This year, the Keistad Triathlon Amersfoort had to make do with one fewer discipline. Because blue-green algae was found in water samples from the Eem River last week, the swimming leg was canceled and replaced with an extra lap of running.
TV segment (RTV Utrecht) and article by Ulrike Nagel.
At 9:30 a.m., the youth are the first to line up at the start. Forty boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 14. Among them are Fien (8) and her brother Loek (10) from Amersfoort. How is Fien feeling before the race? “Really strong,” is her simple answer. “We’ve prepared well; yesterday we checked out the running course and we also did the bike route,” she says cheerfully. “And we’ve already cycled the Pieterpad with our parents, so we’re used to it.” She does find it a shame that she can’t swim. “Because I play water polo, so I can swim really fast. But yeah, unfortunately that’s not possible today.” Her father, Cedric, stands nearby, looking relaxed. “As long as they enjoy it and have fun. Their friends invited them, and they really wanted to participate.”
While many kids are still at home in front of the TV, these participants are getting a quick explanation of the route, because there are quite a few rules. “At some point, you’ll have to grab your bikes, but you’re not allowed to ride them yet—just walk,” an organizer tells the children at the start. “And when you come back from the bike leg, take off your helmet and flip your bib number over to your stomach!” They all nod, and a moment later the starting gun goes off.
Loek and Fien run the first 300 meters and then have to hop onto their bikes as fast as they can. Loek has a clear goal in mind: “I don’t want to finish last,” he says, beaming. After the first running lap, the kids have to bike 10 kilometers. The fastest kids reach the transition zone after 20 minutes. A moment later, it’s time for Loek and Fien to dash too: take off their helmets, round the corner, and then run across the gray mat that records the start time for the final leg—another 2.5 kilometers of running.
Blue-green algae in the Eem: “That’s a first”
Meanwhile, the first adult athletes are trickling in with their bikes. Without the swimming portion, there are indeed fewer participants at the start, says organizer Henk Oosterhof. “There are a number of participants who say that swimming is actually their strongest event. And they’ve withdrawn.” The triathlon has become a duathlon, but we’re still glad it can go ahead this way. There were also some people who still wanted to sign up, precisely because the swimming portion was canceled—that was quite striking. This is the very first time blue-green algae has been found in the Eem; it was simply too dry and there was hardly any wind. So it’s a shame, but I’m afraid we’ll be seeing this happen more often.”
Crossing the Finish Line Together
After falling slightly behind, Fien can be seen catching up to her brother just before the finish line; they run onto the Eemplein together. Sweaty and panting, they dive into the bananas and drinks. “It was really, really tough,” Fien beams, “but also really, really fun!” Loek is also smiling from ear to ear. “Now I’m going to drink Coke, because I’m never allowed to otherwise.”
A total of 960 people ran and cycled in this triathlon. They competed in various categories, ranging from the youth division to the Olympic triathlon (43 km cycling and 10 km running), followed later in the afternoon by the recreational division (22 km cycling and 5 km running).
Despite the restrictions, the organizers look back on a successful event: “Everything went well and it was a lot of fun, even without the swimming portion. The heat was tough for many participants, but in the end, I saw everyone go home with a tired but satisfied smile,” says Sander Teeuwisse of the organizing committee.
