ROHRMAN SPORTS ASSOCIATION

Two of the world’s most successful triathletes are to return for the 5th AUA Tinman Rohr Triathlon to be held on Sunday, April 10 at Morris Bay.
Benjamin Sanson, known as ‘The Fish’ in world triathlon circles, won the first ever event in 2012 when he competed against the likes of Argentina’s Claudio Delpueche.

Sanson, who holds French swimming records of 3’47 in the 400m, 7’51 in the 800m and 15’00 in the 1500m is one of the world’s premier triathletes.
He has placed in the top three in IRONMAN events, top five in ITU World Cup events, top three in the US Triathlon Pro Tour and is an ITGP winner among other achievements.

Pro triathlete Benjamin Sanson

Sanson will compete this year against the likes of Sylvain Pigeau, who is the reigning French age group national champion.

They will compete in the premier 70.3 mile triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run) which was won by Antigua & Barbuda’s Robert Marsh in 2015. Previous winners include Sanson in 2012 and Guadeloupe’s 12 time national champion Olivier Noglotte in 2013 and 2014.

The sports tourism event is expected to attract visitors from the US, UK, Canada, across the Caribbean region and elsewhere.
The non-profit event also features nine other events for all ages and abilities. Age group races are offered for 6 & under, 10 & under, 14 & under and 18 & under with shorter distances.

Pro triathlete Sylvain Pigeau

There is also a mini triathlon of a 500m swim, 10k bike and 2k run which is open to both teams and individuals. Other events include a 1 mile beach run and a 5k fun walk or participants can also team up to complete the ultimate 70.3 mile triathlon.

The non-profit event is held in honour of Jonathan Rohr, a former triathlete and student of AUA who co-founded the event with Andre Simon, Wayne Henry and others.

Rohr died of a rare heart condition, known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) - a genetic heart disease which affects 1 in 500 people.
Rohr who was selected for the US national team before beginning medical school was in training for the inaugural event at the time.

The organizers now seek to use the event to educate athletes on heart conditions, along with title sponsors American University of Antigua College of Medicine.

The event is sponsored by the Observer Media Group, Premier Beverages, Horizons Supplies Limited, Jolly Beach Resort & Spa, Big Banana, Catamaran Hotel and Cedars Pottery. It is supported by the Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority and National Olympic Committee.