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Ellina Mhlanga Senior Sports Reporter
TRIATHLON Zimbabwe president, David Ellis, says they are geared for the Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Cup Troutbeck set for September 25, in Nyanga.
Events on offer include the Elite/Under-23 Africa Triathlon Sprint Cup, Africa Triathlon Junior Cup, Off-road Triathlon Formats, Adult Age Group and Youth-Mini Triathlon Formats and Youth Super-Sprint Triathlon.
The Troutbeck event will also feature team events for all Triathlon and Off-Road Triathlons, Cimas i-Go Corporate Team Challenge Finale, Open Water Swim Series and Aquathlon (run-swim-run) for schools, teams and individuals.
Mini duathlon and mountain bike have also been added on the Troutbeck race day programme.
For the mini duathlon, a minimum of six entries are required, to stage this event and is open to participants, aged between five and eight.
The 2021-2022 season gets underway on Sunday with Triathlon Zimbabwe holding their first event, at Mount Pleasant Pool, in Harare.
Those preparing for the Troutbeck event will take advantage of the weekend’s competition to up their preparations.
The Africa Cup was scheduled for February before it was postponed to this month.
“The preparations for this event have not really stopped since the first cancellation,’’ said Ellis.
“All preparations are at an advanced stage. Preparations for such an event are enormous and would not have been possible without extensive work, done by Rick Fulton and Carol Pakenham.
“The team have had to work tirelessly under the assumption the event would go ahead, otherwise its staging would not be possible, due to the mammoth ground work needed to make the event live up to its reputation, as one of the best in Africa.
“The group did visit the venue last week to ensure that all preparations are in place for a successful series of events.
“This included a review of the water quality and the condition of the road network, which is crucial, to safe racing.’’
Ellis said their first event for the new season on Sunday is an important part of the build-up for the Africa Cup.
“We feel that we are well prepared to provide a safe and fair platform for our athletes, and we will abide by government covert measures, and those already adopted by our organisation,’’ he said.
“We look forward to the resumption of sporting activities, under the new norm.
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