Heads up, Sea to Sky triathlon enthusiasts: XTerra Whistler is getting a bit of a facelift.
Unlike last year, the popular off-road contest will take place on Sept. 16 and 17 as a two-day affair. According to race director Kristian Manietta, the change in date was prompted by environmental and logistical factors.
Having the triathlon in June, as was the case in 2022, forces athletes to deal with frigid water as they make their swim through Lost Lake, as well as soggy grass prone to being damaged by foot traffic. Moving the event to September is meant to address both issues, as well as leave the annual western toad migration undisturbed.
Meanwhile, the shift to two days allows Manietta and his team to spread out their three races. The sprint distance and kids’ event is currently scheduled for Saturday the 16th, leaving the championship distance for Sunday the 17th.
“That allows less congestion on the bike course,” Manietta explained. “It’s very challenging to have a bike course at Lost Lake that doesn’t cross over [itself], so having the distances on separate days will make it a little bit more enjoyable for those that have to do two laps on the bike [so they won’t have] to potentially pass people.”
Same, but different
Otherwise, XTerra Whistler remains largely the same event that has attracted athletes of varying skill levels from all sorts of backgrounds. Those wanting to ease themselves in, relatively speaking, can attempt the sprint, which consists of 750 metres in the water, 11.6 kilometres on the bike and five km on foot.
More seasoned triathletes, or those in need of a challenge, usually prefer the full championship course: a 1.5-km swim, 23.2-km bike ride and 10-km run. For reference, the Olympic triathlon has a longer second stage: 40 km on two wheels.
Of course, XTerra contestants ride their mountain bikes through rocky and root-filled trails as opposed to Olympians who hit paved roads. It’s an excellent fit for the generally mountain bike-crazy denizens of the Sea
to Sky.
Youth will again have their own time to shine. Six- to eight-year-old registrants will do a 25-m splash through Lost Lake, two km on their bikes and a one-km run. Those in the nine-to-15 age bracket instead face a 50- or 100-m swim depending on ability, a four-km ride and a two-km footrace.
Manietta considers introducing a kids’ event to be “one of the best things [XTerra] did,” and rave reviews from most grown-ups he’s heard from would support that claim. Last year, a bevy of youngsters embraced the race despite chilly waters in the 14 C range.
“They had an absolute ball,” he remembers. “Most kids in the Sea to Sky have a bike, so they could [ride it], they could either swim or go across the shoreline depending on what they felt was fine. We had a couple of different bike courses and running courses.
“They got a full taste of a mini-XTerra and they absolutely loved it. The parents loved it, too.”
“It was really great to get them involved, so they could feel a part of things,” added Manietta’s wife, Charlotte Paul. “[It’s not always fun] for kids to get dragged along to their parents’ events, but to be able to do it themselves was really cool.”
Worth it
September will mark the fourth time XTerra has brought a triathlon to Whistler. Originally the brainchild of a group of Whistler Triathlon Club board members, including Manietta and original race director Dale Tiessen, the race first occurred in 2019 and returned in 2021 as a relatively small, last-minute event. Tiessen stepped away from directing after that, opening the door for Manietta to twist his wife’s arm into accepting a leadership role.
“I was a little bit reluctant to start with, but I found that I do really love being involved just because it is so rewarding when people have such a good time,” Paul said. “You see people challenging themselves—they’re looking at the finish line when they’re exhausted, but they’re proud of themselves.
“I know what that feeling is like as an athlete myself, so I get huge satisfaction from seeing other people feel that, too.”
Both Manietta and Paul are lifelong athletes passionate about creating worthy recreational experiences for others. They also help facilitate the Run Comfy Numb and XTerra Pemberton trail races, with Manietta directing both. Yet for him and his wife, there’s something special about the triathlon: that distinctive multidisciplinary endeavour that offers something for both the serious endurance athlete and the weekend bike park warrior wanting to branch out.
After all, there’s a reason Manietta calls the XTerra Whistler sprint race a “gateway drug.” It’s an authentic taste of the triathlon world that pushes you, yet won’t demand six months of your life the way preparing for an Ironman would (that’s roughly four km in the water, just over 180 km on two wheels, and a full 42.2-km marathon to wrap up).
“It is a kind of strange feeling to get off the bike after you’ve been pushing hard and then expect your legs to run,” Paul said. “It’s a challenge, but it’s within reach.”
“We wanted to bring the good stuff to Whistler in this event,” added Manietta. “We all need some challenges, and when you see people overcome some of those challenges … and [reap] the rewards from having come across the finish line, it makes it all worth it.”
For more information, visit xterrawhistler.com.
