Now in its eighth year, the Pharmasave Christina Lake Triathlon has continued to generate community support from participants, volunteers and spectators.
Taking place this Sunday, June 24, the triathlon is 750 metre swim, 20 kilometre bike ride and a five kilometre run. For the Kids Sprint, it is a 100 metre swim, six kilometre bike ride and a two kilometre run.
John Mackey, director of recreation and facilities and an organizer for the triathlon, said the idea to create a triathlon came about after a trip to Wasa, B.C.
“It’s a nice compact event,” he said. “After driving back from Wasa, I told the staff about it and said, ‘We could do this.’”
Mackey stated after looking at Christina Lake and its beach, they looked at the various bike courses they could create as well.
The process to get the triathlon approved begins in early January.
“We fire off all the letters to the Ministry of Highways, the Ministry of Parks and everyone else,” explained Mackey. “We’ve had some years where even when we applied six months in advance, we’ve come close to the day of the events and the permits are just arriving. It’s never stopped us from carrying on because we get good co-operation from the company who does the maintenance of the park.”
A portion of Highway 3 is blocked for the bike portion of the event, so there is also a professional flagging company for that, added Mackey.
The local applications are straightforward and we get a lot support for the event, he added.
“The fencing comes from Phoenix Ski Hill, and the signs and posts from the City of Grand Forks and Emcon,” Mackey said. “We have a great group of supporters and sponsors.”
Over the years, participation levels have been up and down, Mackey stated.
“The first year was for adults only, and the second year we added the elementary school kids, so anyone 12 and under, and created a Kids Sprint,” he said. “We have maxed out a couple of years.”
In its first year with a three-person committee in that organized the event, the triathlon was limited to 100 people.
Since then, it has grown to include 150 participants, and 50 to 70 volunteers who help out on the actual day of the event.
“It’s a great challenge and all the fitness benefits. You can swim, you can run, you can bike,” Mackey pointed out.
“You can do it in a team format, so you can be a team of two or three, and cover off the events. We’ve seen people being in a member of team to completing the entire triathlon on their own. Our job is to offer opportunities for fun. We draw national-ranked people to the event, to the 70-year-old who wants to try it for the first time.”
Mackey pointed out that the triathlon includes a challenging bike course because riders have to climb the steep hill west of Christina Lake, and repeat that hill four times.
“It’s not a long distance, but you have to go up that hill four times, but it’s a beautiful location,” he added. “It’s a low-key community event that has a lot of community support.”
However, Mackey also noted that it’s not just a participant sport.
“It’s a great spectator sport,” he concluded. “There’s nothing greater for participants than having the community cheer them on.”
For more information, contact Grand Forks Recreation at 250-442-2202.
