Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 3, 1990 TAG: 9007030054
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV14 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHRISTINA MOTLEY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
The multisport - biking, canoeing, swimming and running - endurance event is original to the New River Valley and is officially Virginia's first quadrathlon, said Jim Wright, fitness coordinator for Radford Community Hospital and inventor of the event.
Radford's quadrathlon, to be held this year in conjunction with Radford's Riverfest, provides fun for everyone and promotes fitness in the New River Valley, Wright said.
"It is patterned after Roanoke's Huff and Puff, Pedal and Paddle Triathlon, where the distances are short enough anyone can participate and long enough so it is a challenge, but not a killer," he said.
People can participate as individuals or as two-person or four-person teams, Wright said. "I encourage everyone to do it because it is such a good time."
Team entries must be men's pairs, mixed pairs or four-person teams with at least one woman, and all team members must compete in at least one leg of the event, Wright said.
"It is more challenging as an individual but a lot of fun with a team," said Laura Cormier, 35, of Christiansburg.
Cormier has participated in the quadrathlon since it began in 1985. "I'm not very athletic, but the events are short enough so anybody can participate," she said. "I do it for the fun of it."
Others participate for the challenge and competition.
David Ryan, 36, of Radford, competes as an individual in biathlons and triathlons throughout the state on a regular basis and has done so for the past six years, he said.
"I do it for the challenge, and throwing in the canoe makes it even more of a challenge - and fun," he said. "I can't canoe worth a darn."
The swimming leg will kick off the event at 7:30 a.m. at the Bisset Park Pool. Each contestant will swim a half-mile (eight laps) in the 50-meter Olympic-size pool, Wright said.
"Without any pauses we will jump from one event to another like Superman in a phone booth," he said.
The next event, the bicycle leg, will start and finish at the pool.
"This 13 1/2 miles will be challenging but not brutal," Wright said. "Then we will put on our running shoes for 5.3 miles and run into Riverview Park at the west end of Radford."
At the boat-ramp area, contestants will put on their life jackets and jump into canoes to paddle down the New River about two miles.
"This will be interesting," Wright said. "Last year we had five feet of fast-moving water; the year before we had low water and people had to paddle hard."
The quadrathlon, sponsored by Radford Community Hospital and the Wellness and Fitness Center of the New River Valley, is a "good spectator event," he said. "It's crazy to watch."
Co-sponsors include the Training Room and the New Wheel Bike Shop, both of Radford, and New River Valley Rent-Alls.
All participants - whether from Roanoke, Giles, Radford or North Carolina - will receive free food and a silk-screened quadrathlon fanny pack. Winners in each division will win receive awards.
Participants must provide their own canoes - available at discount rental rates for the event - bikes, bike helmets and proper clothing, Wright said.
Entry fees are $15 for an individual, $30 for a two-person team and $40 for a four-person team. The entry deadline is July 7.
"We are expecting 60 to 70 participants," Wright said. Last year the event drew a crowd of 60.
From the money raised, "we just about break even. Any proceeds would go toward the next year's quadrathlon."
by CNB