Triathletes from across Australia will converge on Bunbury for one of the biggest events on the town’s sporting calendar.
Athletes and spectators will get a taste of the South West when the 2018 SunSmart Bunbury City Classic Triathlon kicks off on Sunday, March 25 along the Back Beach near Ocean Drive.
The day will feature four main events – the Standard Distance (1500 metre swim, 40 kilometre ride and 10km run), the Enticer (250m swim, 10km ride and 2km run), Tadpoles (100m swim, 3km ride and 500m run), and Duathlon (5km run, 20km cycle and 2km run).
Bunbury Tri Club secretary Helen Morgan said the group would assist with duties at traffic marshalling points, aid stations, and run turn points on the day.
Ms Morgan said the event was an important achievement for sport in Bunbury.
“It’s great for the sporting community in somewhere like Bunbury,” she said.
“It’s great for Bunbury to step up and have a good, publicly-backed event. It’s exciting and it draws crowds which have economic benefits for the town.
The club was expecting around 800 participants for this year's competition.
“For the Bunbury Tri Club, it means we can advertise our club to community members,” Ms Morgan said.
“It’s also about being able to draw some elite level competitors.
“It brings a whole different atmosphere to the game and makes it much more exciting, much bigger, and better to watch for spectators.”
The Bunbury City Classic serves as the State Standard Distance Championship and a qualifying event for the Age Group Team category for this year’s 2018 ITU World Championships.
The World Championships will see athletes gather on the Gold Coast this September.
National triathletes Oli Stenning, Jonny Sammut, Kirby Diaz, Mike Lori and Kurt Wesley are expected to take part on Sunday.
The race will be the second last event on the SunSmart TriSeries 2017/18 roster.
This year also marks the first time the event has been part of the SunSmart TriSeries season.
Registrations for the event close on Friday, March 23 at 12pm. Head to triserieswa.com.au/bunbury/ for more information or to apply.