Participants not quite ready to take on the traditional Olympic-distance race at the Squamish Triathlon will now have another option.

Squamish Triathlon organizers announced that the 16th edition of the event will include a sprint distance race, which is half the distance of the Olympic triathlon. The sprint distance covers a .75-kilometre swim, 20 km bike ride and 5 km run.

Race director John French said the shorter distance should get more people to participate in the race and attract new blood.

“Offering a shorter triathlon course opens the door for everyone who has thought about doing a triathlon, then decided against it because the training takes too much time,” French said. “The sprint distance is perfect for first-time competitors, people recently recovered from injury and busy parents.”

Registration for the Squamish Triathlon opens today (Feb. 14) with the pricing held at last year’s rate for Olympic-distance competitors and value pricing for sprint athletes. The current fees will be in place until April 1.

The 2013 race will take place at Alice Lake and Don Ross Secondary School (DRSS) on July 7, six weeks before the Ironman Canada race in Whistler for those competitors who want a competitive training event leading up to Whistler’s first Ironman competition. As always, co-workers, friends and families are invited to enter Olympic-distance teams of two or three. Full registration details will be available soon at www.squamishtriathlon.org along with more information on the new sprint format.