As the weather finally begins to feel more like spring, getting outside is beginning to sound like a good idea. If you enjoy the outdoors, there will soon be another reason to get out from in front of that television.

The members of the Alabama Scenic River Trail, along with friends and countless volunteers, are one step closer to seeing their Tri-County Triathlon event a reality. The race will take place on three area trails; Chief Ladiga Biking Trail, the Pinhoti National Recreation Hiking Trail and the Terrapin Creek Canoe Trail, and will finish at the Eubanks Welcome Center in Piedmont.

Fred Couch, President of Alabama Scenic River Trails, an organization that promotes the use and conservation of the longest one-state water trail in the country, says that the event will take place on Sept. 8, 2010, and will begin at the Chief Ladiga Trail Campground in Piedmont.

It has taken some time and a lot of effort, but Couch says the event has come together with help from friends who feel as he does, that the triathlon will be good for our area.

It was four such friends who helped dream up the race that will see entrants running, paddling and biking through three counties in the 41.5-mile event. Avid hikers and kayakers, Couch and his friend Norman Burton were talking one day when Burton had an idea. “You know we got those three trails intersecting up there. We ought to do something with them,” said Burton.

Three other friends of Couch’s – Linda Ganow, Teresa Ward and Joan Alexander – were in Virginia to watch a three-day base-jumping event at the New River Bridge. That base-jumping event attracts thousands, said Couch, and the added business to the local area, mostly rural, was enough to get the ladies thinking of holding a similar event here.

“And that’s where it all started,” said Couch. During a kayaking trip the group took in November of last year, the friends found themselves inside sipping hot tea instead of braving the frigid, rainy November afternoon in their kayaks. The trip turned into a think-tank, and they began to hatch a plan for what would become the Tri-county adventure race.

Couch, himself a member of the Northeast Alabama Bike Club and an avid hiker and paddler, started meeting for breakfast at the Wagonwheel restaurant in White Plains every week with two other friends, Jim Jimmerson and Don Coley. “One day Linda just said ‘well let’s vote. Do you want to do it or not?’”

Since announcing the event last month, they’ve had three register for the event and many more planning to enter. Several members from the Auburn University triathlon group are planning to come as well.

Couch said they are working on getting sanctioned by the United States of America Triathlon Association. The official sanctioning would give the group access to a database of 162,000 athletes.

“I know not all 162,000 are going to come to Piedmont the first year,” he said. “But maybe they’ll come the second year.”

The group had at first wanted to create a half-Ironman event, which consists of a 70.3-mile course. “But the more we got involved with that we realized it was a lot more than we could do the first year,” said Couch. The group is planning to extend the event into a half-ironman next year.

Couch said there are about 3,000 triathlon events held in the United States every year. “Most of them are no more than 25 miles total,” he said. “Very few of them have kayaking in the middle and they don’t have whitewater.” He said only about three events are similar to the Adventure Race.

“When we go to the half-Ironman, we’ll be one of a hundred a fifty six in the nation,” said Couch. Being in that class will allow them to draw upon a much larger pool of avid triathlon athletes. More entrants could equal more revenue for our area.

Couch said that a 2002 study by a master student at the University of Oregon, Lindsey Johnson, showed that a 35-mile river trail on the coast North Carolina added 55.1 million dollars into the local economy every year. And as that money continues to turn over in that area, Couch said, the 55.1 million becomes 104.1 million dollars every year. “I’m not saying that we’ll produce 104.1 million dollars into the rural economy, but I’ll bet you we’ll bring tens of thousands of dollars in there at least. And everybody who helps a little will get it back,” said Couch.

“We’ve got ham operators coming out, we’ve got EMT’s coming out. They’re all volunteering. Piedmont has been very nice and Helped us in many ways. Keith Word is now on our committee and has been very helpful.”

Volunteers have been generous with their time and talents as well, and Couch says it has been good to see the support. “You can’t buy that desire. You can’t buy that love of what you’re doing, and they all want to do it for this area,” he Couch.

Bill Fann is the project manager for the Chief Ladiga Trail Campground in Piedmont. The campground will be the starting point for the September race. Fann says they are excited to be the host for the Tri-County event.

“As a member and portage location of the ASRT we are honored to be a part of this inaugural event as the starting location as well as the location of the after-event party,” said Fann. “We are certain that this event will bring important tourism attraction to the Counties and Cities involved and will grow in stature each year similar to the Cheaha Challenge.”

Early registration began March 1 and will go through May 31. Signing up early will get you a lower price ( $60.00 individual/ $120.00 team). Boat and bike placement will be determined by order of registration. Online and mail in registration for the race will close at 2 p.m. on Friday, September 10.

For more information or to send a donation go to Alabamascenicrivertrail.com and follow the link to the Tri-county Triathlon.