Rain Cancels Triathlon Swim Portion

Update, Friday 9:26 a.m.: The swim portion of Sunday's Reston Triathlon has now been canceled.

"The triathlon board has determined, in the interest of participant safety, to cancel the swim portion of the triathlon," says Reston Association Parks and Recreation Director Larry Butler. 

"After being out at the lakes and dams all afternoon and into the evening, and checking Lake Audubon this morning, there is a considerable amount of turbidity and debris in the lake.  Water quality is also compromised.

The triathlon board will meet Saturday morning to determine how to run the race as a duathlon. The course will likely start at South Lakes High School, race director Bunny Bonnes said.

Original story: When the begins Sunday, there will be a few new additions to ensure the safety of participants.

The triathlon actually has had a very good safety record over the years, but after a triathlon organizers and police decided to make some changes, race director Bunny Bonnes says.

Three hundred additional traffic cones have been ordered, and more cones will be placed on Ridge Heights Road to make the turn into Seahawk Drive safer for cyclists.

There will also be additional bike marshalls, said Bonnes.

In the swim portion at Lake Audubon, there will be more boats on the water monitoring white cap swimmers. The swimmers in white caps are new to open-water racing.

Last year, rain during the triathlon caused problems at the transitions and on the slick bike course. This year, the heavy rain all week might have an effect. More than six inches of rain fell in Reston on Thursday - and that was the third rainy day in a row.

Two years ago, the swim portion of the race was actually cancelled because heavy rains that week had made swimming in Lake Audubon downright dangerous.

"Two years ago, there were logs and baby carriages floating in the water," said Bonnes. "After Hurricane Irene [two weeks ago] we were down at the lake and it was pristine, clean and there was not anything floating."

Monitoring lake conditions is an ongoing task.

"The board will get together and decide whether it is unsafe to swim in the lake," said Bonnes. "If necessary, we would cancel the swim and the race will be a duathlon. We would probably make that decision Saturday afternoon."

Reston Association Parks and Recreation director Larry Butler said the stream restoration project has helped water flow.

 "I am confident the stream restoration has greatly helped this situation by greatly reducing the eroding banks that were the main cause of the turbidity in prior [to restoration] storms," Butler said in an email Thursday.

About 665 triathletes are expected to compete in the race. The one-mile swim portion begins at Lake Audubon at 7 a.m. The bike course goes 22.3 miles through Reston, followed by the 10K run. The bike/run transition and the finish line are at

The Reston Triathlon is being held the same day as the Nation's Triathlon in Washington, DC. That race has 4,000 entrants.

Want to cheer on the triathletes? Excellent race vantage points: along South Lakes Drive, Ridge Heights Road, Glade Drive, Twin Branches Road and at South Lakes High School.

Want to volunteer? The triathlon could use more bike marshalls. Go to  www.restontriathlon.org and click on the volunteer tab on the left.