Dash and Splash is for all

Broome people now have another reason to get fit, the new Dash and Splash series of biathlons which will get underway in October.

Each event will feature a running and a swimming leg, with two distances for different fitness levels.

There will be one event each month until February 2012, with the first taking off on October 21.

The series is the initiative of Broome Recreation and Aquatic Centre program development officer Sally Reynolds who said the idea behind the event was to get the community involved and to make more use of the BRAC facilities.

She said aside from the annual BRAC to Beach fun run and the Broome Tri Club’s Cable Beach Triathlon, there were no local events to help keep people motivated to stay in shape.

“There’s basically nothing for locals to do during the wet season, there’s no incentive to train and nothing to train for,” Reynolds said.

“The idea of this is to have a regular event that’s not going to require mobs of training but is going to give people something to work towards, one a month, a bit of fun, a bit social, but reasonable distances so it’s beneficial to their own training.”

The full course features a 5km run followed by a 500m swim and can be undertaken solo or as a team. The shorter course is a 2.5km run and a 250m swim and can only be tackled solo.

Competitors can register for the full series or individual events.

Reynolds said with the two distances the event was suitable for everyone, from competitive athletes down to families who just wanted to walk the run course.

The events were timed to start at 5pm on Friday afternoons to avoid the heat of the day and so people could compete after work.

The run leg will start at the skate park on Cable Beach Road before returning for the swim leg in the BRAC pool.

There will be prizes for each event and for the series as a whole, for the winners of each distance in seniors and juniors, as well as spot prizes for participation.

To register for the Dash and Splash call Reynolds on 9193 7677.