By Amy Batista, Special Writer
The eighth annual Hightstown Sprint Distance Triathlon will take place Sunday and local organizers are still searching for volunteers.
The event, a beginner-friendly race that starts and ends in downtown Hightstown by Peddie Lake, will be held Sept. 13. The race starts at around 7 a.m. The finish line will be on the northern end of Railroad Avenue, the dead end section by the Hightstown Housing Authority.
“We are anticipating close to 350 athletes to compete in the races on Sunday morning,” Stacey Judge, chairwoman of the Hightstown Parks and Recreation Committee and co-race director, said on Wednesday. “We always need extra volunteers.”
Tom Eng, of Robbinsville, another co-race director, said 40-plus volunteers are already expected to help.
“We have 2015 shirts for the first 50 volunteers and then we also have some 2014 versions available for the extras,” Ms. Judge said.
Those who would prefer not to show up at 5:45 a.m. to help with registration could help hand out water on the latter part of the course, she said.
“You can come and sign up as a volunteer at packet pick-up on Saturday and receive your post at that time,” she said. “Packet pick-up will be available on Saturday afternoon during the last open water swim practice as well as Sunday morning beginning at 5:45 a.m.”
“As always, the more cheerleaders the better,” she added. “Please come out and root on our athletes who are coming from five different states and competing for many different reasons.”
While some race in honor of others or to help raise money for causes like cancer research, others are competing just to be able to say, “I did it,” she said.
“Regardless of why the individual participates, it benefits our communities,” she said. “So what better way to say thank you than to just come out and cheer way to go.”
The triathlon is the largest fundraiser for the borough’s Parks and Recreation Department.
“This would be more than double and almost nearly triple last year’s event and the largest number in the eight years by a far,” Mr. Eng said.
The streets will not be closed for the event but police will be strategically placed at crossings and intersections to help participants cross safely.
“There will be no road closings but traffic will be stopped at certain intersections for participants to cross,” Hightstown Police Department Detective Francisco Jimenez said. “Residents are asked to be mindful of delays in traffic and race participants in the roadway while the race is in session.”
Ms. Judge said that organizers want to make residents of Hightstown and East Windsor aware of the route to ensure a safe event for all.
“This means being extra cautious if you are traveling through or around town before 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning,” she said. “The run stays in the borough of Hightstown but the cyclists will be on Main Street, out to Perrineville Road to Feldsher Road, then east on Etra Road and back to Perrineville Road via Cedarville Road before back up 539 onto South Main Street.”
Course maps are available for review on the triathlon’s website.
There has been some changes made to the triathlon this year including a redesign of the bike course to make it shorter and easier for everyone and a rerouting of the run.
“The bike course and run course are all new,” Mr. Eng said. “The bike course is much shorter this year. It is 11.2 (miles) instead of 15.4 (miles).”
The run course is still 5K but it is a different route, he added.
The new course will tighten the time frame between the first finisher and last finisher.
“Many people have tested out the courses and the feedback I’ve gotten was positive,” he said, adding he received comments that the course is smooth and flat.
Participants were able take a test run last weekend on Sept. 5.
There will also be new race categories for participants such as a duathlon, aquabike, relay, Clydesdale, Athena and Newbie. The duathlon is a short run, around one-mile, with the same bike course of 11.2 miles and then a 5K run at the end. The aquabike course allows participants to swim and bike without running the 5K.
“We have a ton of great sponsors who have donated prizes for us to raffle off at the awards ceremony,” Mr. Eng said. “I have gathered over $2,000 in prizes actually.”
Prizes and raffles include gift certificates to Shrimp King in Robbinsville; a pair of AMC movie gift cards donated by Dr. Barry Wasserman; Cream Ridge Winery bottles of Summer Sangria; and a pair of Rutgers football tickets provided by A+ Athlete Sports Medicine.
Memory Makers Studios will also provide photos of those who finish the race.
