It isn’t every year that your home city gets a big new race. Portland is about to get a flag-ship downtown triathlon of its own.

With large races in the here in the Portland area, such as the Pacific Crest Triathlon in Bend and the USAT Age Group Nationals this year and next at Hagg Lake, it was time to bring a big race to downtown Portland.

The Portland Triathlon is scheduled for September 2nd 2007. The Olympic Distance race starts at the McCall Waterfront with a swim in the Willamette River.

Race organizer Jeff Henderson talks about the new race and the impetus for bringing it to portland in an article in the Portland Tribune that can be accessed by clicking here.

Some people have questioned the cleanliness of the Willamette, but the river will be tested and water quality experts say that the water is safe for swimming so long as it has been at least 48 hours since the last heavy rain. As I told the Tribune, I’ve done races in places as urban as New York City’s Hudson River and had seen no ill effects.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the new race. Our own Portland Triathlon Club will be participating in large numbers and I’ll be on-site for the event.

Race registration is now open and is capped at 500 participants.

For more information about the new Portland Triathlon, visit the event’s web-site at www.portlandtri.com.

Coach Joe

Running Wild with Coach Joe – a blog focused on marathon, triathlon and ultra-endurance racing, training and motivation. Bookmark us at http://coachjoeenglish.wordpress.com or use your favorite RSS feed reader to get the latest news and articles. Running Wild is also now available on Facebook and My Space.