Come back, Ironman

What was once Penticton’s marquee summer sporting event has now become a shadow of its former self. Obviously it’s not the organizers’ fault, but the cancellation of Sunday’s races in the Super League Penticton triathlon due to wildfire smoke seemed to underscore just how far the sport’s star has fallen here.

Whether you loved it or hated it, Ironman Canada used to quite literally bring much of Penticton to a standstill.

Yes, people complained about being unable to get around the city due to extensive and lengthy road closures, but it was just one day of pain. Others planned ahead and made sure they had everything they needed at home to avoid going out. Or better yet, they spent the day watching the race and cheering on the athletes.

The payoff, of course, for handing over the city to Ironman for one day each August came in the form of economic activity. A 2004 study estimated the impact at $12.5 million annually with upwards of 3,000 people competing in the race.

Their impact was felt in hotels, restaurants, bike shops, gas stations, wineries and the like.

By contrast, last weekend’s Super League Penticton triathlon had approximately 375 amateurs registered, plus 32 professionals. Sure, they spent money too, but not $12.5 million.

And there was very little buzz around the city about the race – just a few streets closed, half of Gyro Park fenced off and one block dressed up as the finish area. Organizers can spin it however they want, but there’s a limited audience for novelty triathlon events.

Super League comes after five years of Challenge-branded triathlons, which even the organizer admitted had failed to launch in Canada as city officials expected it to do when they dumped Ironman for the European upstart.

At issue was the marketing fee Ironman wanted from the city for the right to continue hosting the race. The fee was set to rise to $75,000 by 2014, and would have come on top of $100,000 worth of in-kind support.

(Super League got $100,000 worth of inkind support this year, but no marketing fee.)

Ironman eventually found a new dance partner in Whistler, where this year’s race attracted the usual 3,000 athletes and the economic impact has been estimated at about $10 million annually.

Hindsight is 20-20, and it’s now abundantly clear that city officials of the day made a huge mistake when they parted ways with Ironman, a brand that means something.

City officials of today should be on the phone with Ironman to find out what it will take to bring the race back home to Penticton when the deal with Whistler expires in two years.

— City editor Joe Fries