THUNDER BAY - A rugged, challenging, and beautiful triathlon is returning to Thunder Bay this weekend and will see athletes from across the country and beyond participating.
The Xterra Sleeping Giant Triathlon is taking place on Saturday at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. So far, 290 athletes have registered for the competition.
This is the third year the Xterra Triathlon has been held at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and has since evolved from the standard swim, bike, run formula to include trial runs, short courses, long courses, duathlons, relays, half-marathon, and a 5k trail run.
Xterra Sleeping Giant race director Gordon Ryan said that every year the event has grown and this year 70 per cent of registered runners are from the region, with 30 per cent coming in from out of town to compete.
“I wanted a race that would had some international appeal,” Ryan said. “I wanted to draw more people. Thunder Bay doesn’t traditionally have a huge population to draw from and because we are in the north it’s hard to get people to come in. So this race offers world championship spots, so it draws people on an international level.”
There are six direct qualifying spots for the Xterra World Championships in Maui, Hawaii for the three top male and female finishers. There are also five qualifying spots per five year age group to the 2017 ITU World Cross Triathlon Championships in Penticton, B.C.
Despite the championship qualifications up for grabs, Ryan said that the triathlon draws competitors of all skill levels, from those who want to come out for fitness, to competitive races reaching for the top finish.
However, competitors should know that the course is much more rugged than most triathlons and offers some unique challenges.
“There is a little level of complexity compare to an on road triathlon, so you have to have the right kind of people to do that,” he said.
Greg Wilson, acting zoning manager for the Northwest zone of Ontario Parks, competed in the Xterra Sleeping Giant Triathlon last year and will be again this year.
“The Xterra Sleeping Giant has a much more challenging course,” Wilson said. “With that, it becomes a challenge as a competitor but also a benefit in that sense of satisfaction. A lot of the athletes will comment that it is one of the more difficult courses that they have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding because of the natural beauty.”
Wilson said that the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is becoming a popular destination for outdoor and sports enthusiasts, having hosted the Sleeping Giant Loppet for the last 40 years.
“There is a little level of complexity compare to an on road triathlon, so you have to have the right kind of people to do that,” he said.
“There is really no experience that I have taken part of in terms of the outdoor beauty in an event like this where you are very much challenged physically but also very much awarded with the natural beauty that the event has to offer.”
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