August 17, 2020 at 10:12 a.m.
WILD Hodag Triathlon still a go
Event set for Saturday at Holiday Acres
WILD Hodag Triathlon still a go
COVID-19 made that a reality but, unlike so many other athletic events that have been put on the back-burner amid the pandemic, race organizers are ready to go for the event, which will be held Saturday morning at Holiday Acres Resort.
"It will probably be less fanfare at the end," said Mike Prom of Wise International Leadership Development (WILD), which puts on the event. "We've got a couple of people looking at how to do the medals. Food will be minimized, stuff like that but, for the most part, it will look like a normal triathlon."
The event itself will be a smaller-scale version of other triathlons, including a swim/kayak leg, a cycling leg and a running leg. Athletes can elect to tackle all three legs by themselves, or register as a three-person relay team.
Prom said race organizers have safety protocols in place, as recommended by the USA Triathlon Association and that the event itself, spread out in and around the Lake Thompson area, promotes social distancing.
"You're going to be six feet apart from each other, and masks on," Prom said. "Other than that I don't see a lot of differences. Once the race starts, it's a natural social distancing. Everyone kind of spreads out. It's not a big issue that way."
While a number of similar events have been canceled or postponed due to the pandemic, Prom said it was important to try to do what it could to get the Hodag Triathlon in.
"In talking to people, having some sort of normalcy, and being outdoor and doing activities, probably that's the biggest thing," he said.
The race will begin at 8 a.m. at Holiday Acres, with the athletes first entering the water to conduct either a 300-yard swim or a 1/2-mile kayak.
"That's been an excellent addition," Prom said of adding kayaking as an option for the aquatic portion of the race. "It used to be just swim and a lot of people prefer (to kayak), probably because over time you're not in the lake anymore. You'd rather kayak."
When the athletes exit the water they (or a teammate if in the relay) will hop on a bike for a 10-kilometer trek. Then there is one more exchange zone for the final leg of the race, a 5-kilometer run. Both the biking and running portions of the race take place on a mix of road and off-road trails near the resort.
"For somebody who's in decent shape, you don't have to be exceptionally in shape, it's a good activity," Prom said. "It's beautiful territory and the Zambons (owners of Holiday Acres Resort) have been super, just exceptional. Working with Pete's just a lot of fun."
Despite the pandemic, Prom said registration for the event has been not far off of numbers from previous years. Advance registration online continues until midnight on Wednesday. On-site registration, which costs a little bit extra, will also be available on race morning, but Prom encouraged any last-minute participants to register online, to help organizers plan wave starts. Details are available at www.hodagtriathlon.com.
Title sponsors for this year's event include Health In Motion and New Radio Group Northwoods.
Proceeds from the event benefit WILD, an international leadership organization with roots right here in Rhinelander. According to WILD's website, the organization was founded by Prom, the executive director of Headwaters Christian Youth, roughly 20 years ago to train and develop volunteers who were involved in the missions of that organization.
While a number of WILD initiatives have involved mission trips to Africa and Asia, the impacts are also being felt locally through leadership classes. Prom said the need for the group's service has actually grown during the pandemic.
"Actually, with COVID, we're doing more training, teaching than we have before," he said. "We do the mentoring process, which has always been on the table, but they like to do the big activities but, when you can't do that, you could always go 1-on-1 or small-group mentoring, and it is has just exploded. More people are involved, which is great to see."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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