[May 16, 2014]SPRINGFIELD – Women can begin
registering online for the seventh annual Memorial SportsCare women’s
biathlon.
This year’s event will start at 9 a.m. Sunday, Sept.
21, at Memorial SportsCare, 4550 W. Iles Ave.
New this year, a 12-week training program, the Biathlon Brigade,
will be offered to help women prepare for the September event. The
Biathlon Brigade will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from
July 1 to Sept. 18 at SportsCare.
Click here (YouTube
video) for more information about the Women's Biathlon and the
Brigade.
“The Biathlon Brigade is designed for
beginners but can be adapted for more advanced athletes,” said Stacy
Curtis, SportsCare’s senior physical therapist and the biathlon’s
co-race director.
To sign up for the training program, women can register online at
Active.com.
The biathlon is a noncompetitive event that features a 20-kilometer
bike ride and a 5-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.
Registration fees are graduated by age level, and there is a
discount for early registration before August 3. Women can register
online at Active.com and search for biathlon or SportsCare. 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.
Participants who are not USA Triathlon members will also need to pay
an additional USAT one-day membership fee. All USA Triathlon members
must bring their membership cards. Registration is limited to the
first 500 women.
SportsCare’s biathlon is a noncompetitive event for central Illinois
women who may or may not have experience participating in an
organized athletic event, Curtis said. “No matter what your physical
fitness level, this is a great event for women and a lot of fun
every year.”
Participants will be able to pick up their event packets at Memorial
SportsCare from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, or on the day of
the event between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. All participants must show a
photo ID at packet pickup.
Volunteers are also needed on Sept. 21 to help at the finish line
and with timing, course monitoring, cleanup, and drink and aid
stations. Volunteers can register at
MemorialSportsCare.com.
[Text received; MICHAEL LEATHERS,
MEMORIAL HEALTH SYSTEMS]
