How to enter and everything you need to know as Steve Cram brings first triathlon events to Newcastle and Gateshead this summer

Cintra TRY on the Tyne will return to Newcastle and Gateshead on Saturday, August 22 to Sunday, August 23 with two triathlons in the heart of the city.

The festival which saw its successful debut in 2019 will see two days of city centre-based mass participation races.

This year it is being expanded to include ‘super sprint’ and ‘sprint’ triathlons on Saturday, August 22. The super sprint triathlon involves a 400m swim, followed by a 10k bike section and then a 3k run, while the distances in a sprint triathlon are 750m, 20k and 5k.

The swims will take place in Leazes Park Lake, with competitors jumping on their bikes to ride a section on closed roads in the city, before completing their triathlon on the quayside with a run along the banks of the Tyne.

Alongside the triathlons on August 22, the TRY on the Tyne sprint duathlon (5k run, 20k bike and 3k run) will return, as well as 5k and 10k runs, a junior duathlon and a junior run, with all races except the triathlons having a mass start at Baltic Square in Gateshead and finishing on the Newcastle Quayside.

On August 23 TRY on the Tyne will bring Paula’s Families on Track concept to Newcastle’s Leazes Park where family teams work together to complete a 10K relay in laps of either 1,000m, 500m or 250m.

TRY on the Tyne is being organised by Steve Cram’s events company Events of the North, in partnership with Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council. Race founder Steve Cram commented: “We stated last year that our longer term aim was to add a triathlon to the TRY on the Tyne programme, so I am delighted that we can do that. Using Leazes Park Lake allows us to show off even more of the iconic landmarks on Tyneside and we’ve created a really attractive city centre route that’s going to be great for participants and spectators alike. The shorter triathlon distances lend themselves to exciting races and should appeal to experienced athletes and beginners alike.”

Many participants are expected to use the events to raise money for good causes, including the official charity partner, Newcastle-based children’s charity COCO (Comrades of Children Overseas).

Councillor Angela Douglas, Gateshead Council's member for culture, sport and leisure, said: “We're delighted to see the return of TRY on the Tyne this year and look forward to welcoming even more competitors to Gateshead. With the addition of two new triathlons the event is set to be even bigger for 2020.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for participants to take in some of Gateshead’s most iconic sights, including Gateshead Millennium Bridge, as they race along the banks of the Tyne.”

Places on the TRY on the Tyne sprint triathlon cost £50 for affiliated athletes and £54 for unaffiliated athletes, and the prices for the super sprint event are £45 and £49. To enter and for details of all races visit: www.tryonthetyne.com.