Preparations complete as Athlone Triathlon Club hosts national event
Amidst a festival filled August bank holiday weekend in Athlone, Athlone Triathlon Club will host the National Aquathlon Championships on Sunday morning (August 3).
The National Aquathlon Championships are a core feature of River Fest 2025 and the event is certain to garner much interest from sporting enthusiasts when it starts at Athlone Boat Club on Sunday at 9am.
Race Director and Athlone Triathlon Club member, Laura Kelly, is expecting a competitive event with 46 club members participating in the National Aquathlon Championships.
In total, we have 150 competitors of which 46 will be representing the Athlone Triathlon Club so hopefully some of our members will have the opportunity to pick up national medals at the end of the race," Laura said.
The National Aquathlon Championships consists of a 750m swim in the River Shannon, followed by a 5km run through the heart of Athlone.
"Following their swim the competitors will exit the water at Athlone Boat Club and from there they will undertake a 5km road race running through the Golden Mile, Talbot Avenue, Iona Park and Accommodation Road with a finish on the pedestrian bridge in the heart of Athlone.
"We have a number of high performance athletes participating from Triathlon Ireland so it will be an extremely competitive event," Laura said.
Athlone Triathlon Club were due to host the National Aquathlon Championships in July but following a meeting with the chairperson of River Fest, Padraig Hegarty, the club decided to host the event as part of the bank holiday weekend's festival.
A Try‑A‑Aquathlon event will also take place on Sunday morning, offering participants the opportunity to partake in a triathlon at their own leisure. The event will consist of a 250m swim followed by a 5km road race along the same route as the National Aquathlon Championship participants.
"With both events finishing on the pedestrian bridge in the heart of Athlone hopefully spectators will come out in large numbers in support of the participants," Laura said.
As preparations reach their conclusion prior to the National Aquathlon Championships, Laura expressed her thanks to fellow race director Gerald Lynch, the Athlone Triathlon Club race committee and all the volunteers who have "given freely of their time" to ensure that the occasion is one to remember.