Annapolis 'Aquathlon' event loses racers, money

By ERIN COX, Staff Writer

Published 08/19/08

A third of the 1,500 athletes registered to compete in the second annual Annapolis triathlon have dropped out after the county refused to grant a permit for the race's biking portion, organizers said.

The "aquathlon" swim and road race replacing the Sept. 7 triathlon - billed as a charity event and an eventual financial boon to the local economy - now stands to lose $10,000 to $12,000, organizers told the County Council last night as they asked for future political support.

"At this point, we're very much in the negative," co-organizer Tom Smith said.

"It is our desire to bring a...

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Triathlon Permits - August 20, 2008

Last-minute denial of the bike course permit seems to signal an unfortunate trend. Even the Annapolis Striders have recently had permit issues for races that have been annual events for decades. The 2007 Metric Marathon had to be canceled because the permit was denied. The 2008 Cherry Pit 10 Miler permit was initially denied because the county refused to let the race go along one particular road (which had been part of the course for years). The race course was modified to avoid the road but, two days before the race, the permit was denied again and the race had to avoid ALL county roads. The race organizers scrambled to create a 10 mile course that made several laps in an adjacent community and they somehow managed to avoid canceling the race altogether. Both the Annapolis Triathlon Club and the Annapolis Striders are eager and very willing to work with the county to put on their events with minimal impact to communities and address all safety concerns. However, 11th-hour denial of permits provides no opportunity to do this. These clubs are community organizations that bring people together for a common positive purpose -- to enjoy the benefits of an active healthy lifestyle in a socially-rewarding community atmosphere. Many people use these races to set and achieve their health and fitness goals. ...The point here is, these events are the culmination of tremendous individual and group focus. When an event is suddenly canceled or radically modified it is a giant letdown for all involved. Especially when something could have been worked out if more timely response and cooperation were offered. I am quite pleased that the majority of city and county officials were in favor of the 2008 Annapolis Triathlon. I just hope that in the future those few who do have concerns will voice them early and loudly so those concerns can be addressed and we can avoid disappointing the thousands of participants and their families who look to the event as a worthy and admirable goal.

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Jeff Carlson - Edgewater, MD - Karma: Bad

Triathlon - August 20, 2008

The two things that I thought most interesting from the meeting, were: (1) the fact that County Executive John Leopold blamed the Police Department for the denial of the permit, when the PD had not even finished preparing their recommendation, and; (2) The County Executive has not addressed why a bike course, which was used without incident three times in recent history, was suddenly unacceptable, except by using the Police Department as a scapegoat. As a side note, I've watched the County deny permits, at the very last minute, repeatedly for numerous road races and now the triathlon. Each time, the denial was timed so that it would be impossible for the organizers to adjust the course. Why does the County Executive oppose physical fitness?

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Tor C - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Bad