Rotary Club of Katy Triathlon set for Sept. 4

By George Slaughter, News Editor
Posted 8/18/22

The Rotary Club of Katy Triathlon is set for Sept. 4 at 2100 Cane Island Pkwy. And, as in years past, the triathlon provides a chance for people to master a physical challenge, but also to raise money for scholarships benefiting Katy ISD students.

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Rotary Club of Katy Triathlon set for Sept. 4

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The Rotary Club of Katy Triathlon is set for Sept. 4 at 2100 Cane Island Pkwy. And, as in years past, the triathlon provides a chance for people to master a physical challenge, but also to raise money for scholarships benefiting Katy ISD students.

Paul Kurt, triathlon co-chair, said about 400 people have registered to participate. Registrations remain open and he expressed confidence that the event would have about 500 registrants, the capacity, by the time the starting gun gets fired between 6:45-7 a.m. He said this is the third year the triathlon has been in Cane Island.

The triathlon actually features three events:

  • A triathlon, consisting of a 500-meter open water swim, 13-mile bike ride, and three-mile run.
  • A duathlon, consisting of a two-mile run, 13-mile bike ride a three-mile run.
  • Aqua bike, consisting of a 500-meter open water swim and 12-mile bike ride.

An after-the-event party is planned for after the race, featuring a DJ, food, beverages and awards to event winners.

Kurt said the triathlon expects to be upgraded to what he called “Olympic-caliber” next year. This means the swim would be lengthened to one meter, the bike ride would be lengthened to 45-50 miles, and the run would become a half marathon of 13 miles.

Kurt said he’s been involved with the triathlon for 29 years—since its beginning. One thing he has seen is that different people need different amounts of time to train to participate in the triathlon. His wife Christina participated in her first marathon three or four years ago. Paul said she trained for about a month. On the day before the triathlon, he said, she went to Lake Houston and ran and swam the distances. He said she wanted to know she could finish the event the next day.

She did. He said she finished second in her age category. But he’s modest about his own athletic participation.

“I’m in good shape, but I couldn’t do it right now,” Kurt said, chuckling. “The running would kill me.”

Athleticism aside, the nonprofit triathlon serves local students by raising scholarship money. Most recently, Kurt said, $106,500 was distributed.

“There are lots of businesses in Katy area, large and small, that participate in the Katy Triathlon,” Kurt said.

The triathlon welcomes additional sponsors, with different levels of sponsorship available. For more information, visit the katytriathlon.org website. Volunteers are also welcomed, and can sign up through the website.

“It’s a great event for the family,” Kurt said. “The beauty of it is you have the triathletes out there, and they bring their families to cheer them on. I’ve been involved with it for a long time. Our passion is scholarships for the kids and that’s why we do it. It’s easy to sell scholarships because it goes directly to the kids.”

Rotary Club of Katy, Katy Triathlon