Home > News

Canadian athlete disqualified at Ironman Canada

Ironman Canada 2015. Credit: David Mccolm
Ironman Canada 2015. Credit: David Mccolm

The women’s champion in the 40 to 44 age category from Ironman Canada has been disqualified and her Kona slot has been revoked, according to officials.

Julie Miller, from Squamish, B.C., completed the run at Subaru Ironman Canada in Whistler without a chip, so officials had to manually enter her time after the event. Initially she was given a time of 3:17, which was later amended to 3:31. She was then awarded a spot at the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, only to have her result disqualified and her Kona slot revoked.

“We have fully investigated this incident and as of yesterday Julie Miller has been disqualified and her Kona slot revoked,” Ironman Canada race director Evan Taylor wrote in an email.

According to race rules it is an athlete’s responsibility to ensure they have a chip on during the event. Here is an excerpt from the athlete guide for the race:

If you lose your MyLaps Pro Chip during the event, you are responsible for a replacement at one of the following locations: swim exit, bike exit or run exit. Volunteers will have extra MyLaps Pro Chips at the timing locations above. If you lose your MyLaps Pro Chip while on the run course, please notify a timing official immediately after crossing the finish line.

  • Failure to wear your MyLaps Pro Chip on race day, return your chip after the event or pay the replacement cost of your lost chip may disqualify you from future IRONMAN® events.

Miller finished in the top-10 (age group) at the 2013 Ironman Canada event and also lost her chip during the run, according to a source. She was a gold-medallist at the 2014 ITU Triathlon Long Distance World Championship.

Miller told TMC, “I know the race I ran throughout the whole course. I know how I performed and the training that went into that performance, and I am confident in the results as they were originally announced.”