Athletics Friday afternoon. Zilg said the clinics, which are open to the public, would focus on proper paddling technique to prevent injury.

To register, visit www.events.blockade-runner.com/wb-biathlon/

email [email protected]

- Advertisement -spot_img

More articles

- Advertisement -spot_img

Latest articles