TriWaco returns this weekend

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Waco’s very own triathlon is back!

TriWaco will be held on the Brazos River Sunday and it’s safe to say the community is ready for it.

USAT Race Director Frank Cortese smiles and says, “Oh my gosh, I don’t even know the right adjective for it. It is surreal to be back doing it.”

Ricky Vasquez, with the greater Waco Chamber, adds, “It is absolutely exciting. The community is really excited to get back to in-person events.”

Organizers are expecting to have over 850 participants between the Olympic distance event and the shorter “sprint” event.

Just having TriWaco back on the schedule is already helping central Texans who are looking to get back in shape after a year of isolation, but needed a little motivation to get started.

Cortese explains, “To have that proverbial carrot in front of them to guide them helps a lot. To keep people on task, especially with so many distractions nowadays, it is really important for them to have that goal.”

“I think all of them are really excited to finally have an event for that training to pay off, so we are glad to provide that,” adds Vasquez.

With all the recent rain, the water level in the Brazos River is high and the current is fast, so the organizers have changed the swim portion to benefit the athletes.

Instead of the usual triangle pattern that has swimmers cross the river, athletes will swim in a straight-line downstream, using the strong current to their advantage.

“We are going to have a lot of personal records. We are not just going to have PRs on the swim, we will likely have some PRs on the bike because they are not going to be so worn out after the swim,” predicts Cortese.

If you want to compete you can still register. If running isn’t your thing – you can still enjoy the festivities around, and the event will be more spectator friendly than ever before.

The races start early Sunday morning at 6:30 AM.

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