So why a short sprint and a long sprint?

The standard sprint distances are: ½ mile swim (750 M), 12.4 mile bike (20 Km) and 3.1 mile run (5K). I wanted to design a course that will not be intimidating to new and inexperienced triathletes, yet will still provide a challenge; thus the short sprint. Hopefully, this will encourage participation and help grow the sport. My desire to have the simplest, safest and least hilly bike route dictated the 8.3 mile bike course. Long, open water swims scare a lot of prospective triathletes, so the shorter ¼ mile swim should be less daunting. The 2 mile rail trail run is very manageable. The long sprint is twice as long as the short sprint (not as long as an Olympic distance triathlon) and will be an excellent and fun challenge for experienced and even inexperienced triathletes. (JR)

Will there be relays or other multi sport races?

Yes. Athletes can form three or four person relay teams to do the long sprint triathlon. On the 4 person team, 2 bikers would do one lap each. The current plan is to also have an aquathon (swim and run, no bike).