HUUB Events has teamed up with the Staunton Harold Estate to organise the first ever triathlon event there this summer.
The 2000 acre family-owned estate will host the triathlon on Sunday June 11 with competitors having the choice of two different distances.
The Super sprint will start with a 400m swim in the lake and then a 14km bike ride and 4km run through the estate. The Sprint distance course will be a 750m swim, 28km bike and 8km run. A junior event with shorter distances is also being planned.
HUUB Events Race Director Claire Duffin explained: “Having organised the highly successful Jenson Button Trust Triathlon events in Derby for the past two years and a host of other swim, bike and run events across the county, we were keen to look for a brand new venue for novice and experienced triathletes alike.
“The Staunton Harold Estate is the perfect venue with a fantastic lake, a fast cycle route and picturesque run route.
“Feedback from the triathlon community has been extremely positive with early-bird entries already coming in from far and wide and I am sure that newcomers to this, the world’s fastest growing sport, will also find this a great way to gain experience of triathlon.”
Staunton Harold Hall was formerly a hospice run by the Sue Ryder charity and was bought by the Blunt family in 2003.
The Georgian hall is now a family home with the west wing converted into managed offices and conference facilities known as Lion Court and the suite of state rooms on the east and north front available for hire for large functions and up to 12 weddings a year.
The family converted the large Georgian stable block into the Ferrers Centre for Arts and Crafts in 1974 which is now the base for 16 local businesses.
Caroline Large is the daughter of the estate owners John and Jacqueline Blunt and lives at the hall with her husband and three children.
She explained that the family were very keen to host the triathlon and thought it was the perfect event for the country estate.
“We have had occasional sporting events here in the past but nothing of this scale and we are very excited about working with HUUB Events to stage our very first triathlon.
“The Staunton Harold Estate is a hidden gem at the gateway to the National Forest with a fantastic network of cycle and walking paths which attract thousands of visitors every year so it definitely has the wow factor.
“Hosting this triathlon will give participants access to parts of the estate that they would not normally have and will certainly be the first time that we have had people swimming in the lake.
“This is therefore a great opportunity to showcase the beauty of the estate and I am sure that it will encourage people back again – particularly to visit the Ferrers Centre or to view the business accommodation and function facilities at the Hall and Lion Court.”
Entries are now open for the Staunton Harold Triathlon on Sunday June 11 with online registration and more information available at www.huubevents.com