Winter triathlon champion crowned
By Mona Mahmoud
The first-ever Ontario championship for a winter triathlon took place on Feb. 4 at the 38th annual Winterlude.
There were 197 participants in the triathlon, the championship race was the first of its kind in Ontario. Derek Snider won the event with a time of 59:14.
“There’s only two winter triathlons in Ontario,” said Rick Hellard, race director and owner of the Winterlude Triathlon. “This is the first time we’ve been able to have a championship and crown a winner.”
The sport of winter triathlon has only recently been recognized on a global level, but in Ottawa, a winter triathlon has taken place every year since 1983 as a part of Winterlude.
The three-part race consisted of an eight-kilometre outback skate on the Rideau Canal, an eight-kilometre cross-country ski through the Dominion Arboretum, and a five-kilometre run around Dow’s Lake.
The winter triathlon is not to be confused with the internationally recognized winter biathlon.
Triathlon Ontario, which provides support and governance to multi-sport events in the province, sanctioned the Winterlude Triathlon for the second year in a row.
Triathlon Ontario helped publicize the Winterlude Triathlon, which was evident in the spike in the number of participants.
Although only Ontario residents were in a position to take home the winning title because of its provincial standing, the race drew competitors from a variety of places.
“Just looking at the postal codes of participants,” said Hellard, “it shows… people from Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, California and New Brunswick.”
Perhaps the most important aspect of the Winterlude Triathlon was its central location: by being in the heart of Ottawa, participants and spectators were able to discover classic city attractions.
Nicole Baptiste, a Centretown resident who has attended the Winterlude Triathlon for the past three years, agreed that the location was an integral part of its success.
“This triathlon exemplifies what winter in Ottawa is all about,” said Baptiste. “We have world-class cross-country skiing in Gatineau Park and we have the largest outdoor skating surface in the world. What is more Ottawa than that?”
Hundreds of spectators watched the race.
The winner received a $100 gift certificate to Bushtukah, an Ottawa retailer of outdoor products that has sponsored the triathlon for several years.
Had the weather not been cooperative, the race might have been adjusted from a triathlon to a biathlon if the Rideau Canal hadn’t been open for skating. But the ice was ready in the end.
“At times of uncertainty, we just have to depend on Mother Nature to do its job and bring us the snow,” Hellard noted.