Beach to Battleship triathlon caused delays

Participants in the Beach to the Battleship Ironman Triathlon swam, biked and ran all over the Wilmington area Saturday.

For drivers, getting around was not as easy.

With 1,000 athletes participating in the YMCA’s largest event and more than 900 volunteers, roads were blocked off throughout our area, creating gridlock for motorists.

The YMCA’s Executive Director, Dick Jones, said next year the community will be better prepared for the Ironman event. “Running from literally 7:00 a.m. until midnight, that’s a long day. Most of the events that we see are three or four hours in duration, so certainly some additional advance communications,” he said.

Jones said the YMCA has already looked into increasing the number of water taxis used during next years event to keep more cars off the road.

Despite the traffic, a spokesperson for the Wilmington Police Department said the event was a big success.