This weekend see’s the much anticipated Aberfeldy Multi Sports festival with athletes from across the country descending on Aberfeldy to exhibit their skills in the triathlon.
Some 700 participants are expected to take part in this weekend’s event, but Race Director Richard Pearson emphasised the organisations awareness on keeping the community safe and putting in place safety measures in light of COVID restrictions.
Mr Pearson said:
“From a community point of view, we are very mindful that we are bringing a number of people into the community, we’re creating a crowd if you like in the community and that some people feel very aware of that.
“It’s a very sensitive issue. We have been mindful of that and put in those mitigations to ensure the community feels safe as well when these athletes arrive.
“There will be disruptions, there will be delays, we do have athletes on the roads but we are putting in measures where we can to reduce that level of impact on the community with traffic management schemes in place. We made sure there was advance warning of the event so local residents can plan ahead. We make sure that on race day itself the courses are very well marked, warning other road users that there are going to be athletes on the road.
“I can’t say that the community won’t be impacted by it.
“What we try to do was communicate with those communities and those people and say ‘these are the times you’re going to be impacted on, plan ahead’.
Households in the area have been issued a letter from Richard Pearson at Aberfeldy Multi Sport Festival setting out times and locations of any road disruptions this weekend, stating:
“There are no road closures but there will be some traffic management systems you should be aware of.
“Access to Taybridge Drive off Kenmore Road on Sunday 22nd August will be closed from 09:00 untill 14:00 but you can access and egress your property off Taybridge Road. A traffic control system will be in operation to manage traffic in the Kenmore Road area and the Wades Bridge Area.
“There will be ‘No Waiting’ installed on both sides of the full length of Taybridge Drive from midnight on Saturday 21st until 15:00 on Sunday 22nd August. Please can we ask you to park vehicles off the street during this time.
“You should be aware that there will be Athletes on the road in the surrounding area from 09:30 untill 15:00. We appreciate that these may cause disruption and some delays to your journey but please be patient and plan ahead.
“You can view all the routes on our website at www.aberfeldytriathlon.com and if you require any further information, please don’t hesitate to give me a call and very happy to chat this through with you.”
For those looking to spectate this weekend and cheer on the visiting athletes, Richard shared some key points that will make for excellent memories and photo opportunities.
Richard said:
“The swim start is always a spectacular one, particularly with the backdrop of the Ben Lawers when you’re looking up the loch it’s just stunning.
“The finish line is in Aberfeldy and to see these Athletes from the preparation they’ve put in to achieve their goals and when they go over the line to see the satisfaction in achieving those goals is fantastic to see.”
Participants and attendees are encouraged to use the hashtag #AMSF2021 to share their experience and share images of the event.
Full information on the event can be found at www.aberfeldytriathlon.com