Goodwick Parrog car park will be closed from today, Thursday, June 10, until the end of Saturday, June 12, for the Wales Triathlon to take place.

The triathlon will be held in Fishguard and Goodwick on Saturday, as part of the Welsh Government’s series of pilot test sporting and cultural events across the country.

The course involves a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and a 13 mile run, with adaptions made to incorporate Covid guidelines established by Welsh Government and the National Governing Body.

The bike route will stretch down to St Davids and take in villages such as Trefin and Mathry.

Spectators are strongly discouraged, and the start and finish areas will be a sterile zone. However, competitors have been sent a list of eateries and bars that have good views of the course.

The pilot events will help develop processes and guidance to allow the safe return of events in Wales as coronavirus measures ease.

The Wales Triathlon, organised by Activity Wales, will be run in a safe and controlled manner and is only open to 500 registered participants rather than the usual 1,200.

Ministerial approval was granted following consideration of the proposals at several event safety advisory group meetings organised by Pembrokeshire County Council, with input from key bodies including Welsh Government, Activity Wales, Dyfed Powys Police, Public Health Wales and Hywel Dda University Health Board.

Cllr Phil Baker, the Pembrokeshire County Council cabinet member whose portfolio includes major events, said partners had worked closely together.

“A great deal of planning has taken place to ensure the safety of participants, local communities and the staff running the event, and we are confident that it will be successful, albeit very different to previous years,” he said.

“We are conscious that we would normally welcome spectators but this event is different – we are discouraging all spectators from attending, and participating athletes have been asked not to bring supporters with them.”

He said engagement has taken place with local businesses and communities and feedback has been positive, with an understanding that the event is a ‘step in the process towards getting back to normal’.

The Wales Triathlon was launched in 2013 and is a well-established event with tried and tested procedures in place. The participating athletes are a roll-over from the 2020 event, which was cancelled as a result of Covid restrictions.