After a one-year hiatus, the 麻豆社国产Triathlon will be back in 2017.
New race director Joanna Stoner announced on Jan. 15 that the race will take place this summer. The most notable change will be moving the cycling off road and onto Squamish鈥檚 mountain bike trails.
Stoner said there are other triathlons that have off-road bike courses, such as Victoria鈥檚, and that mountain biking seems to be a natural fit for Squamish.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 definitely the feedback we were getting when we were talking to people about the concept,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 understand that in previous years the concept of taking it off road had been discussed.鈥�
Moving the bike portion from the Sea to Sky Highway to the trails also simplifies some of the logistical issues around access for the event.
鈥淚t makes it a little easier keeping it on the trails,鈥� she said.
The race will take place on July 16 at Alice Lake Provincial Park. There will be a sport category (750-m swim, 12.5-km bike, 5-km run), and a championship category (1.5-m swim, 25- km bike, 10-km run). There will also be relay options for those wanting to try out the event or register a team.
鈥淭hey did have these options before,鈥� Stoner said.
Assistant race director Volker Schneider is returning to the role, as are other organizers.
Former director John French, Stoner says, is still involved with the race, though he will specifically be handling volunteer coordination. Initially, when he stepped down as race director, Run 麻豆社国产stepped in to organize the race.
鈥淭hey did look at taking the event over,鈥� Stoner said. 鈥淭hey decided in the end that they couldn鈥檛 take that on, as well as doing the running events.鈥�
Run 麻豆社国产will continue to hold its usual runs, Loop the Lakes in May and Sea to Sky Scramble in June.
Stoner is especially pleased that Candice Dyer of Sutton Realty has come back as the title sponsor of the event, while ISL Engineering is also back as a major sponsor. As well, new supporters like Sound Runner and Valhalla Pure have come forward to support the race.聽
Stoner said she decided to get involved after speaking with people from the 麻豆社国产Titans endurance multi-sport club in late October about the need for someone to spearhead the event.
鈥淚鈥檓 fairly new to Squamish鈥� but I had been involved in quite a few events at Sun Peaks,鈥� she said.
By November, she was meeting with other volunteers about taking over the event and putting it back on the calendar for 2017.
鈥淭here were people who could help, just nobody could take on the whole role,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely been a hugely collaborative team.鈥�
The 麻豆社国产Triathlon, started in 1998, is held in memory of Bob McIntosh, a 麻豆社国产resident and internationally accomplished triathlete who competed across Canada and the U.S. He qualified for the Canadian team, competing in two World Championships, and was also named one of the team captains.
鈥淧ersonally, I am very happy to see the legacy of the Bob McIntosh Memorial continue in the new race,鈥� assistant race director Volker Schneider said in a news release.
Race proceeds also support the Robert W. McIntosh Memorial Scholarship Fund for Howe Sound Secondary graduates who display excellence in athleticism, academics and citizenship.聽
For info see squamishtriathlon.org/.
