Barrie triathlon wraps up along waterfront

Athletes competing in MultiSport Canada's triathlon in Barrie, Ont. on Sun., August 11, 2024 (Source: Supplied/MultiSport Canada)

MultiSport Canada's two-day triathlon event wrapped up in Barrie on Sunday, which saw more than 1,300 athletes compete in various events along the waterfront.

Along with Sunday's main sprint triathlon event (750-metre swim, 20K bike, 5K run), there was also the sprint duathlon (5K run, 20K bike, 2.5K run), sprint swim-bike (750-metre swim, 20K bike), and relay event.

"The highlight was watching the parents seeing their kids cross the line for the first time, and the influx of energy that we had across two days here of racing," said Carolynne Simons, Communications director for MultiSport Canada.

The 12.7-degree water temperatures of Kempenfelt Bay on Sunday meant that more than 80 registered triathlon participants opted to switch to the duathlon, and those who competed in the triathlon had to wear wetsuits.

"We were grateful for not only the conditions we were able to manage today but also the combined cooperation of all areas of the logistics, the course, the city, and just the level of interest from our participants," added Simons.

Waterdown's Jessey Elf was the first to cross the finish line in the sprint triathlon, finishing with a time of 58 minutes and 44 seconds.

Guelph's Carley Somerset was the first woman to finish the sprint triathlon in 1 hour, 3 minutes, and 36 seconds.

The weekend also featured a Kids of Steel event on Saturday for children aged 6 to 15 and a Give-it-A-Tri event for first-timers.

A handful of athletes who competed in the sprint triathlon will be eligible to represent Canada for their age group at the 2025 Multisport Championships in Australia.

MultiSport Canada's triathlon series continues with its Toronto Islands event on August 16 and 17. It will return to the Simcoe-Muskoka region with an event in Wasaga Beach on Saturday, August 24.