Athletes from across the state and as far as Virginia, Georgia and even Florida converge on Washington this weekend. The town is hosting this year’s iteration of the Washington Olympic and Spring Triathlon.

“The experience has been good. It’s been business as normal, like every other year,” organizer Jason Biggs said. “We’ve got about 250 people coming out. It’s a little warm, but the weather is pretty good.”

The race is a test of each competitor’s swimming, bicycling and running abilities. As the name suggests, the Olympic triathlon is a full-length race featuring a triangular, counterclockwise swim through the Pamlico River. The athletes then exit the water for a 25-mile bike race and finish with a run course through the waterfront in downtown Washington.

The Sprint variant will be a shorter triathlon. It will be one 12.5-mile lap through the bicycle loop, which starts in Washington Park then rides down River Road before a trip around McCotters Marina Road.

The Olympic-length competitors will go out through the waterfront area and back while the Sprint-length race will end at the turnaround.

“People love it. People that have never been (to Washington) don’t know much about it, but they’re surprised with the swim and the exit being so close,” Biggs said. “Everything is so close together and it works out well. They really enjoy it a lot.”

The competition level looks fierce this year. Kory Gray, of Raleigh, finished first in the men’s Olympic race last year. He will return to Washington this year, looking to notch his second first-place finish in a row.

The top two finishers in the male Sprint-length 2015 triathlon return this year, too. Todd Midgett, of Wilmington, finished first last year with a time of 1:04.21. Bruce Richter, of Grimesland, placed just behind him by completing the triathlon in 1:05.47.

None of the top-three finishers from last year’s female Sprint return this year. In the Olympic-length triathlon, third-place finisher Linda Hatfield, of Apex, comes back to Washington. She will likely be looking to move up the rankings this time around by improving on her 2:38.04 time from last year.

“I think it’s going to be a really competitive race. A lot of people are preparing for late-season Ironmans and other races. We’ve got a good crowd of fast people coming down. It’s a flat course, so the times are really going to be fast.”

Local athletes competing include Angela Harne, Shad Watters, Mark Roy and James Clarke, all of Washington. Greenville will be well represented by 21 competitors across the two races. There will also be seven athletes from Winterville, two from Grimesland and one from Southport.

“We want to thank the town of Washington and Washington Park,” Biggs said. “Everybody down here that has worked with us has been really helpful. We just really appreciate the support of the local people. We’re just trying to drive people down here to support the local economy.”