The Cleveland Triathlon hopes it has found a solution to its in-water start with a barge provided by Great Lakes Shipyard.
View full sizeCleveland's North Coast Harbor is nice to look at, but it's a tough place start a triathlon.CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland's North Coast Harbor offers picturesque views of Lake Erie's endless horizon of water with the architecturally unique Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along the coast. It's lovely.
But it's a lousy place to start a triathlon.
There's no beach. There's no dock large enough to accommodate hundreds of participants. And for years, the Cleveland Triathlon has struggled to find the best way for triathletes to begin the race.
This year, organizers hope they have found an answer in a partnership with Great Lakes Shipyard, which will provide a barge for athletes to jump into the lake for the open-water starting line. The barge has ladders welded to the side for swimmers to climb out of at the end of the swim leg of the race.
The barge comes after 24 years of experimentation with different forms of a start line. In the past, the Cleveland Triathlon used Naval Reserve landing crafts in the harbor, with cargo nets tied to the bottom of the surface for swimmers to use as ladders.
When the landing crafts were moved out of the harbor, the triathlon tried floating docks and jet ski in-water docks tied together. Neither option provided a stable surface for the athletes to cross from water to shore.
Racing for a cause: When the Cleveland Triathlon became the official charity of United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland four years ago, it had no idea the partnership would turn into this: About 400 United Cerebral Palsy members are expected to participate in Sunday's race in an effort to raise money and awareness of the disease.
Participation has increased each year Cleveland's cerebral palsy unit has partnered with the Cleveland Triathlon. Last year, about 240 people participated and raised about $150,000. The organization hopes to crack $200,000 this year.
"It's a very emotional day," said Cleveland Triathlon organizing president Jack Caress. "It's a great day and a great partnership with us."
Traffic closed: The bike portion of the Cleveland Triathlon travels down Memorial Shoreway, from East Ninth Street to West Boulevard, which will force it to be closed during the race.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jvalade@plaind.com, 216-999-4654