Julie McCombs
CPW Commissioners heard a request for a half triathlon suggesting Lake Robinson as the venue.
The proposed ½-triathlon (nearly 70 miles) will comprise of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run. Jerry Davis, the event’s organizer suggested Oct. 11, 2014 become the date of the competition, one day before the annual Friends of Lake Robinson celebration.
Davis told commissioners he would link the event with non-profits Friends of Lake Robinson and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and said it would also bring economic impact into the city of Greer. “With a 400-500 (person) event and people spending a couple of days here and the possibility being the last event of the triathlon series I see the possibility of about a $1 million economic impact.”
Commissioner Eugene Gibson asked Davis his idea of setting up the 1.2-mile swim at the lake. “Generally you start and finish in the same location,” Davis said. “We can do a triangular course just under .6 miles and come back .6 miles and if that’s not possible you could do two loops, come out of the water and go back in. That adds to the visibility.”
Commissioner Perry Williams asked Davis what was expected of CPW’s interaction with the event.
“We are pretty much a dirt to dirt (operation). We do everything to make it look like it did before it started. And we handle everything between,” Davis said. “The question would become ownership of the event. Depending on your regulations and your policies that set up the events, is it allowed to own the event? I don’t know how that looks with the public standpoint . . .”
Williams responded, “They do the same thing downtown with the Family Festival. An outside group runs all that.”
Davis said he is pushing for the event to get approved before Dec. 1 since that is the date open registration begins. Gibson said he will seek legal advice before offering a decision.