Race Previews

SD's Premier Tri....

Thursday, 05 May 2016 00:10

ED. A few days ago we got this email from Hannah Merritt promoting an awesome triathlon in eastern South Dakota, which was won in 2015 by Minnesotans Bridget McCoy (photo center) and David Thompson.

Hi MTN Guys, 

Happy Wednesday! I hope this email finds you well. 

My name is Hannah, and I am the Director of Marketing for the Outland Challenge Triathlon in Gary, SD. A good friend and long time supporter of our race, Kevin O’Connor from Gear West Bike & Tri, provided me with your contact information. I’m reaching out to you in regards to advertising our event with....

Minnesotatrinews.com. Since our race’s conception, our marketing and promotional efforts have been largely focused in South Dakota. In an effort to drive our registration numbers, we are looking to expand our efforts to the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota. 

 

You may be asking yourself: why would anyone from the cities make the three hour drive out to Gary, SD for a race? In a nutshell, we were voted South Dakota’s Premier Triathlon by South Dakota Triathlon Association members. With good reason, too. Here are some of the highlights of our race:

• Gary, SD is located 170 miles west of the Twin Cities on Highway 212. Gary is considered the “Gate Way City” to South Dakota as it sits on the southwest Minnesota/South Dakota border. 
• This year’s race is happening on July 16, 2016
• 2016 marks the sixth annual Outland Challenge
• We are a USAT and SDTA sanctioned event. We’re the only USAT sanctioned event in eastern South Dakota. 
• We’ve got sprint, olympic and team races
• Our venue is world class! The race takes place six miles outside of Gary in the Lake Cochrane Recreation Area and State Park. Lake Cochrane is spring fed making it one of South Dakota’s cleanest lakes. 
• Think South Dakota is nothing but flat prairie? Think again! Lake Cochrane is nestled in the rolling hills of the Coteau des Prairies which makes the bike and run course a beautiful yet challenging ride. You won’t find a more hilly course in the cities! Check out the links below to view our course elevation graphs:
  • Sprint Course Elevation Map
  • Olympic Course Elevation Map
• With a $2,500 prize purse, we have the highest cash prize payout of any race in the state of South Dakota!
• Every year, an average of 80 energetic and safety oriented volunteers help make our event possible. Thanks to their high enthusiasm, our race is the perfect event for everyone from first time triathletes to the seasoned professional. In fact, DKT and Bridget McCoy from Gear West are two professionals who frequent our race. 
• We are a non-profit event. A portion of the race proceeds are donated to a local charity in order to promote the sport as well as healthy living in our community. This years beneficiary is Canby4Kids, a non-profit that organizes fun activities for kids of all ages in the Canby, MN area. 

We know we’ve got a world class event, and we’d like to share with the Twin Cities/MN triathlon community! Our challenge is convincing others in Twin Cities/MN area to make the trip west and “tri” the OC for themselves. We feel confidently that partnering with Minnesotatrinews.com would help bring our race to the next level and also put South Dakota on the map for the sport....

 

To learn more about our race, I encourage you to check out this video that was produced by Olympian Carrie Tollefson. 

 

Also, feel free to check us out on our website (link is located above) and on Facebook.  

Thank you in advance for your help. I’m looking forward to your reply! 

Best Regards, 

Hannah Merritt

 

ED. Hannah, we are very aware of your event and have heard great things about it. SDTriNews.com, a great site, calls it South Dakota's best tri. We encourage Minnesota athletes to join David Thompson, Bridget McCoy and others from our state who have raced there, to check it out.