Seasoned athletes and newcomers alike are being invited to take part in Trowbridge’s first ever Triathlon event on Sunday July 26, sponsored by the Wiltshire Times.

The event is being organised by Will Whitmore, and his company DB Max Events based at the town’s sports centre, who explained how the race will have particular local significance for him.

“I grew up in Trowbridge and live back in the area now,” said the 38-year-old former Clarendon School pupil..

“I’ve got a lot of mates who expressed an interest and I thought it was about time we had an event like this in the area.

“I do take part in triathlons and duathlons myself but don’t think I’ll be able to do this one as I’ll be too busy organising.”

The main triathlon will be a pool-based sprint distance event with a 400m swim (16 lengths), a 25k bike (a scenic countrified route around the area) and a flat 5k run to finish. Any road-worthy bicycle is suitable for the event.

There will also be a tristar aquathlon for children to take part in on the day in an effort to make it an event for all the family.

The youngsters’ event will involve a swim followed by a run around Clarendon School’s fields with different distances for various age groups.

While seasoned triathletes from the area such as Ben Lang and Alex Booth are expected to compete, there will also be a team-based event for those who the find the prospect of a full circuit daunting.

“We’re trying to encourage newcomers,” said Whitmore.

“If you haven’t done one before but want to take part then you can get a group of friends together and have one do the swimming, one do the bike and another finish with the run.

“That would be a good little introduction to the sport for anyone who is curious to see what goes on during the day.”

With a little over nine weeks to go until the event, there is still time to register and attract sponsorship for the event’s official charity, the Trowbridge Lions.

“They do a lot of work in the area so who better to show our support for,” said Whitmore.

For more details about taking part visit dbmax.co.uk.