Above, the entrance to the 2021 Opechee Park event.
On August 22, 2021, the event returned to the NH Lakes Region area after a 5-year hiatus. The home base of the event was shifted to Laconia’s Opechee Park. The swimming portion of the Triathlon was held in Lake Opechee, and the running and biking portions also departed from there. The event was held a second time on September 18, 2022, then discontinued.
During its two-year revival, the event was known officially as the “Ironman 70.3 Timberman“, but still referred to locally as the “Timberman Triathalon”. The last, pre-hiatus event was held in 2016, when nearly 3500 athletes attended the two main events of the 17th annual Timberman, all starting from Ellacoya State Park in nearby Gilford, about 7 miles from Weirs Beach.
On Saturday, August 20th, 2016, a short, 18.4 mile “sprint” triathalon, consisting of a 0.3 mile swim, a 15 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run, was held, attracting about 1400 athletes.
On Sunday, August 21st, 2016, the main event was held, a 70.3 mile, “half-ironman” triathalon, featuring a 1.2 mile swim in Lake Winnipesaukee, a 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run, Nearly 2000 athletes competed in this event, which was an official qualifier for the Ironman World Championships.
Although the Timberman was created and developed locally, the event was sold to the World Triathalon Corporation. It was one of 180 Ironman events held in over 20 countries.
