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The Townsville Triathlon Festival will double in size with the support of Townsville City Council and it is now expected to inject $1.4 million into the economy.

The Festival will be spread over two weekends and it will include off road races at Pallarenda for the first time.

The on road races run from 16 to 18 August and the off road athletes will compete on 24 and 25 August.

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said Council’s $50,000 sponsorship demonstrates its commitment to major events and job creation.

“Council is a big supporter of this major festival and its growth this year shows the festival is going from strength to strength,” Cr Hill said.

“The Townsville Triathlon Festival is expanding from 11 events to 22 events in August so competitor and crowd numbers will grow significantly.

“The introduction of the off road races means it is now spread over two weekends and that is great news for jobs in the city.

“A lot of athletes and supporters will now spend a week in Townsville and we expect it to boost the economy by $1.4 million.

“The festival uses local businesses and sponsorship numbers are growing so it is really connecting with the community.”

Community and Cultural Development Committee Chair Cr Colleen Doyle said the off road races will attract more athletes to Townsville.

“The Townsville Triathlon Festival normally has 2,000 competitors and spectators but we expect that figure will significantly increase this year,” Cr Doyle said.

“Images of the races will be shared by the triathletes and fans so it will be great exposure for the city.”

Cr Hill said the 2019 Townsville Triathlon Festival is building up to the ITU 2021 Multisport World Championships in Townsville.

“As part of our bid for the ITU 2021 World Championships we said we’d start ramping up the services we offer to our athletes locally,” Cr Hill said.

“This year we’re trialing the off road races and next year we’ll host national on and off road races.”

Townsville Triathlon Festival president Jamie Fitzpatrick said the ongoing success of the Festival helped secure the Multisport World Championships in 2021.

“We have grown a locally created and operated event over almost two decades to a point where we are attracting the biggest competition in the world,” he said.

“Council has been a great partner in supporting the Townsville Triathlon Festival and it’s really important that we invest in building and growing local events.

“The latest investment from Council will allow the Tri Fest to take a significant leap forward with double the events on offer.”