An ultra-endurance triathlon will cross the finish line in Summerland on Aug. 1.

The Ultra520K Canada triathlon is a three-day competition, with swimming, cycling and running components.

Steve Brown, race director of the triathlon, said only 15 athletes are registered this year.

“We had a very unusual spring,” he said. While 25 athletes registered, 10 had training accidents and had to drop out of the race.

“We normally expect to lose two, maybe three, in the normal course of the training process, but this year was very different,” Brown said.

The athletes include six from Canada, three from the United States, four from Spain, one from Australia and one from the United Kingdom. Two women and 13 men are competing.

The event includes one Okanagan woman.

Lisa Fitzgerald, 33, of Penticton, will take on her first Ultraman competition.

In the past, she and her husband Brent have been on crews for other athletes.

Fitzgerald has been training with Jon Carron, a former pro triathlete.

The triathlon begins on July 30 with a 10-kilometre swim in Skaha Lake to Sovereign Road near Okanagan Falls. After the swim, athletes compete a 149.8-kilometre bike ride over Richter Pass, finishing in Okanagan Falls.

The second day, on July 31, has a 274.2-kilometre bike route from Penticton to Osoyooos, then back to Okanagan Falls and then west to Alison Lake, finishing in Princeton.

The third day, on Aug. 1, is an 84.4-kilometre run from Princeton to Summerland along the Old Princeton Summerland Road.

Athletes are expected to arrive in Summerland around 2:30 p.m.

In addition, for the third year, organizers will offer live streaming of selected portions of the event at www.ultra520kcanada.com.