TRIATHLONE 2008 IS LAUNCHED IN DUBLIN
WESTMEATH EVENT TO HOST 2010 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

This year's Waterways Ireland TriAthlone, Ireland's biggest triathlon, was launched today in Dublin by Seamus Brennan, T.D., Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism. The triathlon, which takes place in Athlone on Saturday the 12th of July, will attract 1,500 competitors and will also be host to an event on this year's prestigious European Cup.

TriAthlone was first run in 2006 and has quickly established itself as one of the Europe's premier races. This was confirmed when TriAthlone was named as the host venue of the European Triathlon Championships in 2010. This will be the first time that Ireland will host such an event and it will attract over 4,000 competitors from across the continent.

This will be one of the final opportunities for some of the world's top triathletes to compete ahead of this summer's Olympic Games. It will also be a chance for Ireland's top triathlete and Olympic hopeful Gavin Noble to compete on home soil ahead of a possible appearance in Beijing.

Three major charities will also benefit from this year's race. These are Respect, the Children's Medical and Research Foundation and Debra Ireland, while local charity the Midlands Simon Community will also benefit from this year's event. Several celebrities will also be competing in this year's event to raise money for their chosen charities. These include; Kathryn Thomas, Ray Shah, Eamon Keane and Craig Doyle.

Liam Heavin, CEO of TriAthlone, sees this as a vital year for the event. "This promises to be our biggest year yet for TriAthlone. We will have a field of over 1,500 this year and looking towards 2010 that will see 4,000 competing in Athlone. We hope to keep growing at the rate we have been over the past two years with the aim of possibly hosting the World Triathlon Championships in 2015. With Gavin Noble looking at Olympic qualification the profile of the sport is getting higher and higher in Ireland.

It is great to have the support of Waterways Ireland on this. Their title sponsorship of the event and massive contribution to the running of the swimming section is a huge help and we could not do it without them", Heavin said at the launch.

This year's event will be supported by premium sponsor Waterways Ireland, while there will also be several associate sponsors including; Athlone Town Centre, Snap Printing, Russell Brennan Keane and DBC Physiotherapy and Sports Medicine.

Martin Dennany, Director of Marketing and Communications for Waterways Ireland, is delighted to be associated again this year. "TriAthlone is a sporting occasion which has developed over a very short time to encompass a European Cup event. Waterways Ireland is delighted to be the premium sponsor and we hope that the continued success of triAthlone will create an even greater awareness of the unique recreational resource that is the inland waterway system and will also provide an added benefit to the local economy," Dennany said.

The main race will begin with a 750m swim in the River Shannon and from there the competitors will then take to their bikes for a 20km cycle before a 5km run will see the event finish in the heart of Athlone town. The Waterways Ireland TriAthlone will take place on Saturday the 12th of July.

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For further information:
www.triathlone.com
Declan Lee - O'Herlihy Communications - 01 660 2744 / 087 695 7451
Karen Cunningham - TriAthlone - 087 217 4112