STANWOOD — Powerman USA’s only West Coast competition has landed here.
The race is set for April 11. It’s a duathlon, where athletes combine running and bicycling in a test of endurance.
The running course is a loop through historic downtown Stanwood. The bicycle route takes participants out to Marine Drive and the Pioneer Highway, circling through scenic farmland before returning downtown.
The full Powerman event is a 10K run followed by a 60K bicycle race and ending with a second 10K run. Powerman Sprint, done on the same course, is half the distance.
Other local events are being planned around the race, city administrator Deborah Knight said. Options include live music, family activities and possibly a beer garden or food showcase.
“Because we have such a short time frame in this first year, we just want to pull off a well-managed event with the expectation that it will grow in the future,” she said.
The Snohomish County Tourism Promotion Area grant program, funded largely by hotels, gave Stanwood $21,700 for the event. The money covers bid fees to host Powerman and some of the city’s preparations along the course and around town. Specific road closures associated with the race will be announced soon, Knight said.
This year, the city expects a couple of hundred visitors for the duathlon. That could grow to 1,200 people or more.
“We’re getting in there and laying down the foundation for this event so people can get it on their calendars each year,” said Tammy Dunn, sports development manager with the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau. “It’s kind of hitting the ground running, but we’re feeling confident people will enjoy themselves.”
Race times at the Stanwood event could qualify people for national or international competitions. Powerman has races in Holland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and Germany. Now, Powerman is putting together events around the U.S., aiming for at least 14 annual races, four regional championships and one national championship, according to the organization’s website. The top runners and bicyclists in the nation advance to Zofingen, Switzerland, to compete with athletes from around the world.
There are other regional racing events in Snohomish County that feature running, bicycling and sometimes swimming, Dunn said. But the Powerman is one of only two international-caliber events in the county. The other is the Iron Man 70.3 triathlon in Lake Stevens, an annual race in August that draws up to 2,000 people. Monroe also hosts a triathlon for 13- to 19-year-olds that allows them to compete on a national level.
Athletes can register for the Stanwood Powerman at www.powermanusa.org. The city also is seeking volunteers to help with the duathlon, from distributing welcome packets to cleaning up after the race. People can email Amanda Slattery at amanda.slattery@ci.stanwood.wa.us to volunteer.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
