Ready, set, race!

Winnipeg

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This article was published 12/06/2024 (569 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Summer’s here and the time is right for racing in the streets.

Triathlon Manitoba’s 2024 season kicked off recently, with a number of events around the province, and a full slate lined up through the summer leading up to the Manitoba Summer Games in Dauphin, Man., which will be held from Aug. 11 to 17.

“The big lead up is to the Summer Games this August, for the kids,” said Dot Ball, program co-ordinator with Triathlon Manitoba. “They have to do qualifying events, but it isn’t based on results, more just to make sure they can do it. Over the winter we also had different workshop camps for them.”

On June 8 and 9, Birds Hill Provincial Park was the scene of both the Kids of Steel triathlon, and the first outdoor swim event of the season. The adult triathlon also acted as a provincial and world qualifier. Before that, in May, a number of duathlon events were held, minus the swimming, as lakes in Manitoba are still generally too cold.

For both the kids and adult events, the races are structured to allow for different levels of competition. For Kids of Steel, different age levels complete different race lengths, while the adult races feature sprint lengths, which Ball said are perfect for folks who are just starting out.

Triathlon Manitoba runs a kids summer program from June 3 to August 28, for youngsters between eight and 12 years of age, with training on Monday and Wednesday evenings at Birds Hill Provincial Park. The cost of the program is $160, plus a $10 Triathlon Manitoba membership.

“For the kiddos, it’s not expensive,” Ball said. “You get to have a multi-sport approach. You get to be out at these parks and get that experience, too.”

The organization also runs a Just Tri It for women new to the sport, which runs from April 8 to June 22, featuring three sessions per week: one swim session at the YMCA Winnipeg West (3550 Portage Ave.) on Mondays, bike sessions each Thursday along various routes throughout the city, and a run/speaker session each Wednesday starting at Big Sky Run Co. (194 Tache Ave.). Cost of the program is $300, and includes swag, discounts on races and events, and membership to Triathlon Manitoba and Triathlon Canada. There are also a number of triathlon clubs throughout the city, Ball added.

Another way to give the sport a try is to register for one of a number of indoor duathlon events that are held between September and May.

“(Then) you only have to show up with your runners: you don’t have a worry about a bike, you use a stationary bike, and you don’t have to swim,” Ball said. “And there’s an indoor triathlon at the U of M.”

Ball, who ran her first marathon last year, plans to do her first triathlon this summer, at St. Malo, Man., on June 22. She got into the sport during the pandemic, as a summertime activity with her daughter and husband.

“They had practice swimming, biking and running,” she said. “They’re all great life skills and its opposite our winter routine (of cross-country skiing).”

Her daughter, she said, now “loves it,” and the whole family has become involved.

The outdoor triathlon season continues with the St. Malo triathlon, which includes both adult and Kids of Steel events, on June 22 and 23. A new kids race will be held in the Interlake on July 6, while Hecla will host a race on July 20, and the Peace Gardens will host events on Aug. 3 and 4. Riding Mountain National Park, which has long hosted both kids and adults triathlons, will this year host a “dri tri” duathlon event, with no swimming in Clear Lake owing to ongoing concerns over invasive zebra mussels. St. Amant Centre is also hosting a virtual triathlon, to be completed between June 15 and 23.

One barrier, Ball added, was access, with most races taking place outside of Winnipeg.

“It would be great to have one in the city,” she said.

For more information on Triathlon Manitoba’s events and programs, visit triathlonmanitoba.ca