After being postponed a week because of recent heavy rains, the 4th Annual Tryakathon at Gunn Park was almost delayed again because of wet conditions on the trails. But the night before the Saturday event, organizer Frank Halsey decided it was safe for the participants and the event continued.
“It’s been hectic,” Halsey said of the planning over the last couple weeks, which forced organizers to keep a close eye on the trail and river conditions.
Participants had to face muddy trails as well as a tree downed in the river, but individual competitors and teams still came out to compete in the event that covered 4 miles of running, 2.5 miles of kayaking and 6.5 miles of bike trails.
Because the event was delayed a week, the event lost some participants as well as gained some, but overall the numbers remained lower than previous years because of the conditions. Halsey said there was still a larger number of competitors than they expected.
Local volunteers such as from Fort Scott Community College also helped put on the event.
