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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Triathlete gets new race started

Sherry Ramsey Correspondent

SANDPOINT – Trever Gray of Sandpoint is a world-class triathlete who looks forward to the Lake to Forest Triathlon held here each year. So when after 24 years it was canceled, Gray took matters into his own hands. He contacted AA Sports of Portland, which puts together triathlons around the country, and the sponsor agreed to help.

A cancer survivor, Gray chose to incorporate a fundraiser into the event by having all proceeds from Saturday’s 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer runs in Dover donated to Community Cancer Services of Sandpoint.

“The proceeds from a lot of triathlons go to some cause,” he said. “Since I’ve had cancer, I thought, well let’s give some money to CCS.”

The new Dover Bay Weekend Sports Festival will be held at Dover Bay, a new, upscale community three miles west of Sandpoint on U.S. Highway 2. With miles of walking and biking paths, gorgeous beaches, parks and calm water, it’s the perfect spot to hold the event without Sandpoint’s congestion.

“I always wanted a better venue than the Lake to Forest Triathlon used the last years,” said Gray, who will compete in the Triathlon World Championships in Hamburg, Germany, on Sept. 1. “I approached Dover Bay and they were all for it. The run will be in the Dover Bay complex, and with the water and marshes, it’ll be fantastic.”

The event is part of an action-packed weekend, starting with Saturday’s Long Bridge Swim, a 1.73-mile swim across Lake Pend Oreille, plus a 10K walk/run and a 5K walk/run.

Kids can get into the act, too, with the Kids Splash, Pedal and Dash, a mini-triathlon with heats for ages 8 and under and ages 9-12. They’ll start with a 50-yard swim, move to a one-mile bike ride and finish with a quarter-mile run.

Sunday’s events will be a test of endurance starting with the Olympic Triathlon, a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40K bike ride and 10K run.

Don’t like to swim? The duathlon may be more your style: a 5K run, 40K bike ride and 10K run.

Then there’s the Sprint Triathlon, a 750-meter swim, 13.3-mile bike ride and a 5K run.

“Most people think they could never do a triathlon, but they’d be surprised how much they can do,” Gray said. “Even if you have bad knees you can still walk it. When you cross that finish line, it’s such a fantastic feeling, you’ll never forget it.”

New to triathlons? Try the novice event called Tri-iT. It’s a quarter-mile swim, 13.3-mile bike ride and a 5K run.

Live music and food will be provided as well.

For more information, contact Community Cancer Services at (208) 255-2301 or go online at www.race center.com/doverbay.