That’s proper. The Fourth Annual River Dash Kayathlon is coming to Twin Falls and guarantees not to be your garden-range triathlon. Swimming is not a section in this race — until you fall into the river.
The race is the brainchild of Trever Turpin, an Idaho local with an ardor for the outdoors and this funky race. The kayathlon is a run/pedal/paddle format race compared to traditional triathlons’ swim/pedal/run layout race but affords a stable venture. Not a large swimmer, Turpin thought adding a kayak or canoe made sense and gave the race a unique twist.
“I thought of the concept about ten years ago,” Turpin stated. “We used to journey mountain bikes inside the Kelly Canyon region outdoor Idaho Falls on a path that led down to the river, and I thought, a groovy idea would be to run a race that would encompass a kayak or boat in preference to a swim’.”
The period kayathlon is foreign to most Americans but widely known to Europeans.
“In the U.S., There are comparable occasions like this but no longer named kayathlon,” Turpin said. “The name kayathlon is huge in Europe, massive as tris. The spelling of our race is similar to how foreigners spell it over there.”
But putting on a race of any type is tough. Turpin launched his preliminary concept and started planning a kayathlon about five or six years ago. Turpin prepared the first Twin Falls edition four years ago with assistance from pals within the jogging and ski communities. He partnered with United Way and promoted the race as a fundraising occasion.
Unfortunately, he parted approaches with them years ago; however, he quickly located a brand new organization to help. The Magic Valley Composite High School Mountain Bike Team and Turpin became rapid allies, and the bicycle team picked up in which United Way left off.
“I desired to create a nice event for everybody,” Turpin said. “They provide volunteer guides, and hopefully, we can try to boost money and deliver lower back to the group through the race.”
Fifty or more athletes participated in the race in the inaugural year. Turpin said the numbers fell barely inside the event’s 2d and 0.33 yr but saw a spike going into its fourth year.
“The past years, approximately 30 members raced, but the race became held on days different activities had been taking place, conflicting with ours,” Turpin stated.
Numbers are showing promise for 2019, Turpin stated.
“Nine human beings signed up immediately after registration opened,” Turpin said.
Turpin plans to donate some of the proceeds to the Magic Valley Composite High School Mountain Bike Team at the quit of race day for their time volunteering.
The River Dash Kayathlon will be held on Saturday, May 18, at Centennial Waterfront Park in Twin Falls.
