Mitchelton, QLD (July 10th, 2008) - If you are looking for a warm up event for the upcoming triathlon season, the Straddie Salute on North Stradbroke Island, Queensland may just fit the bill.

This is not your traditional triathlon though, with an offroad course designed to take your breath away – literally! The course starts with a 600m ocean swim and is followed by an 18km cycle on the island’s 4WD & sealed roads. The last leg is a 9km run along one of the most scenic coastal trails in Queensland. It is being billed as “an adventure in nature’s playground”.

Race director, John Guise, says the event is more about “fun than serious competition” but being at the start of the 08/09 triathlon season it’s also an ideal training event for more dedicated triathletes.

The Straddie Salute will be held on Sunday October 12th and coincides with the migration of the last of the humpback whales as they travel south on their annual pilgrimage. North Stradbroke Island is renowned for it’s common sightings with locals reporting frequent whale breaches within a few hundred metres of the shore. The island is 40 minutes drive plus a 50 minute ferry ride from Brisbane.