PERRYSVILLE, Ohio — Shannon Kurek can’t wait to get back to where it all began.
A Madison graduate and the founder of HFP Racing, Kurek will stage the second Mohican Endurance Challenge on Sunday at Pleasant Hill Lake Park. The multi-sport event features varying duathlon (run/bike/run) and triathlon (swim/bike/run) distances.
A former wrestler who was introduced to multi-sport in the late 1980s, Kurek organized his first triathlon, the Mid-Ohio Heart Clinic Challenge, at Pleasant Hill in 1989.
“We created a race at Pleasant Hill 26 years ago,” Kurek said. “It’s cool to have the same venue. A buddy and I were up there a couple weeks ago training and there were a lot of memories that came back while we were riding around. A lot of things haven’t changed.
“We’re going to use some of the same routes that made that event epic back in the day.”
That first triathlon drew about 350 competitors. Last year’s Mohican Endurance Challenge, which started and finished at the Mohican State Park Lodge and Conference Center, attracted more than 400 participants from seven states and Kurek is expecting a similar number this weekend.
“We’re at 300 now, but we’ll probably be back up around 400 by the end of the week,” Kurek said. “We’ll have a dozen states represented.
“When you advertise it as being as hard as it is, you know you’re going to attract a veteran-type athlete that will travel for a really challenging experience.”
The event will feature mini, sprint, Olympic and half duathlons and triathlons. Half-triathlon participants will start with a 1.2 mile swim at Pleasant Hill, followed by a 56 mile bike ride through the rolling hills of southern Ashland and Richland counties, and conclude with a 13.1 mile run around Pleasant Hill Lake Park.
“When you stage an event like this in and around Mohican, that can scare a few people away,” Kurek said. “And that’s fine. We give away a belt buckle (to finishers) and it is earned. We want the Mohican Endurance Festival belt buckle to be coveted regardless of the distance.”
