For the first time in 36 years, the Wilkes-Barre Triathlon will not be contested in 2017.
According to a message posted this month on the event’s website (wilkesbarretriathlon.com), the event “has suspended operations and will not host an event in 2007.”
The message also said: “The Wilkes-Barre Triathlon would like to thank all of the generous sponsors, volunteers and athletes who have participated in the event over the last 35 years.”
The event, which combines swimming, cycling and running has been held in the Back Mountain since its inception.
Long-time Wilkes-Barre Triathlon director Joanne Gensel told he Times Leader that “it’s just a hiatus for this year,” and race organizers are trying to reorganize. The loss of several key volunteers to retirement in recent years has created the need to do so.
The event began in 1982 as the Back Mountain Triathlon, became the Greater Wilkes-Barre Triathlon and, ultimately, was renamed the Wilkes-Barre Triathlon.
The course matched Olympic distances, beginning with a 1.5-mile swim at Harveys Lake, followed by a 40-kilometer (nearly 25 mile) leg on bicycles, then a closing 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) run.
More than 300 entries competed in 2016.
