Home > News

Whistler bids to host Ironman Canada

The winning bid will be announced during the week of October 7.

Whistler, best known for its downhill sports – skiing and mountain biking – and, of course, its part in hosting a number of events for the 2010 Olympic Games, has put in a bid to be the next host of Ironman Canada.

Among other communities in British Columbia which have confirmed that they are seeking to win the WTC’s approval are Kelowna, Vernon and Victoria. The town of Huntsville, Ontario is part of a group looking to bring the race to Muskoka, which currently is home to a 70.3 race.

“I can confirm that Tourism Whistler and the Resort Municipality of Whistler – acting as the Whistler Organizing Committee (WOC) – have submitted a bid,” said Breton Murphy, director of partnerships at Tourism Whistler.

Whistler “expects to be notified by the end of this week regarding our status on a potential shortlist. A final decision on the successful bid is expected in early to mid-October,” Murphy said.

“As is the case in all bid submissions, the details of the proposal are confidential so we’re not in a position to speak to any specifics regarding our submission,” Murphy said.

If Whistler were to win the rights to Ironman Canada, it would mark the latest ski resort town in North America to secure one of the sport’s long-distance events. Mont Tremblant in Quebec and Lake Tahoe in California this year were locations for two of the WTC’s newest Ironman races.

Bids for Ironman Canada were due on Monday. The WTC is expected to short list its preferred candidates later this week with a new host being announced next month ahead of the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.

We’ve also received confirmation from Tourism Calgary, that they did not submit a bid.

Timothy Moore is the author of Sub Nine: History’s Fastest Ironwomen. It’s the first book of its kind. It profiles the fastest professional women who compete in Iron distance triathlon which consists of a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike and then a 42km run – one after the other. Sub Nine refers to stopping the race clock in less than nine hours.