Folsom Olympic Triathlon slated for Sunday

The Folsom Olympic Distance Triathlon will swim, bike and run through Folsom on Sunday, as an several hundred entrants will participate in one of the most grueling tests for athletes in the area.Formerly the Folsom International Triathlon, the Folsom Olympic Distance Triathlon will consist of a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40k bike ride and a 10K run, and is part of a triathlon series put on by USA Productions including the Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon held in May and the Silicon Valley Mountain Bike Sprint Triathlon and the Silicon Valley Olympic Distance Triathlon and Pro Challenge, both held in June."I'm expecting approximately 500 athletes," said Ryan Coelho of USA Productions, who also said the only difference between last year's race and this year's is in the name. "There is no difference between an Olympic and International, it's all in a name change from one owner to the another."The triathlon, a popular event in Folsom every year, attracts top athletes from across the nation for the weekend. The swim course, which will start in waves (divisions) of competitors, will travel .93 miles, starting at Nimbus Flats in Lake Natoma. Swimmers will loop around buoys and return back to Nimbus Flats, where they'll jump aboard bikes for the second portion of the triathlon. From Nimbus Flats, riders will travel onto Folsom Boulevard to Iron Point Road, to Prairie City Road, White Rock Road and even Scott Road before returning. Back at Nimbus Flats, cyclists will jump off their bikes and into their running shoes, then run 6.2 miles along the American River Trail towards the dam. The run follows the paved Lake Natoma trail right along views of the lake for 3.1 miles before turning around and running back to the finish like the same distance away.The beautiful scenery and accommodating setting for each portion of the race makes the triathlon a great event for competitors. "The venue and course makes this a very exciting race," Coelho said. "The active triathlon teams and community, the weather and the great Folsom venue (makes it a good destination)."No competitors know this better than the few with home field advantage. Several Folsom and El Dorado Hills athletes will be joining this year's competition. As of July 31, 11 entrants were from El Dorado Hills: Sarah Kimball, Bart and Megan Zeydel, Jill Barry, Allan Priest, Daniel Rudd, Brian White, Shekoufeh Qawami, John Evans, Stephen Shumrak and Peter Condy Sr. Nineteen were from Folsom: Matt Deibler, Lisa Woodward, Susan Jonas, Carol and Tom Aceituno, Michelle Jennings, John Stroud, Lindsay Carolla, Rob Neil, Mina Geramian, Karyn Hoffman, Laura and Dane Schweitzer, Michael Mitchell, Brian Tucker, Alan Kennedy, Mason Hancock, Daniel Cloutier and Elizabeth Simi.The kicker for many athletes is the post-race activity. Upon recovering, athletes can enjoy festivities including catered food and an awards ceremony beginning at 11 a.m."Come for the race, stay for the party," Coelho said.