September Sports Events Bring Athletes to Wrightsville Beach; Participants Help Keep Beaches Clean
Cape Fear Coast, N.C. - If you love outdoor sports, Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina is the place to be in September. Exciting sports events include the Wilmington Family YMCA Triathlon (September 19) and the 1st Annual Southeast SUP [Standup Paddle] Championship (September 26).
On Saturday, September 19, approximately 1,300 athletes will participate in the 31st Annual Wilmington Family YMCA Triathlon in Wrightsville Beach. Billed as the biggest race in the North Carolina Triathlon Series, the annual event is the largest race from Washington, DC to Florida. The USA Triathlon-sanctioned race begins Saturday morning at 7:00am with a 1,500 meter point-to-point channel swim. The bike course takes participants over the Wrightsville Beach drawbridge and over to Wilmington. The 5k run portion of the race will take place on ‘The Loop’, a popular fitness trail on Wrightsville Beach. According to organizers, a beach cleanup will follow the event at 12:30pm beginning at Wrightsville Beach Town Hall. The beach cleanup is held in conjunction with the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest volunteer effort for the ocean and waterways.
The YMCA Triathlon is currently closed; however, the waiting list is still taking names. Proceeds from the race will benefit youth programs at the Wilmington Family YMCA. For more details about the Wilmington Family YMCA Triathlon, please visit www.setupevents.com or call 910-251-9622, ext. 224. For details about the Ocean Conservancy Coastal Cleanup, contact Jason St. Clair at Jason@blockade-runner.com or 910-256-2251.
The following weekend, the First Annual Southeast SUP Championship gets underway (rain or shine) on Saturday, September 26. Standup paddlers will meet at 8:15am to prepare to race the 3.5 mile course around Harbor Island. Spectators will gather at Dockside Restaurant beginning at 9:00am to watch the race and enjoy family entertainment. A trophy ceremony and after-party begins at 11:00am. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Surfrider Foundation. Advance registration is required to participate in the competition. To register for the SUP championship, contact 910-256-6468 or visit www.southeastsupchampionship.com.
Each month standup paddlers gather to clean up the islands in the Intracoastal Waterway. To find out more about SUP Cleanup events, visit www.supcleanup.com or www.coastalurge.com. Visitors interested in participating in a North Carolina Big Sweep event at Cape Fear Coast beaches and waterways on September 26th, should contact Jennifer O’Keefe, Keep America Beautiful, at 910-798-4404 or jeokeefe@nhcgov.com.
Many of the athletes will travel at least 50 miles or more to participate in these events. Visiting athletes will arrive early to pick up their registration materials on Friday and stay Saturday night to rest up before returning home. During their visit, competitors and their guests will stay in hotels, dine in restaurants, and shop at retailers all throughout New Hanover County. The host hotel for this year’s YMCA Triathlon (Sept. 19) is the Blockade Runner Beach Resort in Wrightsville Beach. The host venue for the SUP Championship (Sept. 26) is Dockside Restaurant, also in Wrightsville Beach.
For a free Visitors Guide for Wilmington & North Carolina’s Cape Fear Coast, please call 1-866-266-9690. For information on accommodations, events, and package deals, please visit the websites www.gocapefearcoast.com and www.visitwrightsville.com.
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Contact
Connie Nelson
910-341-4030
cvbpr@capefearcoast.com
