Leader Staff
For the 32nd consecutive year, the Leopolis Triathlon will attract close to 150 participants on the Fourth of July.
This year’s event continues a Fourth of July tradition sponsored by the Leopolis Booster Club.
The race has three divisions: jock, beer belly and youth. Each division has various age categories for awards at the end of the race.
The majority of the competitors are local, especially in the youth and beer belly divisions, with a few Appleton-area participants joining the jock class.
The booster club receives the proceeds from the event, which is followed by a parade at 1:30 p.m. and music in the park from 2-6 p.m.
The club estimates the day will bring in roughly $2,000, which the club uses to sponsor other holiday activities throughout the year and to maintain the park’s playground.
The jocks begin at 11 a.m.; their race includes a 50-yard swim, 12-mile bike ride and 5-mile run.
The beer belly race includes a 50-yard swim, 5-mile bike ride and 2-mile run. Competitors ages 16 and younger will complete the same course as the beer belly division.
Neenah’s Mike Heidke has won the past four races in the jock division, posting a time of 1 hour, 1 minute and 21 seconds in 2016.
Brenton Steudel, of Greenville, won the beer belly race in 24:29 last year, and the top youth finisher was Shawano’s Ben Carroll, who took 27:51 to complete the course.
The Leopolis Triathlon started in 1986 as the Leopolis Iron Man with just 22 participants.