Race the River Triathlon was conceived out of a deep passion for the sport and the desire for a race that anyone can complete. People of all ages can participate in this sprint distance event and in doing so; they take part in a healthy lifestyle.

Early in 2007, Christine Slater and John Stone (Developer of Riverstone) met through the common journey of training for an Ironman triathlon. They mutually felt that a shorter, more doable triathlon was missing in Coeur d’ Alene. Ironman creates a great awareness of the sport but requires a deep time and training commitment to participate than many are willing to make on sport they don’t know if they will like.

The Coeur d’Alene Triathlon provides a venue for more to participate but still requires some time and training investment in the sport in order to complete the race.

Race the River Triathlon is a sprint distance triathlon designed on a relatively flat, short course. The swim is with the current in the river, paralleling the shoreline; the bike course is done in 3 laps, keeping participants close to the spectators. The run stays close to Riverstone Park and concludes with a run around Riverstone Lake.

The distances are short, a ½ mile swim, 11-mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. The race takes little training and equipment requirements so anyone can try the sport.

John and Christine believed the addition of a sprint distance triathlon would compliment the existing local races and assist in bringing more people into the wonderful sport of triathlon. John offered up Riverstone as the perfect setting to hold the event. Riverstone’s goal was to create a community for healthy living. Christine had experience in creating programs and events and offered to organize the event.

This partnership created the first annual Race the River Triathlon at Riverstone on July 6, 2008. With a small budget and lots of help from experts within the community, the inaugural event was exactly what it set out to be: a fun event for the whole family, a first triathlon for many to try, a practice race for seasoned triathletes, a nice highlight of beautiful Riverstone Park and all the amenities offered in the development.

Christine and her husband Curt DuPuis formed Swim Bike Run Northwest to produce Race the River Triathlon. The popularity and success of Race the River has led to the addition of Race the River Kid’s Duathlon and Radiant Lake Triathlon all produced by Swim Bike Run Northwest. Race the River Triathlon sold out in its second year and continues to sell out every year, even as field caps have increased every year. Race the River Triathlon has now garnered national attention and has been chosen by USAT as the Pacific Northwest Regional Championship in 2011 and 2012. Swim Bike Run Northwest races have a reputation for being fun, well organized events.

Swim Bike Run Northwest uses the events to raise money and awareness for projects and charities that are important to the communities where the events are staged.