TriPATHlon provides a chance to check out PATH trails in metro Atlanta

Online registration closes on April 24. After that, people can register from 10 a.m.-2 p.m April 29; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. April 30 at Road Runner, Powers Ferry Square, 3756 Roswell Road N.E., Suite 16. Atlanta. 404-855-2424.

Note: On May 1, already-registered participants can pick up their packets from 5:30-7 a.m. at 235 W.Wieuca Road N.W., Atlanta, but there is no new registration available.

Splash & Dash

Splash and Dash event for children ages 6-14

12-14 age group: 200-yard swim and a 2K run; 9-11 age group: 100-yard swim and a 1K run; 6-8 age group: 50-yard swim and a 500-yard run. The cost: $15 and then $10 more for the one-day USAT fee, if not a USA Triathlon member. To register, to go www.tripathlonatlanta.com.

Here are four PATH trails worth exploring. To read more about the more than dozen PATH trails in metro Atlanta, go to https://pathfoundation.org/trails.

Arabia Mountain Trail

How to get there: From I-285 and I-20 East, go east on I-20 to the Evans Mill Road exit. Turn right on Evans Mill Road. Go straight through the light at Mall Parkway onto Woodrow Road. Woodrow Road will dead-end into Klondike Road. Turn right on Klondike Road. There is a trailhead on the left less than one-quarter mile and on the right at 1.25 miles.

About the trail: Featuring 7,000 acres of greenspace southeast of Atlanta, the Arabia Mountain PATH network meanders through rock outcroppings, colorful wildflower fields, rushing streams, and towering pines as it makes its way from the Mall at Stonecrest into Panola Mountain State Park and beyond. The trail system is over 33 miles long, and plans are underway to extend the trails.

Silver Comet Trail

How to get there: Exit from I-285 at South Cobb Drive northbound. Follow South Cobb Drive to Cooper's Lake Road, where you turn left. Continue less than a mile and turn left onto Mavell Road. Mavell Road dead-ends into the parking area for the trail.

About the trail: Imagine gliding along on your bike through the North Georgia countryside, crossing a 500-foot-long trestle over a rushing river below, winding between rock cliffs and weaving among tall, stately pines. The Silver Comet Trail is about 62 miles long and starts at the Mavell Road Trailhead in Smyrna.

South Peachtree Creek Trail

How to enter: Take I-85 to Clairmont Road then go south to McConnell Drive. Then go left on McConnell Drive to parking at Mason Mill Tennis Center.

About the trail: The South Peachtree Creek Trail meanders through Mason Mill Park as a boardwalk along the banks of the creek. Take a scenic, leisurely walk along this trail that connects the ballfields and parking area at Medlock Park to the historic Decatur Waterworks and the Tennis Center at Mason Mill Park.

PATH 400 Trail

How to get there: The PATH 400 trail begins at Lenox Road and Piedmont Road, across from South of the Border Mexican Restaurant.

About the trail: PATH is partnering with Livable Buckhead and the Buckhead CID and GDOT to build a trail from the Atlanta Beltline to I-285 and beyond. The first segment is open between Lenox Road near Piedmont Road to Old Ivy Road. Note: There is currently no public parking specifically for the trail.

SOURCE: PATH Foundation

In 1991, the PATH Foundation, a nonprofit organization, started building a system of scenic greenways in metro Atlanta.

As the PATH celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, a system of linear parks is starting to link the entire city, providing a way to travel, exercise and enjoy the outdoors — on foot, bikes or skates.

The PATH Foundation has developed more than 230 miles of trails throughout Georgia.

The trails include the quiet countryside of the Silver Comet Trail, as well as the South Peachtree Creek Trail with a boardwalk connecting the ballfields of Medlock Park to the historic Decatur Waterworks and the Tennis Center at Mason Mill Park. The PATH Foundation is also one of the key partners of the Atlanta Beltline, a popular loop of parks and trails in the middle of a bustling metropolis.

“The most exciting part for me as someone who lives in the city is the level of connectivity that is coming and coming quickly,” said Brian Cosgray, a board member of the PATH Foundation. “The idea that I will be able to leave my neighborhood in Buckhead and take the PATH to Dunwoody or Centennial Park is very cool.”

Steps are being taken to integrate popular multiuse trails in Buckhead and Sandy Springs into the PATH 400 network.

The Sandy Springs City Council recently greenlighted an agreement with Livable Buckhead and the PATH Foundation to start designing a segment of trail between Loridans Drive and the Glenridge Connector. The 2.1-mile stretch is a critical link between the terminus of the greenway as currently planned and the point where PATH 400 will cross under the soon-to-be-redesigned I-285/Ga. 400 interchange. (Construction on the interchange is projected to start this year and be completed in 2020.) Ultimately, this will allow the PATH 400 to link to the Beltline, the Silver Comet Trail and other regional trails.

On May 1, close to 400 exercise enthusiasts are expected to participate in the sixth annual triPATHlon at Chastain Park. Participants will include a mix of first-time triathletes and those more experienced who will use this intown event as a warmup for a long season of races. Cox Media Group, parent company of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is one of the title sponsors for the race.

Like other races with a common cause, this event brings together a group of athletes of all levels — eager to put a spotlight on the PATH Foundation, which has become a nationally recognized model for trail-building success.

The triPATHlon, considered a sprint event, begins with a 400-yard swim in Chastain Park Pool, which is appealing to many first-time triathletes who may be intimidated by swimming in a lake or river. It is followed by a 15-mile bike course around west Buckhead. It ends with a 5K run on a paved PATH trail that loops around pretty, well-kept Chastain Park. The route along Lake Forest Drive is dotted with benches and has a stream with landscaped banks.

The larger goal of the event is to raise awareness about the PATH Foundation's mission and the costs involved with building and maintaining the trails. The race is expected to raise between $15,000 and $20,000 — which will be split three ways (among the PATH Foundation, the Chastain Park Conservancy and the Chastain Park Athletic Club).

The triPATHlon will also serve as a grand opening of a PATH trail extension at Chastain Park. Already about 4 miles of trails, the extension will stretch 1 mile on the west side of the park, according to Ed McBrayer, executive director of the PATH Foundation.

When McBrayer first moved back to his hometown of Atlanta about three decades ago after living in Denver, the avid cyclist was so discouraged by the lack of options here for cycling that he parked his bike in the garage and left it there for a few years. But over the years, he has been dedicated to making Atlanta the most connected city in the country, a goal he now sees within reach over the next five years.

McBrayer said his favorite PATH trail is the one at Arabia Mountain, but he also cycles along many other PATH trails including the Silver Comet. (See box on four trails to check out.)

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