Thanks for coming out to play at the 33rd edition of the Winterlude Triathlon. if you have any photos you want up share, feel free.

Mooney's Bay Park

Hello. It's not too late to register for the modified version of the Winterlude Triathlon. What a year! If what you read below interests you, you can register at Bushtukah tonight from 5 until 7. $100 cash. Now read on... Thanks to all of you for your continued support of the Winterlude Triathlon and your desire to compete. There are about 110 of you fine folks still keen to race on Saturday. We are very excited and have a good set up in store for you. Unfortunately, there will be no skate but now we know and can plan accordingly. So, this year’s version of the Winterlude Triathlon will be a 7.5k ski + 5k run. Sadly, though, there is not enough snow in the Arboretum to make a ski course. The great news is that we do have snow and a ski course at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility/Mooney’s Bay Cross Country Ski Facility, and we have booked it for Saturday. So, what’s the plan, you ask? Race location will be at Mooney’s Bay, 2960 Riverside Dr. There is free parking and washrooms. There is not really an indoor facility large enough for everyone, so plan to be outside for everything. That said, Saturday’s weather looks quite comfortable for the race and then hanging around. For a map, go here: https://goo.gl/maps/ePPWHPmEkxq Start time will be 8AM on the track. Remember to pick up your timing chip from the Sportstats tent in the parking lot. The ski start: waves of 20 people based on self seeded expected finish position with fastest first (or anyone else who really wants to battle it out at the front) 1 minute separation between waves all competitors will be required to double pole for the first 200m before breaking into whichever technique they want. This should help avoid some crashes and stepped on/broken ski poles awards will be based on chip time (because of the wave start format) For a complete view of the event locales, please go HERE The ski course will be: 3 laps of 2.5km, basically flat but twisty and turny, groomed for skate and classic technique, the map on the website above is not to scale and for visualization purposes only. Our partners at Sportstats will provide overall times as well as transition and ski lap times. The t-zone will be obvious (since you put your shoes there before the start). Relay hand off will be in the t-zone The run course will be along the Riverside Dr sidewalk to Hogs Back Rd, then under the Hogs Back Bridge onto the NCC pathway to the turnaround and back. 2.5k out, 2.5k back. The FINISH line will be on the pathway very close to the run start. Awards ceremony will be around 9:30 near the FINISH line. Our wonderful sponsor, Bushtukah will once again provide the prizes. Speaking of Bushtukah, race kit pick up is MANDATORY on Friday night at Bushtukah, 203 Richmond Rd between 5PM and 7PM. There is no kit pick up on Saturday. If you picked up your kit last week, you do not need to come back to Bushtukah on Friday, but you DO NEED TO USE THE SAME NUMBER AS LAST WEEK.

Photos from Winterlude Triathlon/Triathlon Bal de Neige's post

some photos from today

Thanks to everyone who came out for the first and possiby only Winterlude 5k. Results are up on Sportstats.ca Thanks also to Sportstats, Bushtukah, Canadian Heritage and the NCC for helping to make this last minute 5k possible.

RACE UPDATE #4 (Jan 27) Hello. Mother Nature has not been cooperating much lately and it appears She will continue that trend. We have been informed by the NCC that the Rideau Canal Skateway will not be ready in time for our race on Saturday. There is also minimal on the ski course. As a result, we have come to the difficult decision to postpone the 33rd Winterlude Triathlon until the next weekend, Saturday, Feb 6th. We’ll aim for all the same details as the original plan of skate, ski and run on Jan 30th. So, that means we all find ourselves with Saturday morning free, right? Maybe: the Winterlude organizers at NCC and Canadian Heritage have agreed to let us organize a 5k running race on Queen Elizabeth Drive in almost the same time slot we would have used this Saturday--8:30 START time from Preston St and Queen Elizabeth Driveway. Winterlude 5k route can be found HERE This 5k will be FREE to all Winterlude Triathlon registrants--yes, you get 2 races for the price of 1. Sportstats will time the event. We’ll have some post race food, and our friends at Bushtukah will provide the prizes. Race kit pick up will still be at Bushtukah on Friday, Jan 29th from 5PM until 8PM. You will use the same bib number for both the 5k and the triathlon (so don’t throw it out). If not running the 5k, you can still pick up your kit, but we’ll also have a second kit pick up Friday, Feb 5th from 5PM until 7PM. If you know anyone would like to run the 5k, they can register at Bushtukah on Friday between 5PM and 8PM. $15, cash. They can also register on Saturday morning before 8 am at the race start for $20, cash. While the website states no refunds, we are prepared to offer three options: participate in the 2016 Winterlude Triathlon on Saturday, Feb 6th. Additionally, you can do the one time only Winterlude 5k on Saturday, Jan 30th. request a 50% refund if you cannot participate in the Feb 6th version defer your entry to the 2017 Winterlude Triathlon. In order to do option 2 or 3, you MUST contact us before Wed, Feb 3rd at 1PM stating your intention to NOT RACE. Deferrals will be confirmed by email, and refunds will be processed by Wednesday, Feb 10th at 1PM. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Winterlude Triathlon update 3 With the current weather forecast and conditions of the Rideau Canal Skateway, we are getting down to the wire in regards to the format of the Winterlude Triathlon. Three things are for sure, though: there will be an event on Saturday it will be fun and exciting, and you’re going to like it! the transition zone will be on land, not on Dows Lake. NCC took core samples to assess the ice thickness. We are waiting for the results, which will help determine the format. Based on ice thickness, and on the conditions of the ice between Bank and Bronson, which as many of us know is always a bit questionable, we have three options. Option 1: the simple one. Everything is a go as per the normal format. Option 2: the spectator friendly one. The stretch between Bank and Bronson is not open, but Dows Lake is. skate will be multiple loops on Dows Lake. The length of the loop has yet to be determined because we have to assess the ice quality closer to Saturday. You will have to count your own laps. We’ll make sure you have enough fingers to count them on :-) It won’t be more than 8, and probably closer to 6, though. ski and run as per normal plan. Option 3: Dows Lake and the stretch between Bank and Bronson are not open. This is the more complicated option, for sure, but we have done it before and it worked well. the format will be a skate-run-ski the START will be at Bank St--skate 4k out, 4k back to Bank St. transition there into your run stuff, grab all your equipment and run 5k back to the Arboretum you MUST run in running shoes. You will not be permitted to run in your ski boots. This would be very dangerous and...well, very dangerous. No debate. ski and FINISH in the Arboretum. We understand it may be complicated getting to the START at Bank St--you can run there as your warm up, then change into your skate stuff. It’s 2k. EVERYONE will be required to carry all their equipment during the run back to the Arboretum, so pack lightly and consider a backpack. One obvious benefit for some, and drawback for others, is that all participants will have to change their footwear twice, levelling that aspect of the event. Check back here on Thursday afternoon for the final decision on the format.

Timeline Photos

A pic showing our thanks to Merivale HS student Rawan Saadi for designing the Winterlude Triathlon logo.

We are pleased to announce all participants will receive a free copy of IRun Magazine.

Folks, You are probably wondering what’s happening with this year's Winterlude Triathlon. After all, Jan 30th is not that far off and it’s time to register. There is almost no chance of skateable ice by Jan 30th, so we have made the decision to turn the triathlon into a run + ski event. This will allow everyone to plan accordingly and enter an event whose format is at least known. We have actually done this version previously, so some of you will be familiar with the set up. The run distance will be 6k and the ski will be somewhere between 6 and 8k. We try to make the ski as long as possible, but depending on snow conditions, tree growth, and the new trees in the Arboretum, we have to zig and zag to fit the 8 tonne, 14 foot wide groomer. We have changed the map on the website, so you can follow the link at the bottom of this email, or go to the website and follow that link. Please note, the run route on the map may not be accurate, but the run on race day will be. Naturally, if we cannot skate on the Rideau Canal, we cannot run on it either, so the START will be on Queen Elizabeth Drive near Preston St. It will be obvious with the Bushtukah archway stretched across the road. The last 300m of the run will pass the START location, turn left and follow the NCC pathway in front of the new HMCS Carleton building and go into the Arboretum to the transition zone, which will be on land (again, no ice means everything has to be on land). As mentioned, the ski is two loops, and the second time around, you’ll be directed towards the FINISH, which will be just beside the transition zone. You may be asking why we cannot do a run/ski/run. The Snow Buses for Winterlude start at 10AM, and the buses start assembling at 9:30AM. Regulations do not allow for buses and runners to be on the road at the same time, so we cannot be on the road after 9AM, and most people won’t be done in an hour. You may also be wondering about a price change. Pricing will not be adjusted to reflect the new format as we have several hard costs that still need to be covered, (grooming, timing and other costs). The workload is pretty much the same, and, like most people, we are not prepared to lose money while organizing the Triathlon.

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