HITS Triathlon hitting the roads and lake of Marble Falls on April 27-28
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — The HITS Triathlon makes its second trip to the Highland Lakes with a two-day event that starts April 27.Projections are that more than 1,000 triathletes will converge on the city April 27-28. Last year, the event drew more than 700.
“We’ve doubled our size,” said race coordinator Mark Wilson, who will be in Marble Falls to introduce winners and present awards. “One reason is we put a lot of energy and focus into advertising. We’re really doing a good job of pulling off a good event.”
With the large number of athletes in Texas, it made sense to have a HITS event in a central location in the state, he added.
“Marble Falls is the perfect community,” he said. “You always hope for more athletes. To have over a thousand is a thrill.”
“We have the support from the community and the athletes,” said Lindsay Yandon, a member of the HITS Triathlon marketing team. “We advertised it. The hardest part about choosing a location is water. (Lake Marble Falls) works extremely well.”
HITS has five divisions — sprint, Olympic, half, full and open — that encompass various distances in swimming, biking and running.
Each division has a cap of 500 triathletes, though organizers didn’t see that being an issue.
“We’re happy to see any kind of growth,” Yandon said. “It’s nice. At the same time, the location is relatively new to us. It’s a cool race experience.”
Wilson said the HITS Triathlon is on course to be the second largest traveling company in triathlons in the country, right behind the Ironman Triathlon.
“It’s just going to be a great thrill,” he said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com
[tabs style=”default”] [tab title=”SPRINT DIVISION”]
750-meter swim, 12.4-mile bike, 3.1-mile run
[/tab] [tab title=”OLYMPIC DIVISION”]
1,500-meter swim, 24.8-mile bike, 6.2-mile run
[/tab] [tab title=”HALF DIVISION”]
1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run
[/tab] [tab title=”FULL DIVISION”]
2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run
[/tab] [tab title=”OPEN DIVISION”]
100-meter swim, 3-mile bike, 1-mile run
[/tab] [/tabs]