A couple weeks from now, more than 500 extreme obstacle course racers will descend on Bristol Town Beach and Colt State Park for the Trident Race, a four-mile run through the parks with 17 obstacles racers must overcome.
But the race itself has had to overcome obstacles before the run even begins.
Extreme obstacle races have become commonplace, with athletes nearly becoming addicted to the thrill of the challenge, Trident Race organizer Ethan Tucker said. The races have been popping up in parks all over the country in recent years, with racers traveling from all over to experience a new race in a new location — often bringing family and friends along to cheer them on. The races are good for the amateur athletes’ health, good for camaraderie they inspire in the race community, and good for local economies that benefit from the influx of visitors.
With upwards of 600 participants expected in Bristol July 30, it’s a good bet hundreds more will tag along, spending at least a day and maybe the whole weekend in town. That’s more than 1,000 visitors who will be exploring the park and the town, and likely spending money at area restaurants and shops, a benefit for all.
But the race is not without controversy. A handful of local residents — self-described watch dogs of the park — have petitioned the state DEM to shut the race down. They say it is bad for the park and its ecosystem. They say race organizers badly damaged the park during the first run last year, spraying orange paint on delicate plants, cutting limbs and bolting scaffolding to maple trees — even killing marine micro organisms by taking five-gallon buckets of water from the beach — causing irreparable harm.
Mr. Tucker acknowledges the paint, saying it was wrongly sprayed on the race course by an overzealous volunteer, but said there were no trees damaged and race organizers cleaned existing pollution and “left the park in better shape than we found it.”
It should be noted the race was fully approved by DEM and Bristol Parks and Recreation, and approvals have also been granted for the 2016 race after DEM met with Mr. Tucker and gained assurances there would be no environmental damage done.
While the watch dogs’ concern for the environment and stewardship of the park is admirable, some in the group seem intent on punishing the race for perceived violations last year, rather than working with organizers to address concerns going forward.
DEM properly declined to cancel the race, while continuing to provide oversight. Everyone has the same goal here — to showcase a beautiful state park while protecting its fragile ecosystem and bringing visitors into the town. There is no need to shut down a fun, well-attended event that can be easily supervised to ensure no damage is done.