FAIRMONT – Athletes across Minnesota and Iowa are gearing up for the Fairmont Triathlon, people of all ages are savoring the chance to have fun in a 5K Bacon Fun Run/Walk and whether it’s to compete or just have fun, kids are also ready for Marty’s Youth Triathlon.

The Friday evening youth triathlon is entering its seventh year, after last year’s event was canceled due to dangerous heat for exertion, while the adult triathlon and fun run on Saturday morning are in their 19th years.

Currently, 85 kids are signed up for the youth triathlon, 60 participants signed up for the 5K fun run and 70 adults signed up for the full triathlon. Fairmont Triathlon Committee President Amanda Forstrom said the last few years they have seen overall participation numbers increase.

“We’re getting a good turnout,” she said. “The people who sign up, they’re from all over Minnesota, not just south central Minnesota. We get some people coming over from the Sioux Falls area, some parts of western Wisconsin and then several from Iowa.”

With this increase in registrations, Forstrom said it is exciting to get more and more eyes on Fairmont, while keeping the focus of the event on the participants.

“We create a safe, positive experience where kids and adults can challenge themselves, build confidence and have fun,” Committee Vice President Katy Pierce said. “We want participants across the finish line feeling proud of what they’ve accomplished and excited to come back next year. I think that just keeps on growing every year.”

The youth triathlon is Friday at the Aquatic Park, starting at 5:15. Having this event first, Pierce said it allows a little more time for people to sign up ahead of time, as online registration closes today, on Wednesday.

“That gives us time to bring things over to help to keep setting up for the adult race on Friday night, and then we finish up early Saturday morning for the race, so we make it work,” she said.

Swimming, the first portion of the triathlon, is a quarter-mile-long stretch. Either Budd or Hall Lake will be used, depending on the wind direction, so swimmers do not have to face the wind as they are coming back.

The bike section of the triathlon will be a 20k, or 12.4 miles. It will head out the opposite way on Lair Road, with a right onto County Road 39, a left onto Woodland Avenue, a left onto County Road 37 and then a volunteer will be placed to signal where riders should turn around and follow the same route to get back.

Both the triathlon and fun run will use the same run map, going from Gomsrud Park on Lair Road to Belle Vue, Prairie Ave, Cardinal Street, a left through the high school parking lot to make it to Johnson Street, a left on the other side of Prairie, a right to enter the trails by the Aquatic Park and then entering on Albion Avenue to make it back to Gomsrud Park.

For Marty’s Youth Triathlon, it is divided into three sections. For kids ages 5 through 8, they will have a one-mile bike, quarter-mile run, and swim one length of the pool. The pool length is the same for ages 9 to 11, but it is a two-mile bike ride and half-mile run. Finally, ages 12-15 have a 2.8-mile bike ride, one-mile run and swim the length of the pool twice.

The Fairmont Triathlon starts at 8:30 a.m., with the 5K Fun Run starting adjacent to it at 9 a.m. New changes this year include a dancing foam party after the kids’ triathlon, bacon handed out to 5K participants courtesy of Project 1590 and a costume contest if enough fun run participants show up in costumes.

For more information or to register, visit fairmonttriathlon.org