Friday 31 May 2013

‘Expect delays’ is an apt maxim for Far North Queensland this weekend, with changed traffic conditions across the region and record crowds expected to converge on Port for Cairns Airport Adventure Festival events.

The festival kicks off with the Coral Coast Triathlon on Sunday. A North Queensland tradition since 1981, when hair was longer and lycra brighter, the event marked its 30th edition in 2011 and entered the record books as the longest running triathlon in the Southern Hemisphere.

Many triathletes use the 5150 (Olympic) event as a warm-up to the IRONMAN Cairns or IRONMAN 70.3 Cairns events next Sunday, June 9, though others compete over Sprint and Enticer distances. 2008 Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Emma Moffatt and 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Brad Kahlefeldt will be among the 5150 starters.

Locals will be cheering on home-grown hero Nick Carling in the Enticer category, sure to stand out in a spandex 'Morphsuit', specially modified for the long distance champ and coloured purple to represent Cancer Council's Relay For Life. Carling recently snagged his first victory for the season, beating 200 competitors in the Cairns Croc Triathlon Club Duathlon.

The Cairns Croc race, initially a triathlon, was forced to switch the water leg to a second ride, to compensate for stinger season. Coral Coast will go ahead as a triathlon though; as The Newsport reported last week, the stinger nets are now gone from Four Mile Beach.

Four Mile Beach hosts the first and last legs of the race, with competitors taking to the water for a 1500m swim, before drying off with a 40km cycle on Port Douglas roads, and finishing with a multi-lap 10km beach run.

Also on Sunday, more than 400 riders will take to Mt Molloy for the iconic RRR (Rural, Rainforest & Reef) Mountain Bike Challenge. First run in 1991, it’s the longest running ‘point to point’ race in Australia.

Plus, the Hekili Great Barrier Reef Ocean Challenge will see outriggers face off at Palm Cove, before racing through Cairns and finishing on Four Mile Beach. The ocean challengers will cross their finish line at the same time as the triathletes and mountain bikers.

“Nowhere else in Australia will you see a finish line like this one on Four Mile Beach,” said Chris Jarvis, Operations Manager at USM Events/IRONMAN Asia-Pacific. 

The festivities continue with an after-party at Port’s Central Hotel on Sunday, June 2. The stars of Bondi Rescue will be working behind the bar from 5:30pm, with live entertainment to keep the celebration going.

For more information, visit www.cairnsadventurefestival.com.au