The fifth annual Craig Greenfield Memorial Tri & Duathlon will be held Sun, Aug, 3 starting 7:45 a.m. at Deer Lake Beach and Depot Park.
‘We’re hoping for another good year,? said Corey Greenfield, who organized the event after her brother Craig Greenfield died from non-Hodgkins’s lymphoma in 2000. ‘Our whole goal is to help promote health and fitness and to raise as much money as we can for Leukemia and lymphoma.?
In the last four years, the memorial has raised nearly $100,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
The triathlon includes an 800-meter swim, 16-mile bike ride, and 4.5-mile run. The duathlon includes a 2-mile run, 16-mile bike ride, and 4.5 mile run.
Independence Township resident Trisha Thomas, 24, started training for the triathlon, her first, in February, and said she is both excited and nervous.
‘I actually did a run through with my personal trainer, I did the bike route and I ran four-and-a- half miles. I really thought that I wasn’t going to be able to do it, but I was able to,? she said. ‘It wasn’t as easy as I was hoping it would be, but when you’re biking 18-and-a-half miles and then running four-and-a-half , I guess that’s not supposed to be easy.?
She said the triathalon requires a lot of time and dedication. If it wasn’t for her trainer Thomas said she wouldn’t be doing the event.
‘Meeting with him has been a big help because if I wasn’t accountable to him I might not have done my workouts that would prepare me for it,? she said. ‘I also have a friend and my cousin doing it with me, which also helps, along with people from my church praying for me.?
All festivities following the event are held in Depot Park. Post-race food will be available from a variety of vendors, and a raffle with prizes will be held. The top three racers overall, and the top three in each age group, will receive awards.
Greenfield said organizers are looking for many volunteers to help out with water stops along the bike course and other needs.
To volunteer e-mail Corey Greenfield at cgreenfield@wrighthunter.com or call 248-594-5850 ext 2. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.skyegentle.com/craig/homepage.html.