NORWAY — The Western Foothills Land Trust will host its first biathlon on the new Nordic trails at the Roberts Farm Preserve on Sunday, Jan. 30.

The event is being held in conjunction with the Southern Maine Biathlon Club, which was formed in 2007 to promote the sport in Maine.

“The Southern Maine Biathlon Club looks for venues. When they saw this (the Roberts Farm Preserve) they thought this would be a great venue for an air biathlon. We want to support biathlon as a sport in the state of Maine,” Lee Dassler of the Western Foothills Land Trust said.

Dassler said she hopes some 30 to 50 competitors will sign up for the event.

She said the club will provide six air rifles and offer a morning biathlon clinic for participants from 10 a.m. to noon — a great opportunity for Nordic skiers to experience and enjoy a biathlon.

Dassler said after the morning training, two races will be held beginning at noon. A 2 kilometer race will be held for participants ages 10 to 18, and a 3K race for adults ages 18 and older. Online registration at www.wfltmaine.org costs $7. The registration will be $10 on the day of the race and begin at 9 a.m.

According to the Southern Maine Biathlon Club’s website at (www.somainebiathlon.com), the club was formed in 2007 to provide young athletes training opportunities in the sport. The first group of middle and high school athletes from southern Maine attended a training camp in Fort Kent in 2007 and since then membership has grown to more than 50 families. Athletes participate in year-round camps with training and shooting sessions.

Because of the event, the ski trails will be closed during the biathlon.

“We will have the ski trails closed to other people. People can snowshoe at the preserve but not ski from about noon to 2 p.m. on Jan. 30,” Dassler said.

For additional information, contact Lee Dassler at 739-2124.

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