Entries open for Montgomery Canal Triathlon

Organisers, the Friends of the Montgomery Canal, have moved the popular cross-border event from its usual May slot to test if a late-summer date is more suitable, a move last made in 2021 as Covid restrictions eased.

The Montgomery Canal Triathlon is renowned as a family-friendly event, attracting participants from across Britain. This year's iteration will see some administrative simplifications by the Friends of the Montgomery Canal to ease the workload on their volunteer team. Due to ongoing restoration efforts in Shropshire, the finish line will also be at a new location.

Participants can choose to take part in one, two, or all three sections of the triathlon. The event kicks off from Newtown with a cycling leg, before transitioning to canoes near Whitehouse Bridge, Welshpool (with permission from Powis Estates).

This five-mile paddling section will take entrants through the heart of Welshpool. Canoes will then be left at Pool Quay for the final ten-mile walking section. Along the route, participants will have a unique opportunity to observe active restoration projects, including where contractors are working to create a new canalside nature reserve and construct a new highway bridge across the canal. After crossing the border into Llanymynech, entrants will also witness the significant progress being made by volunteers reinstating the canal channel.

Given the limited capacity of the canal and towpath, early booking is strongly advised. An 'early bird' reduction in entry fees is available until July 13th.

A spokesperson for the Friends of the Montgomery Canal highlighted the event's significance: “The Triathlon is the year’s biggest event on the Montgomery Canal, with families and friends joining every year, many from a long way away. Already this year we have entries from Cornwall, west Wales, London and the east Midlands."

They added, “The Triathlon highlights everything that has already been achieved as today over half the canal has been reopened. On the way participants will see where road crossings block the canal and where contractors are working to remove one of the blockages and to add another nature reserve to protect the canal’s valued flora and fauna. As they approach the finish they will see the great progress of volunteer work parties restoring a section of the canal towards the new Schoolhouse Bridge.”

The event serves a vital fundraising purpose, with proceeds contributing to the "Restore the Montgomery Canal!" appeal, directly supporting the volunteer work parties dedicated to the canal's restoration.

“The Triathlon is a great advertisement not only for the Montgomery Canal, a byway on the fringe of our national canal system, but also for the borderland of Powys and Shropshire, its market towns, countryside and wildlife. We know that a reopened canal can bring many benefits to the local community and we look forward to seeing those benefits in mid-Wales,” the spokesperson continued.

Entrants who complete any section will receive a commemorative medallion of local slate. Those who complete all three sections will receive a gold-printed medallion, silver for two sections, and bronze for one.

The Triathlon receives support from the canal owners, the Canal & River Trust, and relies on an extensive network of volunteers who marshal at locks and road crossings, the team at Llanymynech Wharf Visitor Centre, and particularly volunteers from the Welshpool Towpath Taskforce, TRAMPS, who prepare and clear event sites. The event also benefits from a Tesco Stronger Starts grant.

Booking is available online through the Friends of the Montgomery Canal website: themontgomerycanal.org.uk/friends/montgomery-canal-triathlon/.