By all accounts, last August's first-ever Gloucester Triathlon was a giant success.
Over 800 competitors, ranging from elite triathletes to first-timers, participated in the grueling race that featured a third-of-a-mile swim at Pavilion Beach, a 15-mile bike ride that began in St. Peter's Square and carried over Western, Essex and Magnolia Avenues before returning to the city's center, and finally a 3.2-mile run that looped twice around downtown Gloucester.
The event, which was the brainchild of Gloucester triathlete Janda Ricci-Munn in conjunction with the Gloucester Fishermen Athletic Association (GFAA), created plenty of buzz in Cape Ann and well beyond. When all was said and done, the event raised a total of $35,400 through individual sponsorships ($9,400), local businesses ($14,000) and race proceeds ($12,000). Half of that total went to support the GFAA, which is a nonprofit group that was founded to support Gloucester's public schools, in particular athletics and related activities for the city's youths. Meanwhile, 25-percent of the money raised went to Wellspring House in Gloucester, which works to meet basic human needs and participate in social change through the provision of emergency shelter for families, education, job training, affordable housing and family support programs. The final 25-percent went to Pine Street Inn, which is a homeless shelter in Boston.
The goal now for race co-founder Ricci-Munn and the GFAA is not to bask in the success from three months ago, but to instead look towards the future. The second annual Gloucester Triathlon is slated for Aug. 8 of next year, and registration begins on Nov. 15. A revamped Web site (gloucestertri.com) is in the works and is scheduled to launch on Nov. 10 and the organizers are in the process of switching the event's name to the Gloucester Fishermen Triathlon, with a new logo also in the works.
"As far as the local draw is concerned, the race was a smash hit," said Ricci-Munn, who developed the race with Cohasset's Bill Burnett. "Now we are striving to make it bigger and better. We want to make it more of a destination event moving forward, so people will stay in Cape Ann for maybe the weekend instead of just on race day. We want to involve as many local businesses as possible and Cape Ann as a whole.
"A lot of businesses already know that the event is a winner."
Ricci-Munn is covering all bases to make sure that the race continues to expand. He believes it is very realistic that well over 1,000 participants will compete next year, with a possibility to get up to 1,500, in which case steps would have to be made to accommodate that many racers.
"We are already starting the process of recruiting more elite triathletes," said Ricci-Munn, who is an elite triathlete himself but didn't compete last August. "The timing of the race is actually perfect in regards to the triathlon season."
The organizers plan to tweak the race course a bit. The goal is to showcase Magnolia more and make the overall event a more complete tour of scenic Gloucester. They also plan to adjust some of the more dangerous parts of the race such as the sharp right bike turn on Magnolia Ave.
Another goal is to expand training classes for first-time triathletes, such as classes that teach proper swimming and bike-riding technique. According to Ricci-Munn, the swim portion is what intimidates first-time triathletes the most.
"We're hoping to have a series of clinics to help people train," said Ricci-Munn.
In January, a group of 100-plus residents of Gloucester are launching the Cape Ann Triathlon Club, which will be a group of people training for the event together. It's yet another sign that this event is certainly catching on in Cape Ann.
"The dream scenario is that we get so much money from sponsorships that we can start to attract international athletes," Ricci-Munn said.
