Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald: Will
By Jon Johnson
PIMA – The race is on . . . to finalize registration for the 29th annual Jim Brinkerhoff Varsity Scout Triathlon in Pima. But hurry, registration ends at midnight Tuesday, April 16.
For more information or to register for the event click here.
The annual event begins with check-in Friday, April 19, from 5 – 9:30 p.m. at The Church of Latter-day Saints chapel at 50 South 100 West. A youth dance will accompany check-in. The event is the largest Youth Scout triathlon in the nation.
The race then promptly begins at 7 a.m., Saturday, April 20, and consists of a 75-yard swim in the Pima pool, 6-mile bicycle ride and 1.6-mile run through town. Bicycle staging and the race start and finish are located at the Dan Hinton School at 164 West 400 South in Pima.
The race is a great event for youth ages 11 and up but all are welcome, including men and women, boys and girls, scouts and non-scouts. Recently more girls and women have been participating in the event and taking bragging rights back to their areas. The event is popular throughout the state and sees a high number of participants from the Phoenix and Tucson areas. According to Race Director Mons Larson, 95 percent of the participants in the race are from outside of the area. In 2017, the venue saw about 1,750 participants and last year 1,557 registered to compete.
Matalyah Bretz, 15, of Mesa, has won the event as the overall fastest female for the last four years in a row, including her record-breaking time last year of 35:20. Timing for the event is performed by CEP Timing.
Highlight Video By Jon Johnson/Gila Herald
