Penticton — as it has more than 30 times since the early 1980s — is gearing up to welcome thousands of athletes and visitors for Ironman Canada.
But when lights go down and out-of-town racers return home after Aug. 25, the iconic triathlon will bid farewell to the city that first hosted the event in 1983.
Ironman Canada said earlier this week that the race is moving to Ottawa in 2025, but added that it is "grateful" for Penticton and looks forward to celebrating the city's long history with the triathlon one more time.
"We cherish the memories that have been created and look forward to building on those with our athletes and amazing community of volunteers in Penticton this August, as we celebrate the important role the city and its people have played in Ironman history," said Keats McGonigal, senior vice president and managing director for the Ironman Group in North America.
Penticton was the first city in Canada to host an Ironman triathlon.
It welcomed athletes for the long-distance race from 1983 to 2012, before taking a decade-long hiatus and inking a new five-year agreement with event organizers in 2019.
“We are grateful for the wonderful partners that we have in Penticton for hosting and helping to build the legacy of Ironman Canada triathlon into one of our longest-running and most popular events, McGonigal said.
"With over 30 years of history, all who have participated in one of the iconic Ironman Canada triathlons, either in Penticton or Whistler, can attest to what an amazing experience this captivating event has offered since it was first introduced in 1983."
Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield, while calling the announcement "disappointing," said the event has had challenges with enrolment since the start of the pandemic.
"The city is obviously sorry to see Ironman leave Penticton," Bloomfield told reporters on July 10. "The same can be said for many sports, certainly the extreme sports, I know that they've struggled to get the registrations to make their events a success."
After inking a new deal with the city at the end of last decade, Ironman Canada was forced to contend with the impacts of the pandemic.
It wouldn't hold an event in Penticton until 2022, as a result.
In August 2023, just eight days before it was set to start, the triathlon was cancelled due to raging wildfires across B.C.
"What we've found is that people are sort of migrating back to the smaller events, all those events that offer a range of options," the mayor added.
"So, (the Okanagan) Grandfondo offers a range of distances and has been tremendously successful. We just had a Peach City classic triathlon where we had 500 entries, and that's a very, small-scale local and smaller triathlon."
Ironman Canada, a 70.3-mile triathlon, comes to Penticton one last time on Sunday, Aug. 25.
When it moves to Ottawa in 2025, the event will be held on Aug. 3.
"Our team will continue to seek out new events that invite visitors to share our incredible beauty and spirit," Bloomfield said. "We have seen the addition of the Adventure Racing World Championship for next year and the 50th anniversary edition of BC Summer Games to our event lineup and I’m confident more exciting events will populate the summer and fall calendar in Penticton."
