Athletes in the area are being encouraged to test themselves on June 8.
    The Drumheller Triathlon, which was first held last year, is getting ready for its second race and things are already shaping up to be bigger than last year.
    “We’ve already got more people signed up than last year. It’s definitely going to be bigger,” Morgan Syvertsen, who is organizing the event. “The people who have signed up already are serious athletes, so this is going to be a pretty good race.”
    The route for the race is remaining the same as last year. The swimming portion will be held at the Aquaplex, the cycling portion will go along North Dinosaur Trail, and the run will utilize the trail system between the Aquaplex and Midland.
    There are two distances participants can do; sprint or Olympic. The Olympic distance is a 1,500 metre swim, 40 kilometre ride, and 10 kilometre run. The sprint distance is half of that.
    This year will be the first the triathlon will officially be a part of DinoFest. The date of the race has been set for June 8, at 9 a.m.
    The race was created last year as a way for athletes in Drumheller to do a triathlon in the comfort of the Valley.
    “We’ve got a lot of people here who cross train. They are swimmers, bikers, and runners, so this is an opportunity for them to come together and compete and, because the distances are standard for triathlons, they can compare their results with other races. Maybe they’ll get the bug and go out and try more races,” said Syversten.
    Should interest continue to mount, the hope is to keep the race growing.
    “If there enough interest, maybe we can go a bit bigger. It’s certainly looking that way. Down the road, maybe we could look at larger distances, or find a section of the river deep enough to swim in. We could even go outside of the Valley and host something for a few hundred people,” said Syversten.
    Anyone interested in racing are encouraged to contact Syvertsen at 403-823-7986 or meistermogie@gmail.com. Teams are accepted as well.
    “If you can swim, the rest is easy. Get in the pool and start practicing and remember: no one wins a triathlon in the swim,” said Syvertsen. “If you’re not a swimmer, don’t worry. You can bike and run hard, and still have a great time.”

    Batter up!
    The snow is melting and the weather is warming, which means residents will soon be hitting the ball diamonds after spending months cooped up indoors.
    The Drumheller Slo-Pitch Association is looking for a few more residents to step up to the plate. There is currently room for four more teams. Individual players are welcome to sign up as well, which is a great way to get active and meet new people.
    “At the (Sports, Arts, and Recreation) Expo I met a few people who were new to town and wanted to get out, play some slo-pitch, and meet new people. We’re always looking for spare players and anyone who is looking to join a team,” said Kadena Pierce, who helps organize the league. “There are always teams looking for spare players. I have a list, so if teams need a player, they can give me a call and I can get them the number of a spare player.”
    The season is shaping up to be business as usual for the most part, though there is one change in store for the final tournament of the season.
    “We’re planning on doing a home run derby this year. We’ve wanted to do it before, but didn’t have enough time. So, we shortened the games to fit in both a men’s and women’s derby. I know some people have been itching to show their stuff,” said Pierce.
    Potential players and teams only have a little more time to sign up. Slo-pitch teams from across Drumheller will be stepping on to the Newcastle diamonds on Friday, May 3.
    “We’d like to tentatively start May 3, depending on the weather. If the diamonds are still under water, we’ll have to delay things a little, but we’re hopeful,” said Pierce. “It’ll feel good to get back out there.”