The second annual Backus Rainy Lake Triathlon is set for Aug. 17 at City Beach, where registration will open at 8 a.m. with the start time set for 9 a.m.

Entrants will swim a quarter mile on Rainy Lake, bike 11 miles from City Beach to Jackfish Bay and back and then run 5 kilometers, starting and ending at City Beach on County Road 20.

The triathlon is open to ages 13 and up. Participants may enter as an individual, team of two or team of three.

Registration fees by Aug. 9 are $50 per person, $95 per team of two and $120 per team of three. The early registration includes a T-shirt and a picnic lunch on the day of the triathlon.

After Aug. 9, the fees increase to $60, $110 and $145, respectively. There will be no T-shirts for late registrations.

Triathlon organizer Ken Krueger said medals will be awarded to the top-three finishers in each category, which includes males and females in six age groups and on a relay team.

In addition, he said those entering the triathlon will also be eligible to win prize drawings, which include overnight stays at resorts, an aerial sightseeing tour and other prizes.

Krueger said another change for this year’s triathlon will be the use of timing chips. He noted the triathlon plans call for two groups of swimmers to leave at separate intervals with the chips being able to record the actual time from the start to the finish.

Last year’s triathlon included 29 females, 16 males, one team of two and six teams of three. “Team Voyageurs” comprised of James Hummel, Steve Mazur and Greg Drum had the top time of 55 minutes, 38 seconds. Jason Kabel of Fort Frances was the top male in 1:03:10, while Jenna Anderson of International Falls had the top female time of 1:12:16.

Registration forms for this year’s triathlon are available at Backus Community Center or may be accessed online at www.rainylakeraces.com or www.backusab.org.

Completed registration forms and fees may be sent to: Backus Community Center, 900 Fifth St., International Falls, MN 56649; or e-mail: hoasobczynski@backusab.org.

For more information, call Backus at 285-7225.