Registration open for SportsCare's women's biathlon

[July 18, 2012]  SPRINGFIELD -- SportsCare's fifth annual women's biathlon will move to a new location this year, starting at 4550 W. Iles Ave., which is also the home of the Gus and Flora Kerasotes YMCA. This year's biathlon will be on Sept. 23.

The biathlon is a noncompetitive event that features a 20-kilometer bike ride and a five-kilometer run. Women can choose to participate in the entire event or select the relay option, in which one woman completes the bike portion of the event and her partner finishes the run.

The noncompetitive biathlon is for central Illinois women who may or may not have experience in participating in an organized athletic event. "It's geared to be a starter event for people who want a healthy lifestyle," said Stacy Curtis, SportsCare's senior physical therapist and co-director of the race.

"Our new location at Memorial SportsCare allows us to register more women for this event than ever before," said Curtis. "However, we still strongly encourage women to register as soon as possible to ensure that they have a spot in this year's event."

Registration is limited to the first 500 women who sign up. Previous biathlons were limited to 400 participants.

Springfield area women will have until midnight Aug. 3 to take advantage of an early bird registration discount for the biathlon. Those who sign up to participate in this year's event by Aug. 3 will receive a $5 discount. Without the discount, the cost for the entire event is $25 for those who are 12 to 17 years old and $40 for those 18 and older. The cost for each participant in the relay option is $15 for 12- to 17-year-olds and $30 for those 18 and older.

Participants who are not USA Triathlon members will also need to pay an additional USAT fee: $5 for 12- to 17-year-olds and $10 for those 18 and older. All USA Triathlon members must bring their membership cards.

The biathlon has been sanctioned by USA Triathlon, the sanctioning authority for more than 2,000 diverse events ranging from grass-roots to high-profile races nationwide.

Women can register online at MemorialSportsCare.com. For those participating as part of a relay, both must register separately.

The biathlon begins at 9 a.m. Sept. 23 at Memorial SportsCare. A women's fair with free health screenings will open at 10 a.m.

Participants will be able to pick up their event packets at Memorial SportsCare from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 20 and 21, or beginning at 6 a.m. the day of the event. All participants must show a photo ID at packet pickup.

Volunteers are also needed on the day of the biathlon to help at the finish line and with timing, course monitoring, cleanup, and drink and aid stations. Volunteers can register online at MemorialSportsCare.com.

[Text from file received from Memorial Medical Center]