It’s full speed ahead for the Longboat Key Triathlon.

The Longboat Key Town Commission gave Town Manager Bruce St. Denis approval at its Thursday, April 15 regular workshop to work with the Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce to plan the inaugural event.

The triathlon is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 24, with staging and transition aspects taking place on the property of the Longboat Key Club and Resort. The event will feature a half-mile swim in the lagoon south of the Key Club property bordering Longboat Club Road, a 20-mile bike ride using Gulf of Mexico Drive and a 5-mile run contained on the Key Club property. Gulf of Mexico Drive will remain open but controlled by law enforcement during the event. The exact finish line location has yet to be determined.
Chamber President Tom Aposporos first announced plans for the Longboat Key Triathlon in January, at the chamber’s 51st annual awards breakfast.

According to Aposporos, the event could draw a desirable demographic to Longboat Key.

“The interesting thing about triathletes is that they are high-income college graduates, their average age is 35, they typically travel with their families and they spend a lot of money on triathlon activities,” Aposporos said. “This appears to be the perfect demographic.”

The triathlon is expected to draw 600 to 800 participants, but the chamber’s long-term goal is to expand the event, eventually drawing 1,500 participants, primarily from the Southeast.

TDA Florida South LLC, the parent company of the Sarasota Open, and Philip LaHaye, event director of the St. Anthony’s Triathlon, in St. Petersburg, are working with the chamber to manage the logistics of the event. Publix Super Markets will be the lead sponsor.

For information, contact the chamber office at 383-2466.

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Par for the Course
The course for the Longboat Key Triathlon is currently as follows:
•Half-mile swim: Participants will begin their swim in the lagoon just south of the Longboat Key Club and Resort and end their swim slightly to the north of their starting point.
•20-mile bike: The bike course will begin on Longboat Club Road heading east, continue onto Gulf of Mexico Drive heading north, turn left on Firehouse Court heading west and follow on Firehouse Court heading south and return to the Key Club heading south.
•5-mile run: The running course will be contained within the Key Club and follow Longboat Club Road along the eastern border of the Islandside Golf Course.

Contact Robin hartill at rhartill@yourobserver.com.

 

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