Much good with ITU
What went well the past 10 days with the ITU Multisport World Championship Festival held in Penticton? Lots of things. The event ran over 10 days and included athletes from 36 countries. The actual count of participants is not known but it well eclipsed 3,000.
We’ve seen Ironman and Challenge races over the years but nobody really knew what to expect with ITU, this being the first year that all of the event finals were held in the same venue, at the same time.
We liked that each athlete wore their country’s name and colours on their chest which really made it fun for spectators who chanted, “Go Japan!,” or “USA, USA” to athletes passing by.
The event definitely had an international presence, something that was lacking from Challenge. Athletes crossed the finish line on Sunday waving their country’s flags.
The activities and races appeared to be well organized. We didn’t hear complaints from participants, which isn’t always the case among triathletes.
The wave starts might lack the drama of an Ironman where 3,000 athletes dive into the water at the same time but the safety measures are important.
We also liked how events were divided into separate races for elite and age groupers.
If was free to watch all of the races. Other free events included two parades (loads of enthusiasm), a street dance, plus a party in the park. The location for Friday’s street dance was near the SS Sicamous instead of the traditional 200 block of Main Street. This offered a view of the lake and also a boost for businesses such as Salty’s located on that end of the street.
On Wednesday night there was a Red and White party complete with a live band and multiple medal presentations.
The musical entertainment was all local, which was great because, as we’ve said for years — Penticton’s got talent.
Prior to the event’s launch, The Globe and Mail had a two-page spread in its national edition. Most journalism professors consider The Globe to be Canada’s best newspaper and its circulation is nation-wide. The value of that publicity — (to borrow from MasterCard) priceless.
Although ITU offered a lot of new and interesting twists, organizers maintained all of the great things which worked well in the past.
It’s always a privilege to hear Steve King at the finish line. We could listen to him all day and never get bored.
The army of volunteers, described in promotional material as “legendary,” again donated many hours to make the race a success. You don’t have a triathlon without volunteers.
The traditional Lakeshore Drive finish line was also a great spot to end the race.
Unfortunately, ITU is a “one-off,” meaning it will be several years — if ever — before it returns. Were there some snags? Sure. Did the athletes enjoy themselves and leave with a favourbale opinion of Penticton and the South Okanagan? Yes. Thanks to everyone who made it happen.
—James Miller