And then there were two – This weekend’s Woodlands Triathlon is now a Duathlon

THE WOODLANDS, TX – The Woodlands Township today made the following announcement:

The Woodlands Township conducts regular water quality testing annually, including the weeks leading up to and on the week of The Woodlands Triathlon. Collecting multiple samples, including the week of, allows for more accurate results for Race Day lake conditions. The most recent water quality samples collected this week yielded higher bacterial levels than is allowed by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for the level of recreational use. As a result, the swim portion of The Woodlands Triathlon has been cancelled and the race will now be a Duathlon (Run, Bike, Run).

To the dismay of some athletes, this is the second year in a row that the swim portion has been canceled for this event. For those motorists who are still recovering from the IRONMAN Texas traffic of two weeks ago, on the surface, a triathlon being ‘downgraded’ to a duathlon sounds like a good thing. However, the road closures previously announced for the triathlon will remain in effect and for the same amount of time. As originally laid out, the 500-meter swim as the first leg of the triathlon would take an average of 10 minutes or so to swim; instead, it will be a 1.6-mile (2.5K) sprint. Then the 12.8-mile (20K) bike race and 5K run will proceed as usual. Not uncoincidentally, the swim and sprint typically take the same amount of time.

Unlike the IRONMAN, which was literally an all-day event that left no corner of The Woodlands unaffected, this duathlon ends a lot earlier in the day and covers far less ground (literally and figuratively). As early as 8:35 a.m., portions of Research Forest, Grogan’s Mill, and Lake Woodlands will be reopened to motor traffic. All other roads – including Woodlands Parkway, Cochran’s Crossing, and the Lake Woodland Bridge – should be reopened for business by 10:30 a.m. Road closures start at 6 in the morning, and the race itself kicks off at 7 o’clock.

In spite of the traffic impact of these races, the economic benefits far outweigh the grief, with a massive influx of visitors, participants, and consumers adding millions to the local economy. For those non-athletes out there who are burned out on racing season, however, fret not; with the exception of some nonprofit fundraiser racing events, the next major race in The Woodlands – the Memorial Hermann 10 for Texas – occurs in October, and the annual Glow and Go 5K in December.