Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon is delighted to announce ISPCC Childline as charity partners for this major triathlon which takes place on 29th May 2016. It’s a natural partnership as the event includes three triathlons for children and organisers Castle Triathlon Series have demonstrated expertise with junior triathlons and school materials. The UK events in the Castle Triathlon Series are partnered with the NSPCC.
Brian Adcock, Race Director for the Castle Triathlon Series welcomed “Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon is increasingly becoming known as a unique, family friendly triathlon festival, offering people of all ages – some as young as 8 – the chance to get involved in the sport, whilst raising money for a good cause. With this in mind, ISPCC Childline is the obvious charity to support in 2016 and we will be encouraging all those who sign up to raise as much as possible to help ISPCC Childline in ensuring every child has a positive childhood.”
Speaking on behalf of the ISPCC Childline Elaine Murray Regional Fundraiser South West welcomed the partnership saying,‘’The ISPCC are delighted to be the 2016 Charity Partner for the Lough Cutra Triathlon event. As the National Child Protection Agency, we welcome the chance for Children and Families to engage in a Sporting event which encourages a sense of positive well-being and a chance for everyone to have some fun while keeping fit. The ISPCC is only 15% Government funded and we are heavily reliant on the generosity of the Public and our Corporate supporters to reach our Fundraising targets each year. We are looking forward to working on this event and we hope to make it a huge success.”
Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon is a shining light on the Irish triathlon calendar and attracts entries from all over Ireland, the UK, France and beyond. The combination of top quality elite athletes, a stunning location, challenging course and a family-friendly festival environment is truly a winner. It is a Triathlon Ireland sanctioned event and the longest race, The Gauntlet, is part of the Vodafone National Series.
8 different triathlons mean there is an option for everyone, whatever their fitness level or age. The half iron or middle-distance Gauntlet is a tough challenge for experienced triathletes. The swim is in the Castle lake, the 90k cycle is around the spectacular lunar landscape of The Burren, and the run stays within the Castle grounds.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Starter Tri is aimed at newcomers who have never done a triathlon before and although all triathlons are challenging, it is well within the compass of anyone who has done some training. The distances are 200m swim, 13km cycle and 2km run. To encourage first timers, a free training programme from The Tri Life can be downloaded from the website (www.loughcutratri.ie).
The Sprint Triathlon (Viscount Gough) involves a 400m swim, 20km cycle and 4km run. The next distance up is The Prendergast which at 800m swim, 40km cycle and 8km run is a perfect step building triathletes towards the Standard or Olympic distance triathlon (The Lough Cutra – 1.5km swim, 40km cycle, 10km run). It’s easy to see why 1500 triathletes choose Lough Cutra as an early season race.
The first of the three children’s triathlons is for 8-10 year olds who take part in The Widgeon, a 100m swim, 4km cycle and 800m run. Next is The Cormorant 11-12 year olds (200m swim, 4km cycle and 1.8km run) and the top age group is The Teal for 13-15 year olds (300m swim, 8km cycle and 2.4km run). All elements of the children’s triathlons stay safely within the Castle estate and are suitable for children who just want to give triathlon a go as well as those who are in a tri club.
All triathlons finish right in front of the fairytale castle. On the lawns nearby are the stands, music, dancing and kiddie entertainment (climbing wall, bouncy castles etc.). Local partners include Gotta Run specialist running store in Oranmore and Coole Football Club. Enter online at www.loughcutratri.ie. Competitors are asked to make donations to ISPCC Childline on registration or via www.mycharity.ie.