Contributed Photo
Elite triathlete Craig Evans will be in Chattanooga this weekend to compete in the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon, which he won in 2007.Water-fraught triathlonSunday’s Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon very likely will be only a duathlon due to the “excessive water flow” in the Tennessee River, race officials announced Wednesday. In addition to 300 percent above-normal water flow from the Chickamauga Dam, the swim start and finish areas were not accessible as of Wednesday and may not be safe by Sunday. “While the water may recede by race day, we are uncertain of the condition of these areas,” the release from the Chattanooga Track Club and Team Magic said. “What this means is chances are high that we will not be able to hold the swim portion of the triathlon. In the event the swim is canceled, the event will become a duathlon (run/bike/run).” The first run would be a two-miler; the closing 10-kilometer run also may be adjusted if some areas of the Riverwalk remain underwater or unsafe, but it will remain that distance, the officials said.
Past winner Craig Evans is returning to the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon this Sunday as one of the highest ranked triathletes in the United States. He is No. 1, in fact, in the USA XTERRA pro point series after finishing third in that set of off-road competitions last year.
Evans, who lives in Hendersonville, Tenn., was second and the first American in the 2012 International Triathlon Union Cross World Championships in Pelham, Ala. He’s 35 years old.
But when he won the 2007 Chattanooga competition based at Ross’s Landing, he started almost an hour behind the expected top finishers. One’s time is determined by when he or she hits the water for the opening swim, not when the first competitors start, but the proven elite go off early to keep from getting bogged down among slower bodies.
This year’s triathlon likely will not have a swim portion, the Chattanooga Track Club and Team Magic announced Wednesday evening, because the Tennessee River is swollen from the recent rains, and the run portion will be adjusted due to flooded areas on the Tennessee Riverwalk, but Evans affirmed that he’ll be participating anyway.