Amy VanHuran, director of communications, for Tri-Maine

By Carol McCracken

350 super athletes will test their strength and endurance when they participate tomorrow morning here on the East End in the Tri-Maine 3rd annual Triathlon.  Athletes from all over will be participating in three separate events:  swimming, running and biking which is where the name triathlon comes in.  The race is hosted by Tri-Maine an Old Port company that is in the race management business.

The race starts tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. when athletes will go to the East End Beach for a l/2 mile swim.  Following that portion, athletes will return to Portland Yacht Services where the event is headquartered.  There they will get onto their bikes located in Building 1 of the Portland Company complex on Fore Street.  They will bike a total of 13 miles including two lapses around Back Cove.  The last leg of the triathlon is a run of 3.5 miles.  It’s expected that athletes will be finished by ll:30 a.m.

Meanwhile, there will be a festival on the Maine State Pier starting at 10:30 a.m. said Amy VanHuran, communications director for Tri-Maine.  The Jason Spooner Trio will start the festivities with music.  There will be many local vendors including Portland Pie Co. and the Maine Red Claws cheerleaders will perform.  There  will be special activites for children as well. The award ceremony will occur at noon on the Pier and the Festival will end at 1:00 p.m.

Volunteers are needed in a number of capacities.  T-shirts and other goodies will be given to those participating in this “very green event” .

“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Portland by bringing sports to the city.  It’s so special to have so many people come out for this event,” said Amy Van Huran.

The entry fee for athletes is $95.  Please visit www.tri-maine.com for more information  Or call 221-5420.