BETHEL – The Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce will host its 22nd annual Maine State Triathlon at 8 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 11, at the Bethel Inn Lakehouse.

Proceeds will benefit the Bethel community.

“We do this not for our own health but for the health of our community,” said Julia Reuter of the Bethel Chamber of Commerce. “It may not sound as sexy as bigger charities, like the American Lung Association or the American Cancer Society, but it’s just as important.”

The triathlon is considered a “sprint triathlon,” according to Reuter, which means it is shorter and faster than Ironman triathlons.

The course will begin at Songo Pond, where competitors will swim in a 750-meter clockwise loop before running across the street to the bike racks. The bike leg is a 24-kilometer route, starting and ending at the Bethel Inn Lakehouse.

The final leg is a 5.8-kilometer run on paved and dirt roads around Songo Pond, ending at the Lakehouse.

Reuter said there will be a singles division, an aquabike division for those competitors who do not wish to participate in the run-leg of the triathlon, and a team division.

“This is just a friendly little place to come and compete,” Reuter said. “It’s not like the  kind of competition where you’re going head-to-head and it’s really intense. It’s a friendly competition.”

She thanked residents Mac and Nancy Davis for allowing the chamber to set up triathlon-related material on their lawn.

On Saturday, Aug. 10, the 6th annual Maine State Kids’ Triathlon will be held for children ages 8 to 14 at Angevine Park. It will begin at 3 p.m. and will be untimed.

“If the kids want to know how fast they go, they’ll have to check their own watch,” Reuter said. “Every kid will be getting a T-shirt and an award for participating.”

Reuter said the idea for the kids triathlon came about as an attempt to get families to visit Bethel.

The swim leg of the triathlon is being sponsored in honor of Denny Brun, a former Florida school teacher who died of cancer. He owned a camp in Bethel and was always there to watch the Maine State Triathlon, Reuter said.

Fifty-five volunteers will be assisting in the triathlon.

The presenting sponsor of the Maine State Triathlon is Oxford Networks. Other sponsors include Dasani Water, Norway Savings Bank, Honest Tea, Bethel Bicycle, River View Resort, The Bethel Inn Resort, Mt. Abram, Great Glen Trails, Bethel Nordic Ski Center, True North Adventureware and Elements Art Gallery.

For more information, call the chamber at 824-2282.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com