Equestrian Center in Athol to hold triathlon with horseback riding

This Saturday, the New England Equestrian Center of Athol will hold its annual triathlon, which includes running, biking and horseback riding.

This Saturday, the New England Equestrian Center of Athol will hold its annual triathlon, which includes running, biking and horseback riding. PHOTO CREDIT/DAWN LAUGHLIN

Participants in the 2022 New England Equestrian Center of Athol’s annual triathlon, which includes a running, biking and horseback riding portion. This year’s triathlon will be held on Saturday.

Participants in the 2022 New England Equestrian Center of Athol’s annual triathlon, which includes a running, biking and horseback riding portion. This year’s triathlon will be held on Saturday. PHOTO CREDIT/DAWN LAUGHLIN

By GREG VINE

For the Athol Daily News

Published: 06-20-2024 5:00 PM

ATHOL – A traditional triathlon consists of running, bicycle riding and swimming, but this weekend, the New England Equestrian Center of Athol will host one with running, biking and horseback riding.

The event gets underway at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 22. In the event of rain, it will be held on June 29. 

“This is our third year running it,” said organizer Sue Ellen Mowcomber. “We run it in cooperation with the Athol Y. Kelly Wade at the Y has been really helpful.”

Mowcomber said that participants will be organized into teams of three, with one equestrian rider, one runner and one cyclist.

“The bicycles go out first. They do a 10K route out and back. They run on quiet dirt roads around the park,” Mowcomber said. “The runners to a 5K run. And then the horseback are last, and they do a 5K within the park.”

The horses, said Mowcomber, won’t be running at a full gallop, due to safety issues that can arise.

“So, we keep it at a trot. Some of them will even walk part of it,” she said. “We even have two new entries this year that are driving, that are using horse-drawn carts. The other thing new this year, we have three participants who are doing a true triathlon and doing all three legs themselves.”

Mowcomber said she got the idea for the triathlon from a friend who had participated in a similar event that included horses.

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“He probably told me that 15 years ago and it had been fermenting in my mind for that long,” she said. “And then three years ago, I connected with Kelly at the Y and, between the two of us, we came up with the event.”

Each participant paid $30 to take part in the event and the proceeds are split between NEECA and the Athol Area YMCA. As for NEECA, the funds raised will be split amongst several priority projects.

“We are working on trail development. Linda LeBlanc, one of our board members, just developed a nature trail with signage,” Mowcomber said. “We are developing a driving facility for carts. And we have a very long-term goal of connecting our trails into a much larger system.”

Mowcomber explained that the park used by NEECA is owned by the Town of Athol and leased by the organization and open to the public. The park is open year-round, but the area isn’t plowed, though Mowcomber said a long-term goal is to do this and open and area to snow shoers, cross-country skiers and sleighs.

“It developed from a grant that was received to develop an equestrian facility,” she said, “but we like to see hikers there, we have some cyclists come through there who are respectful of the horses, and then we get horses from all over. The participants in the triathlon come from all over New England.”

The park is located at 802 New Sherborn Road in Athol. Anyone interested in becoming a member or in renting the park facilities should go to www.neeca.org.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvinadn@aol.com.