Halle (The Brussels Morning newspaper): The Halle Duathlon successfully returned organized by Matthias Van Baelen and the Halle 3athlon Organisation attracting 300 adult participants and 50 youth. The event’s new starting point at Possozplein improved accessibility enhancing the experience despite poor weather.
The city of Halle contacted the Halle 3athlon Organisation to bring back the Halle Duathlon which hasn’t happened in a while. Matthias Van Baelen who is part of the Halle 3athlon Organisation agreed with the city’s idea and was happy to help revive the event. Matthias and his team were excited to take on the challenge so they quickly got to work. They gathered a group of volunteers who were also enthusiastic about the event. These volunteers helped organize the duathlon and also recruited signallers to guide the participants and ensure their safety. The Halle 3athlon Organisation successfully brought back the Halle Duathlon much to the joy of the local community and participants.
How did the change in starting location impact the success of the event?
It has been said that the event sold out quickly showing how popular it was. A total of 200 individual participants joined the competition on their own while 50 duos, made up of 100 adults competed as pairs. This means there were 300 adult participants in total. The event was designed to allow both solo and team entries making it suitable for a variety of participants. In addition to the adult competitors the event had a youth category that attracted around 50 children. The event is committed to involving participants of all ages creating a diverse and lively atmosphere for everyone involved.
Matthias explains that the event’s starting point had to be changed because of construction work at Stationsplein. Following a request from the city the organizers moved the starting point to Possozplein. This change turned out to be beneficial because Possozplein is closer to the center of Halle making it easier for participants and spectators to access and see the event. The positive result of this change has led the organizers to decide that Possozplein will be the starting point for future editions of the event. The new location’s closeness to central Halle has proven to be beneficial and it is now seen as a smart choice that enhances the overall experience for everyone involved.
“We had to change the running route a bit but we found some nice gravel paths, and the participants were really happy with that,” said Matthias Van Baelen. Despite the bad weather many people came to Halle for this edition of the duathlon with Thibaut De Smet winning among the men finishing 3 minutes ahead of Seppe Odeyn while Camille Roman was the top female participant.
