April 24, 2014
Media Advisory -- Triathlon, regatta on Saturday
Reporters, photographers and camera crews are welcome to attend two popular long-running events at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Saturday, April 26.
The 31st annual Doc Spackman Memorial Triathlon and the 41st annual Great Cardboard Boat Regatta will offer excitement for participants and spectators. Both events will take place rain or shine, and admission is free for spectators. The events are family friendly and alcohol-free.
The triathlon, which begins at 8 a.m., consists of a 385-yard swim, five-mile bike ride and two-mile run that starts at the campus boat dock. The triathlon honors the late Robert “Doc” Spackman, a longtime SIU athletics trainer and nationally known physical fitness expert.
After the triathlon, the Great Cardboard Boat Regatta races start at 1 p.m. Registration begins at 10 a.m. at the campus lake boat dock. The event began as a freshman art and design class project by Richard Archer. Through the years the event has drawn more than 4,000 competitors and more than 2,000 schools and organizations around the world have staged their own versions of the regatta.
Additional information on both the triathlon and boat regatta is available here.