The Cortez Burst Triathlon is set to return for its seventh running on the Fourth of July.
The event was started in 2010 by Friends of Recreation for a Healthy Community in order to raise money to provide scholarships for memberships to the Cortez Recreation Center for income-qualifying individuals and families.
“We tried to come up with a way to do a healthy event that raised money,” explained Friends of Recreation for a Healthy Community president Rayna Hale. “So we came up with the first Cortez Burst Triathlon, and every dime that we get from it goes back to the scholarship fund which we disperse throughout the year.”
Race director Sensa Wolcott, who also coordinated the Pueblo to Pueblo Run & Bike Event, said that the event has grown to consistently bring in over 100 entries per year.
And new this year, the race is part of the Southwest Colorado Triathlon Series.
The series consists of four triathlons in four months, beginning in Cortez and then featuring races in Durango, Gunnison and Montrose.
“We’re hoping that 20 years from now, the Cortez Burst is going to be bigger and bigger and something that everybody looks forward to on the Fourth of July,” said Hale.
The event begins at the Cortez Municipal Swimming Pool and features multiple divisions for adults and kids.
The cost for the adult recreational sprint race is $50 per individual or $100 per team, and there is an adult competitive division that is $65 per individual.
For kids, it is $10 for 4-5 year olds, and $20 per individual or $40 per team for kids 6-10 and 11-14.
There will be a pre-race orientation at the pool on Sunday, July 3 at 6 p.m. and the races begin on Monday morning.
For more information or to register, visit: www.corteztri.com. Race day registration is available, but there is an increased fee.