The Comox Valley鈥檚 annual off-road cross triathlon saw four professional triathletes turn up for this year鈥檚 race. The winner, Lewis Dickson, 24, recorded a time of 2:25:37, which was enough to beat the entire group, including the professionals.
鈥淐ross triathlon is a sport in which the top athletes seem to peak a bit later, so it鈥檚 great to see young speedsters like Lewis showing us that the future of the sport is as bright as ever,鈥� said race director Ryan Parton. 鈥淭his is such a fun event with a super supportive atmosphere that attracts participants of all ages and fitness levels, and it鈥檚 inspiring to watch them give it their all on one of the toughest courses in Canada.鈥�
The Frontrunners Fit Chiropractic Dodge City X race took participants through a 1.5 km swim in Comox Lake, followed by a 22 km mountain bike ride and ended with a 9.5 km trail run through Cumberland鈥檚 trail network.
The woman鈥檚 race was won by physiotherapist Kelsey McCallan as an amateur, taking first place from her rival and last year鈥檚 winner, Natalie Ward. A sprint version of the race was won by David Frisch and Ruth Mills, both of Courtenay.
There was also an Elite race, which was won by Vancouver鈥檚 Nathan Killam and Sechelt鈥檚 Katelyn Button, who were both defending their championships from last year鈥檚 event. Each top professional took home a $500 prize donated by Architype Millwork and Cabinetry.
This year鈥檚 race was the sixth edition in Cumberland and has become an integral sport of part of the village鈥檚 trail culture.
鈥淲hen we came out with our first event in 2018, people were like 鈥榳hat鈥檚 cross triathlon?鈥欌�� said Parton. 鈥溾�橸ou mean I can do a triathlon with mountain biking and trail running? That鈥檚 awesome!鈥� Now people stop me in the trails to tell me they鈥檙e training for it, or that they want to do it. It鈥檚 pretty cool.鈥�
While Frontrunners Fit Chiropractic Dodge City X always hosts a group of top competitors looking for a place on the podium, the bulk of its registrants are typically amateur athletes who are simply out for a personal challenge.
Parton and his colleagues at Steam Donkey Racing, the nonprofit that hosts the event, celebrate those participants with the Tough as Dodge Award, given out each year to a competitor who exhibits exemplary grit or perseverance. This year鈥檚 joint recipients included Mary MacRae, who took time out of her race to help another rider in distress, and a local trio of Derek Tripp, Bonny Ervin and Diana Olsen, a relay team with a combined age of 224 years.
Frontrunners Fit Chiropractic Dodge City X is hosted by Steam Donkey Racing and supported by a contingent of local sponsors that includes Dodge City Cycles, Dynamic Spine, Sport and Wellness, BodyNetix and Thomas Dargie.
