The Croyde Ocean Triathlon

North Devon's savage and scenic triathlon and our biggest fundraiser of the year.

What's a triathlon got to do with an environmental charity?

Fair question. The short answer: we own it.

The Croyde Ocean Triathlon has been part of North Devon's summer since 2015, and our team has been closely involved from the start. In 2023 we became the event's official owners, so every penny of profit from race entries now comes straight to us, funding our work to protect North Devon's coast, countryside and wildlife. It's our biggest fundraiser of the year.

Enter the Tri

Our biggest fundraiser, by far

Every entry fee, sponsor pound and donation from the day goes straight into EAND's work across North Devon. From beach cleans to education programmes and community campaigns. It's our single biggest source of income all year, which is why the Tri gets the attention it does from our team.

A community event, powered by the community

Behind every triathlete on the start line at Putsborough Sands is an army of people making it happen: over 200 volunteers marshal the course, staff the water stations, and cheer competitors home, backed by local businesses and residents who open up their roads, fields and car parks for the day.

Sustainability is the whole point, not an afterthought

Given who's running it, it should be no surprise the Tri leads the way on sustainable events. It was the first plastic-free sporting event of its kind in the UK, recognised by Surfers Against Sewage back in 2018, and we've kept building on that ever since:

Reusable cups at aid stations, no single-use plastic cups on the course
Loose sweets scooped from tubs, not individually wrapped
Medals made from repurposed plastic beach waste
Medal ribbons handmade from old beach tents
Reusable signage and cable ties, year after year

The course itself runs straight through the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere, the North Devon National Landscape (AONB) and the North Devon World Surfing Reserve, so protecting it isn't optional. It's the whole reason the event exists in its current form.