Tri Weekend in WDM
June is always a busy month in West Des Moines, and one of the biggest events in the city is quickly approaching.
The Hy-Vee Triathlon will fill up Raccoon River Park this weekend. On Saturday, hundreds of kids will participate in a shortened version of the event inside Raccoon River Park. In the afternoon, the world's top male and female triathletes will compete for an impressive prize purse. On Sunday afternoon, they will represent their countries again as part of the World Championship Team race (a new event for the sport of triathlon that we in West Des Moines will be the first to see)!
Earlier on Sunday, nearly 2500 amateur athletes will test themselves by swimming, biking, and running through the park and on some of our city streets. Due to the number of people participating in this race, the route must be longer to avoid problems that frequent lapping would cause.
This is a tremendous event for the City of West Des Moines and the greater Des Moines metro area. Here are some questions we are often asked at the City regarding the event:
Q. Which streets are impacted?
A. This year, the race impacts the portion of Grand Avenue from S. 35th St to Fuller Rd. for about an hour Friday (during elite practice) and from 12 - 6 pm Sunday, the elite race.
On Sunday, the bike portion of the race will take place on Grand from the park entrance out to Raccoon River Drive, continuing into Dallas County and back. The run will then go up Grand Avenue to Fuller Road, west to S. 35th, north to Mills Civic, and turn around short of the Valley Stadium west entrance. Sunday's closure starts at 5 am. Grand west of S. 35th will open as soon as the last biker leaves the road, and should be open no later than 10:30 am. The rest of the route will remain closed until noon. For road closure maps and route maps, view the Triathlon news item on our website.
Q. Where should I park to see the event?
A. Hy-Vee has done a lot of advertising of its shuttle routes for the event, and that is the best way to park without hassle and without having to navigate the road closures. You can park and ride at Valley High School and Valley West Mall.
Q. What impact does this have on Raccoon River Park?
A. Portions of the park have been closed during event-setup, and the entire park will be used during the triathlon weekend. There will be some lingering impact as the event is taken down as well. View a graphic showing the park impacts here. Other impacts that may be of concern to residents include aesthetic changes to the park or changes to the natural beauty of the park. Hy-Vee has committed to leaving the park as good as or better than it was prior to the event.
The Hy-Vee Triathlon will fill up Raccoon River Park this weekend. On Saturday, hundreds of kids will participate in a shortened version of the event inside Raccoon River Park. In the afternoon, the world's top male and female triathletes will compete for an impressive prize purse. On Sunday afternoon, they will represent their countries again as part of the World Championship Team race (a new event for the sport of triathlon that we in West Des Moines will be the first to see)!
Earlier on Sunday, nearly 2500 amateur athletes will test themselves by swimming, biking, and running through the park and on some of our city streets. Due to the number of people participating in this race, the route must be longer to avoid problems that frequent lapping would cause.
This is a tremendous event for the City of West Des Moines and the greater Des Moines metro area. Here are some questions we are often asked at the City regarding the event:
Q. Which streets are impacted?
A. This year, the race impacts the portion of Grand Avenue from S. 35th St to Fuller Rd. for about an hour Friday (during elite practice) and from 12 - 6 pm Sunday, the elite race.
On Sunday, the bike portion of the race will take place on Grand from the park entrance out to Raccoon River Drive, continuing into Dallas County and back. The run will then go up Grand Avenue to Fuller Road, west to S. 35th, north to Mills Civic, and turn around short of the Valley Stadium west entrance. Sunday's closure starts at 5 am. Grand west of S. 35th will open as soon as the last biker leaves the road, and should be open no later than 10:30 am. The rest of the route will remain closed until noon. For road closure maps and route maps, view the Triathlon news item on our website.
Q. Where should I park to see the event?
A. Hy-Vee has done a lot of advertising of its shuttle routes for the event, and that is the best way to park without hassle and without having to navigate the road closures. You can park and ride at Valley High School and Valley West Mall.
Q. What impact does this have on Raccoon River Park?
A. Portions of the park have been closed during event-setup, and the entire park will be used during the triathlon weekend. There will be some lingering impact as the event is taken down as well. View a graphic showing the park impacts here. Other impacts that may be of concern to residents include aesthetic changes to the park or changes to the natural beauty of the park. Hy-Vee has committed to leaving the park as good as or better than it was prior to the event.
Q. Who pays for this event to take place?
A. This event (including any overtime costs incurred by the city) is entirely funded by Hy-Vee, and any proceeds they recover go to Variety - the Children's Charity and other designated nonprofits. Although there is some city administrative staff time involved in planning for the event, it is a worthwhile investment of time because of the community benefit and the impact of bringing visitors and participants to our city for an elite competition. Although the amateur event creates some inconvenience for residents because of its size, which necessitates holding part of that race on city streets Sunday, it is this part of the event for which West Des Moines residents - and people around the state -- spend months preparing. Many of us know someone participating. As a city, we must weigh the costs of some temporary road closures with the benefits of providing a location for this community activity to occur. We have tried to minimize the inconvenience to residents in the area to the best of our ability.
Q. What does it cost to attend?
A. The event is free for the public.
Please view the Hy-Vee Triathlon news item on the City website or http://www.hyveetriathlon.com/ for any additional questions you have about the 2009 Hy-Vee Triathlon.
posted by Jeff Pomeranz @ 2:59 PM
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