If you subscribe to the old adage that anything worth doing is worth over doing, you’ll agree with us that multisport events are always better than those based on just one sport. Why limit yourself to only the bike when you can sandwich your ride in between a swim and a run? Colorado has become the epicenter of multisport in recent years, with multiple events every weekend in the summer, so we’ve taken the liberty of paring them down to the best organized, most fun and most memorable.
Boulder Peak Triathlon
July 11 • Boulder
Epic scenery abounds at this Olympic distance tri that starts and ends at the Boulder Reservoir. Named after the sick climb up Olde Stage Hill on the bike portion, the Peak laughs in the face of fast, flat bike splits. Olde Stage is not the type of terrain you can crush with aero bars and an 11-23 cassette. Which makes it all the more irresistible to try.
bouldertriseries.com
Tri-It-High Triathlon/Duathlon
July 18 • Leadville
Held at 10,200 feet, this is the highest Sprint distance multisport event in the country. Don’t let the fact that it’s a pool swim deter you, as there is nothing amateurish about this race — from the latest chip-timing technology to hefty swag bags to breathtaking (literally) bike and run courses at the base of Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive.
lakecountyco.com/recreation/node/183
My Way or the Tri Way
July 24 • Aurora
This race goes way outside the multisport box by letting you choose two or three disciplines, and completing them in any order. The distances are short, similar to a Sprint, which makes this a popular event for newbies, as well as control freaks. The start goes off without a hitch, even though the swimmers, cyclists and runners all go at the same time. Now that’s what we call well-organized chaos.
racingunderground.com/mywaytriway
Tri for the Cure
August 1 • Aurora
Now in it’s seventh year in Denver, the Tri for the Cure is responsible for introducing more women to multisport racing than any other event in the country. Done as a Sprint distance at the Cherry Creek State Park, this is a women’s only triathlon benefitting the Denver Metropolitan Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Don’t worry guys, you can always volunteer.
triforthecure-denver.com
Ironman 70.3 Boulder
August 8 • Boulder
Yes, Ironman has finally come to the Rocky Mountain region. The 70.3 course (commonly referred to as a half Ironman distance) was sold to Ironman by local promoters Barry and Jodee Siff of 5430 Sports last year. Expect the same fantastic course at the Boulder Reservoir, including a screaming fast St. Vrain bike loop, but with a bit more pomp and circumstance.
ironmanboulder.com
Oyster Urban Adventure Race
August 21 • Denver
Be ready to solve clues, run, bike, climb, jump, shoot, swim and paddle. Last year’s race was pretty heavy on the running, with two biking portions, and a whole lot of surprises including running 14-flights of stairs, charging down a slip n slide, lugging 5-gallon water jugs across a parking lot, and identifying Deschutes Brewery beers (fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, that was the last task).
oysterracingseries.com
Steamboat Springs Triathlon
August 29 • Steamboat Springs
We’re always on the lookout for excuses to head to Steamboat for long weekends in the summer, and this tri makes it a no-brainer. Held at Lake Catamount, the course is blindingly beautiful. The distance isn’t quite long enough to be Olympic, but not quite short enough to be a Sprint, which feels like the perfect length for late summer.
steamboattriathlon.com
GORE-TEX TRANSROCKIES RUN
August 22-27
The TransRockies Run isn’t multisport, but it is multiday, and such a quintessential Colorado event, that we couldn’t let this Calendar go to print without mentioning it. Imagine running in pairs from Buena Vista to Leadville to Beaver Creek, through the heart of the White River and San Isabel National Forests, covering 113 miles in six days in a point-to-point format. Once you’ve reached the stopping point for the day, its time to kick back in the “tent city” that’s torn down and rebuilt daily by the event staff. Here you’ll find your belongings and sleeping gear, hot showers, hearty food and drink, and some of the coolest people you’ve ever met.
transrockies.com
