MALONE — More than 1,000 athletes are expected to take part in a day-long sports competition coming to the Saranac Lake region in May.

The Sunchaser Challenge is a new event that features running, mountain biking, road biking, kayaking, swimming, in-line skating and cross-country running.

It will be held Saturday, May 22, and be centered at Paul Smith’s College, with the coordination of the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.

SPREAD ACROSS U.S.

The event, which will coincide with Endangered Species Day and is organized by the Endangered Species Coalition, takes place simultaneously in each time zone in North America.

Saranac Lake was selected as a possible site for the eastern-time zone “due to our partnership with the Lake Placid Visitors Center,” said Sylvie Nelson, the chamber’s executive director.

Several communities in Wisconsin, as well as those outside Denver, Colo., and Lake Tahoe, Calif., are being considered for the other time-zone sites.

“It’s an extreme competition,” she said in explaining the idea to Franklin County legislators. “They go for back-to-back days and race.”

Start times and events are staggered to prevent bottlenecks and avoid compromising the health and safety of the athletes and the general public, she said.

It is being promoted internationally by Wild Ones Promotions in Manchester, England.

Amateurs and professions are invited to compete as teams or individuals.



ECONOMIC IMPACT

Nelson said the event could bring in more than $2 million that weekend if the 1,000 athletes, their families and friends spend the $200-a-day average on hotel rooms, food and shopping.

“We need support to be able to use roads for the race and thought Paul Smith’s would be a good anchor site,” she said.

“All events can kick off at Paul Smith’s College, and when they are finished, they will still eat and find lodging in Saranac Lake.”

The exact race course has not been determined, but Nelson expects runners and bikers to go through the Village of Saranac Lake and use the shoulders of Route 30, Route 3 and Route 86, as well as smaller, less traveled roads.

She said athletes and their teams will arrive in the days leading up to the race and will likely be around the day after the competition.

“And it doesn’t cost you anything,” she added. “And, if it goes well, they want to expand it to 10 time zones in 2011.”

If the event grows, the promoters intend to film it and sell the broadcast rights to global television networks, Nelson said.

The chamber will arrange catering and work with the Village and State Police, as well as State Department of Transportation officials and other local agencies that may be involved.

“Our role is to coordinate all of the people on the local level and play a logistics role to make sure things go smoothly and that (the promoters) are happy and come back again on an annual basis,” Nelson said.