Photo: Monique Tamminga Ironman winner Lionel Sanders, centre, at the podium Sunday, Aug. 25 at Penticton's final Ironman. It’s the end of an era for Penticton as thousands came to cheer on the athletes one last time for the final edition of Ironman Canada on Sunday.
Canada’s highest profile triathlete Lionel ‘No Limits’ Sanders finished way ahead to take the win in Penticton, the birthplace of Ironman. Coming through the Lakeshore Drive finish line at 6:57:09, Sanders was hugged by his wife and toddler as he got his medal, waving to crowds holding signs and cheering on the finish line. This win is three out of four Ironman races for Sanders this year, securing himself an early slot for the 2025 Ironman World Championships in Nice.
The last edition of the iconic Penticton race got off to an unexpected start with the 3.8 km swim in Okanagan Lake removed by organizers in the early morning due to water temperatures being too cold. Lake temperatures had dipped to around 12 or 13 C.
Instead, the 1,700 athletes went with a later start of 7:30 a.m. for the 180 km bike ride through Oliver, Osoyoos and Keremeos and returning to Penticton where they transitioned to the 42.
2 kilometre run through Penticton and the area. It usually takes elite athletes around eight hours to finish while some can take up to 15 hours. Numerous faithful spectators and many volunteers stay until the very last racer comes through.
In the Pro Women division, it was American Sarah True that crushed her first time on the Penticton course at a time of 7:52:29. True, who was in the Olympics in 2012 and 2016, said it was a friend of hers that lives in Penticton who suggested she stay with her and try the Ironman. “The course was beautiful.
I’d love to stay here longer to take in the fantastic tourism highlights like float down the channel,” said True. “I live near mountains so I am used to those hills but I wasn’t expecting the winds here. I got the full Penticton experience.
” As for the swim cancellation, True said you just roll with the changes. Hometown hero Jeff Symonds - who gave Penticton a storybook ending win last Ironman in 2022 - did not time as well as he would have liked coming in 16th overall at 8:30:56. “[Famed race announced] Steve King would always say you never know how you are going to feel until you are out there and I don’t know what went wrong.
It was tough from the get go with my draw I was in that lonely, no man’s land,” said Symonds. “Right now I’m pretty crushed and devastated but looking back I’ll be glad that I took part in my hometown where Ironman Canada got started. It’s just wasn’t the fairytale ending this time.
” Another hometown hero and professional triathlete is Jen Annett who didn’t get a podium finish but did come in fifth in the Pro Women category at 8:13:47. “I live here, I love this course. Ironman put Penticton on the map.
I’m sad to see it go and it’s disappointing in my opinion,” said Annett. Going in the Penticton Ironman “was a bad idea” joked Annett who had just completed another race recently and is off to the Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii, something she never thought possible. “It’s the back-to-back that made this so challenging but I had to participate in my hometown and with it being the last time in Penticton.
” Final Results Pro Men Lionel Sanders (CAN) – 6:57:09 Sam Appleton (AUS) – 7:05:37 Jason Pohl – 7:15:44 Pro Women Sarah True (USA) 7:52:29 Jodie Robertson (USA) 7:59:38 Deborah Eckhouse (CAN) 8:04:19 ‘Tough to see it go,’ says Mayor Penticton was left shocked when Ironman announced that the historic event was being moved to Ottawa in 2025. Penticton was the first in Canada to host the Ironman triathlon starting in 1983 to 2012 and again in 2022. A provincial travel ban forced Ironman to cancel the race last year.
The race brings 10,000 people to Penticton and has been a huge economic boom for the city who secured a five-year contract with them in 2019. “It’s tough to see it leave,” said Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield who participated as an athlete in Ironman Penticton in 2002 and 2003. “The staff at Ironman said to me today how much they love Penticton.
They love the warm welcome they get here, the beautiful setting with the lake and the mountains. The Penticton course is considered a ‘bucket list’ destination for Ironman athletes around the world. “It’s a big economic driver.
There are lots of people who have moved here because of participating in Ironman and falling in love with the area.” Now the talk is how to replace it or should the city look to replace it, said Bloomfield. “Do we replace it with another signature event or smaller events? These are the conversations we are having right now.
We have to decide where the best investments are in our city.” Photo: Monique Tamminga Female category winner Sarah True.
