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When it comes to races, Maysville is making strides
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By DAN HOPWOOD, Sports Editor
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If you like to watch or compete in the annual multi-sport races in Maysville, then you should really love 2009, when races will be staged in the spring and summer.
The Buffalo Trails MultiSport Racing Commission announced Thursday that Maysville has been selected to host the MidEast Region Club Series championships on Saturday, Aug. 15, with athletic clubs from a six-state region competing for honors. Like the spring races, the Club Series races will be open to all competitors, with the club finals comprising a race within a race.
Like the spring races, the club finals will also include a triathlon (swimming, bicycling and running), a duathlon (running and cycling) and a 5-kilometer run.
Race director Mark Day said now that the 10th Region boys' basketball tournament is no longer anchored at Mason County High School, the August races "will be the biggest sporting event of the year in Maysville."
Day said he expects to draw 300-400 competitors for the club finals. That compares with the 200 or so that competed in last spring's races.
Day also said the races will have a positive impact on the local economy, particularly in the hospitality industry, with out-of-town visitors spending their money on food and lodging. For instance, the French Quarter Inn has already been reserved for the racers, said Vicki Steigleder, executive director of the Maysville-Mason County Area Chamber of Commerce.
The path was opened for Maysville to host the club finals when Day completed a United States Association of Triathletes certification program, which concentrates on the safety of the athletes.
"It gives us credibility," Day said.
It also satisfies a requirement that there must be a certified race director to host a USAT championship.
The August triathlon and duathlon will be more demanding than the Buffalo Trails spring races, which will be staged on Saturday, May 23. The Ohio River swim will be .7 miles, which is the official Olympic standard. The bicycle course will be 25 miles, and the run will be 10 kilometers. That compares with distances of .5 miles in the swim, 22 miles of bicycling and a 5-kilometer run in the May races.
Day said while most of the competitors come from out of town, there is a growing number of area residents who enter the races. Among them is Maysville's Allison Poe, a nationally ranked triathlete who has won the women's title the past two years.
Day said the commission is looking for sponsors, including a title sponsor. The sponsorships will be for both events. Those interested in being sponsors should contact the Chamber of Commerce at 564-5534.
Contact Dan Hopwood at dan.hopwood@lee.net or phone 606-564-9091, ext. 250. |
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