Strathmore Triathlon returns

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Tri-S’more triathlon returned, Aug. 26, for its annual race, and this year was alongside the Tri-Diva women’s triathlon occurring at the same time. 

“We are bringing together two triathlons into one that had been around for over 10 years each, and then after the pandemic and the world changing, we decided to consolidate,” said Race Director, Tom Bamford. “Now, we have these two races that occurred usually in June or September altogether and it offers swim, bike, run triathlon for people that are doing anything from ages four and up, with different distances.”

Bamford added the Platinum Racing team, which hosted the events, was contacted by the previous race directors to host this time around. 

Aside from the Tri-S’more triathlon, which was open to everyone, the Tri-Diva event was for women only, with designated pool, biking and running lanes to accommodate the separate athletes. 

The combined event was recorded to have over 100 participants, with aspirations to grow it as people find out about it, or who may be reminded that it is taking place annually. 

Last year, the Tri-Diva triathlon by itself saw roughly 75 athletes participating. With the addition of the Tri-S’more, the goal is to bring some life back into the run. 

“The Strathmore Tri-S’more race has not been around for a while, so we are, in some ways kind of reinvigorating it to people and letting folks know it even exists,” said Bamford. 

Platinum Racing hosts athletic events all over Western Canada, including the Ironman race in Calgary, and was excited to take the reins on racing in Strathmore to ensure the continuation of the event. 

The Tri-Diva and the Tri-S’more triathlons are considered standalone events and are not a part of any larger racing circuits. 

“It is not part of some sort of point system or anything — the sport just is not that sophisticated. It is meant for the average person to enter and train for and enjoy,” said Bamford. “You do not have to have a license, you do not have to have any kind of requisite, it is very open for access for people who want to give it a go. We do this because we love giving athletes a chance to give triathlon a shot.”

Categories for the races included ages four to eight, nine to 13, 13 to 17, and adults of any age. In order to accommodate everyone who was interested, there were multiple race lengths available for adult participants to attempt. 

More information regarding the races for future years, as well as other events throughout Western Canada is available via the Platinum Racing website.