The Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes (BFIT) has announced the details of their upcoming Celebrity Triathlon Challenge at a press conference yesterday at BOA Headquarters in Wildey.
The free event, a first of its kind in Barbados, will be held at the Barbados Aquatic Centre and Gymnasium Complex on Sunday 11th February from 3pm, and is aimed at encouraging Barbadians to take up the sport, as well as enjoy an active healthy lifestyle.
BFIT President Darren Treasure told the media the idea came about due to BFIT’s desire to show Barbados that triathlon and exercise is something accessible to everyone. “By having celebrities out there doing triathlon, we want to demonstrate that this is a sport that is not just for a select few; anyone can give it a try. We’ll be hosting some kids’ events before the main challenge so spectators can also see that triathlon is a family friendly sport. I urge all Bajans to come out and cheer on their favourite celebrities and support our unique 100% local initiative,” he said.
Treasure explained the celebrity course will consist of a 100m swim, 2km bike ride and 700m run, and named the local personalities taking part as:
• Mark Venom Griffith (Road Tennis Champion)
• Errol Maynard (Chief Fire Officer)
• Carlie Pipe (Marketing Executive and DJ)
• Simon Pipe (Musician)
• Patrick SALT Bellamy (DJ)
• Shawn Maloney (Race Car Driver)
• Vasbert Drakes (Former Cricketer)
• Nicholas Brancker (Musician)
• DJ Tami (DJ).
He also took the opportunity to highlight the next main event in the triathlon calendar – the CAMTRI Central American and Caribbean Championships. Taking place on Sunday 18th February at Spring Garden, both male and female elite triathletes from Barbados, Trinidad, Jamaica, Canada, USA, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Peru, Brazil and Guatemala will compete for US$10 000. Some of the athletes will be using the Barbados triathlon to help prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April this year.
BFIT is the governing federation for triathlon and triathletes in Barbados, sanctioning and organising various multi-sport events related to the discipline. For more information, visit https://triathlonbarbados.com/, join the Facebook group BFIT Barbados Triathlon, or email triathlonbarbados@gmail.com.
Caption: Simon Pipe (left) and DJ Tami are just two of the celebrities who will be competing in next month’s challenge.