INTREPID athletes from Helensburgh are invited to ‘take the plunge’ this summer as an exhilarating series of triathlons return to the bonnie banks.

Entries are now open for the famous ‘Beastie Triathlons’, which will be held in Balloch Castle Country Park on Saturday, July 27.

People of all abilities are encouraged to sign up as there are three exciting events, including a swim/run and two triathlons.

Organised by Lomond Swimming and Triathlon Club, the event has become more popular than ever since it began 19 years ago.

This year the event will once again incorporate the Scottish National Championship Aquathlon.

Club president Bobby Gray, hopes to entice people of all levels to sign up.

He said: “We’ve been running the beastie triathlons for a good while now and it’s a great event for all abilities.

“As it’s all run within Balloch Park, it’s good for novices or people who don’t road cycle too often but also affords more seasoned athletes a good challenge!

“Who wouldn’t want to spend a couple of hours swimming in Loch Lomond and having a cycle and run round beautiful Balloch Park?

“I’d like to thank the park authority and West Dunbartonshire Council for their continued support of this event.”

The Beastie Triathlons are novice and sprint triathlons that feature open water swims and off-road routes for the cycling and running.

These include the ‘Beastie Sprint Triathlon’ which features a 750-metre open water swim, a 17km off-road cycle and a 5km run.

The ‘Wee Beastie Novice Triathlon’ is a 400m open water swim, a 9km off-road cycle and a 3km run, while this year there is also the ‘Bikeless Beastie’ – a 750m open water swim and a 5km run.

The Scottish National Championship Aquathlon will be incorporated into the Bikeless Beastie - meaning there are a few extra prizes up for grabs if participants are members of Triathlon Scotland.

All entrants will receive a goody bag with a medal at the finish. See entrycentral.com/WeeBeastie for more information and to sign up.