Triathlon. In an effort to spur greater participation in the annual event, officials have decided to slice an additional six miles off the already-shortened Hamilton course.

Bermuda Triathlon Association spokesman Richard Jenkyn yesterday confirmed the October 6 event would entail a 12-mile cycle and a three-mile run -- down from the 15 and six-mile distances announced at a press conference less than three weeks ago.

The swim discipline, which has already been cut in half from last year, remains approximately the same at 750 metres.

The triathlon has already undergone sweeping changes for its eighth anniversary, moving from the old Base lands at Clearwater Beach to the spectator-friendly route of Hamilton.

Shortening the course is expected to add to the number of participants, said the Bank of Bermuda's Ernest Dunphy, a member of the race committee. He said he did not know how many triathletes had already signed up.

"The idea is to get more people involved,'' said Dunphy.

"To the average person, (a full triathlon) can be very intimidating. We wanted to make it more appealing, especially to juniors.'' Making the distances shorter also means tying up the streets for less time, which means less inconvenience for Sunday morning motorists, Dunphy added.

The course itself has not been altered. The cycle still takes competitors east on Front Street and back to Court Stret, north to Reid, then east to Queen Street and down to Front. The run is a simple loop from Albouy's Point to the Longtail sculpture on Front Street and back.