The organisers of the Wiggle Dragon Ride, Etape Cymru and the Cycletta series Participate Sport have unveiled their latest event - a three-day multi-sport festival.
Billed as the Glastonbury of mass participation sport, The Festival of Sport Cornwall will be held from 14-16 September in Mount’s Bay and include sportives, triathlons, beach running and open water swimming. The sportive will include 100km (£35) and 150km (£39) distances and staples such as feed stations, timing, mechanical support and medals. The rides, along with the Cornwall edition of the women only Cycletta series, will take place on the Saturday morning (15 September) and take in coastal roads through Lands End, Cape Cornwall and Penzance. Either entry gives you access to beach sports and a festival ground pass (normally £20).
On the triathlon front, there are three distances - Middle (£175), Olympic (£95) and Sprint (£79) - all taking place on the Sunday morning. You can also team up and split the legs between two or three people, with prices rising to £250, £175 and £150 respectively. Again, entry will give you access to the festival.
Festival goers can expect live music and entertainment, food from Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts catering company and beer from local brewery St Austell’s. As with most festivals, accommodation will be in the form of tents, with shower facilities provided. Other highlights include former professional athletes on hand to share their sporting experiences in a series of seminars.
Nick Rusling, CEO of Participate Sport, told BikeRadar that the Festival of Sport was an opportunity for people to satisfy their appetite for more than one sporting challenge in a relaxing, social atmosphere in the stunning surrounds of West Cornwall and St Michael’s Mount.
As the man who oversaw the creation of the Etapes Caledonia and Hibernia during his time as managing director of IMG's mass participation sports division, he’s aware that people entering sportives also had interests in other endurance events.
"It's a chance for newcomers to try out a sport for the first time and for experienced cyclists, triathletes and runners to take part in a world class event in an enjoyable end-of-season challenge in a magnificent part of the country", he said.
As the events don't overlap, festival goers will be able to try out as many as they're capable of. Early indications suggest this is what is happening, with a number of sportive entrants also signing up to the triathlon, as solo competitors or as part of a team. Rusling is hoping to attract around 3,000 people to compete across the weekend and up to 6,000 to the festival as a whole. For more information, visit the event website.
