Fitger’s Brewhouse hosts 36th annual triathlon

Racers competed in the Midwest’s second oldest triathlon this morning. The Fitger’s Brewhouse Triathlon hosted the 36th annual race.

This year’s race is helping Duluth’s Mason Branstrator buy a new sports chair after being paralyzed in 2021 at Spirit Mountain. After competing in an Olympic triathlon, Branstrator didn’t think his sports chair would make it any further.

Over 400 athletes from around the country competed in the triathlon. The full triathlon consists of first swimming a mile, then biking twenty-four miles, then finishing it off with a five mile run.

There was also a shorter course, that was half of everything on the long course. They also had a mini triathlon for kids to participate in.

Winner of the women’s long course race, Elaine Nelson says she’s been competing in the Brewhouse Triathlon for longer than she can remember. She says the energy and atmosphere are what keep her coming back.

She also mentions that if you are looking to get into competing in these events that this particular triathlon is a great place to start. She says joining a triathlon group or finding a friend to train with is the best thing you can do if you’re serious about competing.