It's triAthlone time in Athlone this weekend

Organisers of this weekend's Waterways Ireland triAthlone have seen a late surge of entries for the event, with approximately 350 people signing up to take part within the last week alone. Some 2,000 people are expected to run, swim and cycle their way through the races which start at 3pm on Saturday and conclude that evening. Registration was extended due to the late spike in entries and at the time of going to press there were still places available for some of the races. However, registration for all events is expected to be finalised today (Wednesday) or tomorrow. TriAthlone CEO Liam Heavin told the Westmeath Independent on Monday that preparations for the seventh annual staging of the event had been going "pretty much to script" but he said more local volunteers were still needed to ensure everything runs smoothly. "It takes about 250 people every year to organise and run this event. The swim team is organised with Athlone Sub Aqua Club and we have in the region of 80 volunteers in the water every year, but there are 50 to 60 people needed to assist with the bike route so if anyone is available and could contact us at: volunteer@triathlone.com we would greatly appreciate it," said Mr Heavin. He stated that one of the challenges facing organisers was the particularly strong current in the River Shannon at present. "The river is travelling at a fair old rate of knots, and because of that we've changed the route of the sprint distance race to make it downstream only. We're also likely to be finalising changes to the Olympic distance swim route later in the week," he said. "We've definitely seen some changes in the Shannon in recent years, mainly due to the fact that we're getting more rainfall in the summer, but we're familiar with the issues involved and we have contingency plans to deal with it." While a reliable weather forecast for Saturday was not available early the week, Mr Heavin said he was expecting a mixture of sunshine and showers. He said the weather tends to be a factor in determining the number of spectators that come out to watch the event. RACE TIMINGS Friday 29th June 18.00-21.00 Registration is open for all athletes. 19.00-20.00 Practice Swim from Athlone Boat Club/No1 Saturday 30th June 10.30: Registration is open for all athletes. 13.30: Registration is closed for all athletes. 14.00: Race briefing at transition for all distances. 14.30: Transition is cleared. 14.50: Para-triathlon starts. 15.00: 1st Olympic Distance 15.30: Sprint 16.00: Try-a-Tri The dates and times of road closures to facilitate the Waterways Ireland triAthlone 2012 are as follows: * Friday June 29 from 12 noon until Saturday June 30 at 11.59pm: R446 Grace Road/Accommodation Road from SS Peter and Paul's to Magazine Road Junction * Saturday from 4am to 11pm: R446 Custume Place, Church Street, Dublingate Street, Mardyke St * Saturday from 2.30pm to 7pm: R446 Old Galway Road (from its junction with Magazine Road to Baylough) * Saturday from 2.30pm to 8pm: Castle Street; Main Street; Fry Place; High Street; Bastion Street; O'Connell Street; Pearse Street; Barrack Street; R446 Athlone Town Bridge; Griffith Street; The Strand/Strand Street; St. Peter's Square, Connaught Street, Magazine Road, Talbot Avenue. * Alternative Routes Available: N6 Athlone Bypass R445 Castlemaine Street. Northgate Street, Southern Railway Road Access to Westside via Ballinasloe Road and Clonown and egress via Clonown. * Parking Parking will be prohibited on streets associated with the Road Closures. Restricted Access will be available on all roads for urgent deliveries and emergency vehicles.