30th ANNIVERSARY MOOLOOLABA TRIATHLON ROARS TO LIFE THIS WEEKEND

Final preparations are underway for the 30^th anniversary Mooloolaba Triathlon, with two days of racing set to take place this weekend.

The sell-out event will welcome triathletes from across Australia, with the popular weekend of racing providing plenty of opportunities for people to get involved in the sport.

More than 5,500 athletes will take part in the Mooloolaba Triathlon, with first time triathletes, veterans of the sport and rising stars mixing together on course.

Geoff Meyer, The IRONMAN Group Oceania Managing Director, said that the team was looking forward to welcoming triathletes and their supporters to the region for the 30^th anniversary of the Mooloolaba Triathlon.

“The Mooloolaba Triathlon has become one of the Sunshine Coast’s most popular events and we can’t wait to see more than 4,000 athletes out on course over two days of racing,” said Meyer. “We have a number of reasons to celebrate this year, with the 2022 Mooloolaba Triathlon a sell-out event, and it also being its 30^th anniversary.

“Over the last 30 years we’ve seen some incredible performances at the Mooloolaba Triathlon from our elite athletes, as well tens of thousands of athletes experiencing the sport for the first time, with the combination of the two part of the reason why it continues to be so popular,” he said. “We look forward to being able to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the event this weekend with our athletes, their family and friends, our volunteers, partners and the local community.”

Queensland Tourism and Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the Mooloolaba Triathlon was now among Australia’s biggest.

“Congratulations to The IRONMAN Group Oceania on this year’s sell-out triathlon event,” Mr Hinchliffe said. “Mooloolaba’s Triathlon demonstrates the importance of significant events to visitor economies.

“The triathlon has grown over three decades to generate more than $6 million in visitor spending for Sunshine Coast businesses,” he said. “Accommodation and transport providers, cafes, restaurants and tourism operators all benefit from events like the Mooloolaba Triathlon.

“The Mooloolaba Triathlon delivers the best of both worlds, the ultimate test of agility and endurance with a great choice of visitor experiences for athlete recovery,” said Mr Hinchliffe. “It’s always a good plan to book extra time to experience all that the Sunshine Coast has to offer.”

Sunshine Coast Council Economy Portfolio Councillor Jason O’Pray said the Mooloolaba Triathlon was one of our longest running council sponsored events on the Sunshine Coast.

“Triathletes keep coming back here, and new generations sign up each year, which suggests the overall experience must be highly regarded on the triathlon calendar.

We appreciate the event organiser’s efforts to work with our business community, our residents and all the local event volunteers who welcome these elite athletes to our region for the weekend.” he said.

Saturday will see the Sprint Triathlon take place, which offers a great opportunity for a mix of people to take part, whether they’re a beginner keen for their first triathlon, or an experienced athlete who wants to race against the clock. The Sprint Triathlon consists of a 750m swim, 20km ride and 5km run, finishing on the Mooloolaba Esplanade.

The Standard Triathlon will take place on Sunday 13 March, with triathletes taking on a 1.5km swim, 40km ride and 10km run. Sunday’s event also includes a relay option for those entering as a team.

The Mooloolaba Triathlon is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.