A unique biathlon will bring the local running and paddleboarding communities together at the beach March 5. And as part of a new incentive this year, winners of one division might see their names and faces on a digital billboard.
While camaraderie is at the core of the annual Wrightsville Beach Biathlon, a few of the local athletes aim to take the win from two-time champion Jeremy Whitted from Charleston, South Carolina.
Wrightsville Beach paddler Erik Bigsby is a good friend of Whitted’s, but after finishing third behind him last year and second the year before, Bigsby admitted he would love to win.
He has a better sense of how to pace himself now, he said. The first year, he paddled around Money Island to complete the 4-mile paddleboard leg, but when he leapt off his board at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort to start the 4-mile beach run he was tired.
He is backing up his pacing strategy this year with physical preparation. He and other local paddleboarders stay fit during the winter by combining gym workouts with training on the water. The weather dictates whether they train inside or outside, he said, because it is not always worth it to “suit up and muscle through when it’s just too cold.”
Bigsby has incorporated barefoot beach runs into his workouts lately to prepare for the biathlon’s 4-mile run on the sand. During the winter, many paddleboarders wear Neoprene booties on their feet, and runners typically wear supportive running shoes, but many of the biathletes will race the whole event barefoot to save time.
“Being able to run on the sand without your feet cramping is huge,” Bigsby said.
While a number of the participants will race both legs of the event, some paddleboarders and runners will team up to complete the event as a relay team. Through the relays, the thriving local paddleboard and running communities are brought together.
“We get a lot of the triathletes that we might not normally get because they’ve got triathlons and 5Ks,” Bigsby said.
Bigsby’s coworker at Carolina Paddleboard Company, Jason Colclough, is teaming with top local marathoner Eric Torrey to enter the Corporate Division, in which businesses can help sponsor the race and their employees are encouraged to participate while wearing their logo. The winner — or winners — of the division get their names added to the biathlon trophy and emblazoned on a digital billboard overlooking the Bradley Creek Bridge for 48 hours.
Despite the prizes and friendly competition, Bigsby said the best part of the weekend is spending time the local athletes he trains with every day and those who travel from Charleston, the Outer Banks, Atlantic Beach and Topsail Beach to participate.
“There’s not much on the line, except maybe your pride, so it’s fun to just get out there, work out with your buddies and add a little competition to it,” he said.
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