There may very well be an in-person race in the Sea to Sky this summer after all.
With its third year on tap, the Pemberton Aerothlon is making plans to ensure COVID-19 precautions are in place in order to run on Aug. 30.
Organizer Peter Chrzanowski said the first two editions of the alternative triathlon, made up of paragliding, mountain biking and trail running, have had small turnouts of less than 50 competitors, and that鈥檚 been when international athletes have registered.
鈥淲hen I saw this happening, I thought, 鈥榃e really did have a really small event.鈥� The only bigger congregation we had was, really, the start,鈥� he said, noting that staggering starts to two minutes between competitors could easily be done if necessary.
Neither event held in Pemberton has seen an injury thus far, while at the contests in central and South America, the largest issue has been heatstroke as athletes compete in temperatures in the mid-to-high 30s.
Chrzanowski said he鈥檚 been in contact with the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District and the provincial Ministry of Health, noting he鈥檚 preparing a plan for the ministry detailing precautions that he鈥檒l put in place.
Chrzanowski said only about a dozen volunteers are required throughout the course, and, due to the contest鈥檚 backcountry nature, there are never many people along the route.
鈥淚t鈥檚 never really been a spectator event in Canada,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 would love it if they were able to run like the Ironman, through town, but it鈥檚 too difficult here.鈥�
However, Chrzanowski said the Aerothlon鈥檚 sister events in Mexico and Colombia, held before the pandemic, have enlisted the services of airtribune.com, a GPS tracker to allow fans to follow the proceedings online.
鈥淪everal thousand people were watching,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou could pick your athlete and watch them do the flight and the whole run on Google Maps.
鈥淲hat we鈥檇 really like to do here is use that but incorporate even more images like live video coming in along the route as well.鈥�
Chrzanowski is expecting a field that is primarily local, depending on how quickly Canada opens up its borders. He said one past international participant, an AeroMexico pilot, expects to have clearance to compete. He鈥檚 also been in touch with others who may or may not be allowed into the country for the contest, but is also advising them that if they do enter the country, they may be required to quarantine.
Still, the focus is on those nearby.
鈥淢ore than anything, I鈥檇 just like to encourage local people. They鈥檙e the ones that are here. They can鈥檛 travel,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are some great athletes here in Whistler鈥攔unners and bikers.鈥�
Past participant and Pemberton local Scott Flavelle is looking forward to competing in the full contest this year while his wife will take part in the relay, flying tandem with a paraglider before completing the run and biking sections.
He feels confident that the race can run safely.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 any different than going out to do many sports in the outdoors. It鈥檚 a fairly individualistic sport. There鈥檚 no stadium,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t would seem no different than a regular day out of hiking on the trails, flying in the skies, or mountain biking.鈥�
In addition to the event being a small-scale, grassroots contest, Flavelle noted that participants are talented and experienced.
鈥淭he competitors are all people who have done lots of flying, same with the hikers,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 imagine a better type of event to put on.鈥�
Chrzanowski said that previous Aerothlons have inspired runners and bikers to look into paragliding and vice versa, creating more cohesion in those communities. Still, he鈥檚 hoping to see that continue to increase as time goes on.
鈥淭he trouble I鈥檝e always had here is to persuade all those ripping riders that do the Nimby to sign up. I haven鈥檛 had that much luck,鈥� he said.
Registration is underway with a suggested donation of $100.
For more information,.
