Kiama is gearing up to host its first triathlon in more than 10 years, with the event set for October 13 and all spots already sold out.

The race will kick off with a swim in the crystal-clear waters of the Minnamurra River followed by a bike ride out along Swamp Road and back and finishing with a run from Minnamurra, up into Kiama Downs and then back.

There are two races: the standard race (1.5 km swim, 38 km bike and 10 km run) which begins at 8am and a sprint (750 m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run) which begins at 8:30am.

Kiama Triathlon Club Vice President Geoff Besnard says the event will be very good for the community of the Kiama LGA and he hopes that if it’s successful, the event will become an annual occurrence.

“I think it’s great for the town, it’s an event that promotes health and fitness and it will bring a lot of people into town. The race will probably only go for a few hours, but people will come down for the whole weekend. They’ll go out for dinner and drinks and go into the local businesses,” says Besnard.

“This year is a bit of a trial run, but hopefully if all goes well, we will be able to run this event annually.”

While the excitement is building, one concern is the potential for traffic congestion and limited parking in Minnamurra. To address this, Elite Energy, the event organisers who

manage multi-sport events along the East Coast, have devised an incentive for participants to use public transport.

“Elite Energy has introduced an idea where racers who use public transport to get to the event will receive a $50 credit toward their next event, which is a nice perk since triathlons can be a costly sport,” says Besnard.

Although they aren’t running the event, many of the Kiama Triathlon Club members will either be participating or volunteering to help.

“I think we have about 15 of our members participating in it, but a majority of the rest will be helping out on the day. It takes a lot of people to run an event like this,” says Besnard.

For those interested in spectating, Besnard recommends watching from the transition areas, particularly the transition between the swim and bike portions, and of course, the race finish.

“If anyone wants to catch the action, the best spots will be along the Minnamurra River early on, especially to see the athletes transition from swim to bike,” he says.

The Kiama Triathlon Club has had a highly successful 2024, recently winning their fifth state championship in seven years. Between August 15-25, 11 of the club’s members competed in various events at the National Championships, with Tanya Fraser, John Dormandl, and his partner Dan Merange all making it onto the podium.