15th annual Tri-Diva a success

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

The weather has simply not cooperated with local triathlons this year. But that was no reason to cancel the 15th annual Tri-Diva Triathlon.
With a light dusting of snow in some parts of Wheatland County two days prior to the race, some thought the race was going to get cancelled or bumped up a few hours, but not race director Deanne Jabs.
“We were going no matter what,” said Jabs. “We couldn’t postpone it because the permits were for today. We were a little concerned about the biking portion of the race, so we gave the athletes the option to skip the bike if they didn’t feel safe.”
With temperatures in the low single digits for the start of the race, there was some concern over the slick road conditions for the street bikes. Some racers opted to switch their road bike out for a cross-country mountain bike for better traction.
Earlier in the summer, heavy rainfall wiped out the bike portion of the Tri-Smore Triathlon. Instead, Jabs shortened the bike portion of the race from 20 km to 10 km in an attempt to keep the athletes as warm and as safe as possible.
“We told everyone to dress warm because our biggest concern was the possibility of hypothermia setting in during the long outdoor portions following the exit from the pool,” said Jabs.
Typically, the Tri-Diva is held earlier in the summer. This year, if it was held in August like it was last year, Jabs said they would have been forced to cancel it due to the thick smoke that clung to the air from the B.C. wildfires.
In total, 76 competitors crossed the finish line, a number that Jabs and the race committee was thrilled with.
“We had a very good group sign up this year. We offered a couple different distances this year and I think that appealed to more racers,” said Jabs.
“I heard this was a great race for beginners, so I figured I would come check it out,” said Sarah Fritzel, a 35-year-old runner from Red Deer. “It was a little freezing this morning standing around waiting for it to start, but it ended up being a fine race.”
Crossing the finish line first was Jean Thiessen, who took the title in a time of 42:29.
Like every year, the Tri-Diva prides itself on being an all-women race.
“It’s definitely not as intimidating with not having any men in it. All the women support each other and it’s a great event,” said Lynn Acheson, a 42-year-old mother from Calgary.
There were plenty of pink shirts, ribbons and hats on display, as the race celebrated women and helped raise money for the Cara Helps charity.
“This race is all about empowerment and bringing the community together with some girl power,” said Jabs. “It’s not as competitive as other triathlons, but it seems to be a good time each year with all our women. A little cold weather wasn’t going to slow us down.”