Back Mountain Triathlon to return in August

For 35 years, the Greater Wilkes-Barre Triathlon was one of the biggest events in the Back Mountain.

Heck, for a quite few of those years, it was one of the biggest events for triathletes in the world, serving as a qualifier for the world championships and drawing some of the top professionals in the world.

A 16-year-old Lance Armstrong even competed in the event, years before he won seven Tour de Frances and became a champion for cancer victims and then had those seven titles stripped because of doping.

By 2016, the Greater Wilkes-Barre Triathlon had run out of steam and held its 35th and final event.

Last year, Dave Bass and a group of dedicated volunteers, recognizing the desire of many local triathletes to have their “home” race back, returned the sport to Northeast Pennsylvania with the Back Mountain Triathlon.

After successful inaugural run last year, Bass and his group are back with what they hope is a bigger and even better race.

“People are super excited,” Bass said of the second annual Back Mountain Triathlon. “I think people would’ve gone crazy if we brought the race back one time and then said, ‘Yeah, it’s too much work. We’re not gonna do it.’”

The annual swim-bike-run race will be held Sunday, Aug. 25, starting in Harveys Lake and using the roads of nearby communities for the bike and run portions of the event.

“The previous triathlon was around for 35 years, and people loved it so much,” Bass said. “It was such a part of the tradition of their family, their fathers, their children, their uncles … Everybody that came to the race had a story last year.”

Andrea Butchko, the swim director for the race, agreed with Bass that triathlon’s return to the Back Mountain was sorely needed.

“I can remember standing there on the beach and the sun coming up and seeing the silhouettes of the swimmers getting ready to go into the water and just how many there were,” Butchko said, recalling last year’s event. ” It showed that this was definitely something in our community that was missing.”

This year, the race will feature Olympic and Sprint distances after last year only featured the longer of the two.

The Olympic course will feature a 1,500-meter swim, 25-mile bike ride and 6.2-mile run. The sprint distance will consist of a 750-meter swim, 12.5-mile bike ride and 3.1 mile run.

Bass is expecting a field about twice the size of last year’s race, thanks to the addition of the sprint distance race.

“When I was projecting for the permitting, I projected 400 athletes,” Bass said. “We have all the excitement and positive feedback that we had from last year to promote on. We’re gonna promote outside the area more than we did last year. And then having the sprint triathlon, I think that’s another built in a hundred or so athletes.”

But an expanded field and a new distance isn’t the only changes for 2024.

“We are working on some special things to make it fun,” Bass said. “We’re looking to improve our food offerings for the athletes and the families. We’re upping our music. We’ve added DJ Rob Sax.”

Bass added that they have also added a new announcer that will announce all the athletes as they get out of the water, enter the transition areas and finish.

“He’s just witty and funny and he knows the triathletes,” Bass said. “I think he’s gonna do a really good job of making the spectating part of the race more interactive and more exciting.”

Finally, as with all events Bass and his group does, this one gives back to the community. Last year, the event raised $20,000 for local causes. This year, the race will benefit Food Dignity, the Harveys Lake Fire and Ambulance, the Back Mountain Trail, Harveys Lake Little League and the North Branch Land Trust.