OIL SPILL
THE EFFECT ON TRIATHLON
By Pete Williams
With the news that BP has plugged the well that caused oil to gush into the Gulf of Mexico for 85 days, triathlon race directors across Florida are breathing a sigh of relief.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill affected all aspects of life in the Gulf region, especially along the Florida Panhandle. With crews continuing to work on cleaning up the rapidly diminishing oil slick, it appears triathlon events will remain unaffected.
Still, with hurricane season running through November, race directors are keeping a watchful eye on developments. A hurricane or tropical storm could push the remnants of the oil slick inland or further into the Loop Current, a warm ocean current in the Gulf of Mexico that loops west and south before exiting to the east through the Florida Straits.
In late June, it appeared many Florida Panhandle races, including the Ironman Florida race in Panama City Beach in November, would be threatened by the oil. That changed in mid-July when BP’s eff orts to plug the well proved successful.
For now, no races have been canceled along the Panhandle or anywhere else in Florida. Though it seems the threat of a storm-driven oil slick is minimal, race directors are keeping their contingency plans in place.
“We all are resorting to lakes or inner water ways as back-up plans,” says Sean McSheehy, race director of the Destin Triathlon, which was held on Oct. 9.
Officials at World Triathlon Corporation, the parent company of Ironman, are taking a wait-and-see approach toward Ironman Florida, scheduled for Nov. 6 in Panama City.
“Contingency planning is part of our day-to-day operations,” said Steve Meckfessel, WTC’s Chief Operations Officer, in a release. “While we can’t forecast swim and beach conditions in November, we are evaluating several course and venue options which will enable athletes to complete the entire event.”
Oil has washed up along hundreds of miles of shoreline in Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle. Cleanup crews clad in boots and gloves have worked along Florida’s white sandy beaches gathering tar balls, sometimes stepping around beachgoers in the process.
More than 200 million gallons of oil flowed into the gulf after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 platform workers. At its peak in June, the massive oil slick was the size of Kansas.
The slick had shrunk significantly by mid-August, leading to debate over where the oil went. Some suggested much of it evaporated or was collected while others believed much of it lay beneath the surface of the water. Estimating the long-term impact of the spill is diffi cult.
Though nobody is underestimating the short-term damage caused by the spill, the impact on much of the Florida coastline is minimal, at least compared to the national perception, race directors say.
The Santa Rosa Island Triathlon, which is held at Pensacola Beach, where some tar balls have been found, was scheduled for Oct. 2. As of early August, many triathletes were able to train regularly in the Gulf. If the water is not safe, the swim portion will move to Santa Rosa Sound on the north side of the island, which has been unaffected.
“Pensacola Beach has not been spared, but the cleanup has been very successful and we’ve been very lucky with regard to tides, currents, and winds,” says Charles Gheen, race director for the event. “Right now the Casino Beach area where we hold the (triathlon) swim is very clean and the Gulf water there is good. Santa Rosa Sound on the north side of the island has been our alternate swim
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44 USA TRIATHLON FALL 10
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