The following saucy news items were reported via the race newsletter. To subscribe, send a blank email to: news-subscribe@portlandtri.com.

 

[Aug 5, 2007] IT ONLY TOOK 9 MONTHS: RACE COURSES ANNOUNCED

Much like a new baby, it's taken some time for the triathlon to grow in the minds of city administrators. Since this is the first downtown triathlon ever held in Portland, there's much learning to be done and questions to be asked. Thankfully, we have arrived at consensus for the courses a full nine months after discussions began. The swim, bike, and run routes can be found on the race website, along with elevation profiles and locations of the aid stations. All courses are completely closed to vehicle traffic, the pavement is wide and smooth, and the run will be the first timed event ever held on the Eastbank Esplanade. We'll work for even more next year, but for a first year we're quite pleased.

 

[Aug 5, 2007] FORM AND FUNCTION: BAMBOO, CEDAR, AND STEEL

From the outset we've strived to make this race different. Rarely do large athletic events incorporate art into the race, so we commissioned local Portland artist Aaron Loveitt to fashion a finish line arch. His creation is as beautiful as it is useable: cedar planter boxes form the arch, and each box can be removed and cared for separately by individuals nurturing flowers and vegetables throughout the year. Visit the race website for a sketch of the final design, as well as pictures of its construction.

Aaron's vision has also given us a new kind of bike rack: one made from bamboo. Bamboo is serving several purposes in the triathlon, allowing us to escape steel (in the bike racks) and cotton (in the race shirts). Combined with reusable CleanStream bags from Oregon Trout for our goody bags, solar power in the park, and local, organic food and drink, we intend our most lasting impact to be in your memory.

 

[Aug 5, 2007] TEST THE WATERS ON AUGUST 9TH

Perhaps you are experiencing trepidation over open-water swimming. Maybe you're yearning for a dip in the river, but all the boats make you nervous. Come join us this Thursday, August 9, when we'll take a collective flop into the water for a trial swim of the triathlon course. Starting at 7pm from the docks at RiverPlace Marina, the swim is part of the Portland Tri Club's weekly open-water swimming series - giving triathletes the chance to see a new venue, try out their wetsuits, or practice bilateral breathing. Buoys will not be in place, but you can bob around between the Hawthorne and Morrison Bridges and see what the temperature, current, and sighting are like. We're expecting 40-50 swimmers, and Commissioner Sam Adams will try to make it, too. If you have concerns over the water quality, a representative from Willamette Riverkeeper will be there to discuss testing and what the numbers mean. Take a dip downtown!

 

[Aug 5, 2007] WEBSITE RESOURCES: CARPOOLS, MAPS, FIND A 'MATE

The electronic age has provided new tools in our quest to make this race sustainable and accessible. On the race website (PortlandTri.com) you can find an interactive map for arranging a carpool to the race, maps of all the courses with interactive elevation profiles, and a "relay finder" to seek out other individuals looking for relay teammates. Have a good look at work the next time your boss is in a meeting.

 

[Aug 5, 2007] GOOD TIMES, NOODLE SALAD: POST-RACE IN THE PARK

Crossing the finish line is just the beginning of your day. Visit the massage tent for a little muscle love, the Deschutes Brewery beer tent for liquid hydration, and any shaded, grassy spot for the music of Sassparilla Jug Band. Staccato Gelato will be serving up gelato, Viso has done something magical with meyer lemons, and Pioneer Organics will be on hand to offer Oregon's finest seasonal fruits. You may never leave the park!

 

[Mar 20, 2007] HERE WE GO: REGISTRATION OPENS MARCH 21

You've been patient through irksome delays as we finalized permits - not an easy undertaking in a city of a million people - and now we're ready to throw wide the barn doors. Starting tomorrow (Wednesday), registration is open for this Labor Day weekend, olympic-distance event. The website has more details, as well as the ability to register online or with a paper entry. Choose from individual, relay, and corporate relay categories, but try not to procrastinate - the field is limited to the first 1,000 individuals and 80 relays to place their mark in the sand.

 

[Mar 20, 2007] OREGON TROUT FLOPS ABOARD AS TITLE SPONSOR

By royal decree, our humble race shall henceforth be known as The Oregon Trout City of Portland Triathlon. We are elated to be supported, in a title sponsor sort of way, by the good folks at Oregon Trout, a non-profit established in 1983 and based in Portland. You may not realize it, but Oregon Trout's work directly aids triathlon: their mission is to protect and restore native fish and their ecosystems, the very same ecosystems in which you and I swim. There are 30,000 miles of unhealthy streams in Oregon, and every mile Oregon Trout works to restore is another mile we can swim, fish, and drink. Their work sustains us all.

Read more about Oregon Trout here.

 

[Mar 20, 2007] LOCAL, PURE, AND ORGANIC: PIONEER ORGANICS AND EARTH2O

When you finish a workout, you probably don't down a dozen donuts. Or maybe you do - but admit it, it's a bad idea. A healthy body demands the finest fuel we can provide for it, and likewise this triathlon refuses to degrade quality for cost. When you come across the finish line, organic, seasonal, just-off-the-tree fruits from Pioneer Organics will be waiting for you. And we'll hand you cold, pure water bottled in Oregon from EartH2O. This state is overflowing with wholesome goodness, and it would be irresponsible (and downright silly) of us to look elsewhere.

 

[Jan 15, 2007] Welcome to the City of Portland Triathlon!

I'd like to invite you to the newest triathlon in the Pacific Northwest, the first major downtown triathlon in the fair city of Portland, OR. An organizing committee has assembled, a plan has hatched, and the city has opened its doors to triathletes across the country eager for a chance to play in its rivers, streets, and parks.

The race will be September 2, 2007 - Labor Day weekend. It will be olympic distance, with a relay option available. The race will start and end in Waterfront Park, near the western edge of the Hawthorne Bridge in downtown Portland.

The City of Portland Triathlon will be unique. The progressive values of this city are contagious; and indeed, we aim to embrace them. The event will be organized to be sustainable; we recognize that a healthy body and a sharp mind go hand in hand with social and environmental responsibility. As much as possible, the equipment we use will be recycled, the food organic, the products and materials locally sourced. This approach will cost more to implement, and it may take time to achieve, but our pledge is real.

The race will be the first in the country to host a completely naturopathic medical tent,staffed and directed by the National College of Natural Medicine. Race shirts may incorporate bamboo. Incentives will be provided for using public transportation, or your very own bike, to get to the race.

Over the coming months I invite you to learn more about the race through our unfolding website: www.portlandtri.com. On February 14 registration will open, just in time to spoil your honey with a Valentine's Day gift of multisport nirvana. Through this newsletter, I'll let you know how we're doing in our efforts to provide the finest athletic event in the country.

We'll see you in September.