Lough Cutra Castle in Gort will be the venue for the Irish race next year, joining illustrious venues Cholmondeley Castle, Castle Howard, Chateau de Chantilly and Hever Castle in the five-race series.

Plans for the race will be unveiled tomorrow when castle owners, the Gwyn-Jones family, who are planning to compete in the triathlon in relay to raise funds for charity, will brave the waters of the castle’s lake, swimming 1,500m along with some leading triathletes to get the launch off to a heart-stopping start. This will be followed by a seminar with partnership representatives from triathlon and sporting bodies, as well as clubs, schools, tourism and local development organisations.

“The landscape and beauty around Lough Cutra provides a fabulous environment for this event,” says Susanah Gwyn-Jones. “We are thrilled to be part of the prestigious Castle Triathlon Series and be the first venue of choice in Ireland. The annual event promises to provide increased tourism benefits locally and we look forward to welcoming a great cross section of participants.”

The Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon will take place next June, and is open to people from all levels – first timers, elites, families, and children.

The Markel Castle Triathlon Series consists of five weekend races and three evening sprint races throughout the summer. The series enables adults to compete individually or as a relay of two or a relay of three. Children from eight to 15 years also can compete in varying distances. To qualify for the series and be eligible to win prize money, the three best results count across any three races.