TriLife876 looking to raise profile and discover hidden talent in Sun City
Published:Saturday | March 19, 2022 | 12:06 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
TRILIFE876 DIRECTOR Dayne Wright says his organisation hopes to develop the next generation of triathletes using a consistent competition schedule to fill the current void with respect to the sport in Jamaica.
The group, which comprises local triathletes, will be hosting the Sun City Triathlon today at Waves Beach, St Catherine and through the communities of Portmore and Hellshire from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. This year’s staging will comprise a short-distance event for newcomers and amateurs as well as a sprint-distance event for more seasoned competitors.
The first event under the TriLife umbrella was three years ago with 50 participants. According to Wright, the genesis of that event was to fill a gap that has been left on the local scene.
“Initially, it started with us, some of the members of TriLife 876, trying out for a triathlon event locally and after we did it, we realised that there was literally nothing else for us to express ourselves unless we created our event,” Wright told The Gleaner. “We saw where there was a gulf and it had to be filled and the easiest way to get that done was to put on as many events as we possibly can.”
Despite the halt in events created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Wright said that the interest has not diminished with more women, in particular, showing a desire to participate.
“What we noticed in terms of registration was a more than 50 per cent increase and in that 50 per cent increase, between a half and 65 per cent were actually females, so we realised that we were attracting a lot of new persons and a lot of females were showing a lot of interest. The sport itself is growing on the international scene and as such Jamaica should not be left behind in terms of that,” Wright said.
This year’s staging will have expanded age group events for juniors (as low as six years old) as well as those who want to compete in the traditional format or a combination of the ride, swim or run stages. Wright says that he hopes that they will be able to nurture more promising athletes such as Gary Cooper who competed at last year’s Pan American Junior Games in Colombia with many of the members, also a part of the Jamaica Triathlon Association.
“We are accommodating as many persons as we can. And what we have seen is that there are people who are asking more about it. They might not have entered but their interest has been peaked by what they are seeing right now.”
The course will involve the communities of Hellshire Heights, Johnson-Hill and Hellshire Park Estate.