Ironman Mont-Tremblant “will not take place as planned.”
Quebec government's cancellation of all events until the end of August forces Ironman to postpone flagship Canadian event.
After the Quebec government mandated that all festivals and cultural and sports events be cancelled until the end of August, Ironman has been forced to postpone Ironman Mont-Tremblant.
Well, we knew this was coming – now it’s official – Ironman Mont-Tremblant won’t be happening on August 23.
Here’s what Ironman announced earlier this evening:
Based on the mandate from the government of Quebec in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic to cancel festivals and all cultural & sporting events through August 31, the 2020 IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant triathlon, originally scheduled for Aug. 23, 2020 will not take place as planned. We are working diligently on all potential options and further event details will be communicated as soon as possible. In what has been a continually evolving and challenging time globally, we recognize that this may come as a disappointment but look forward to providing athletes with an exceptional race experience in the future.
It’s surprising it has taken this long for this to be made official – we reported on the Quebec government’s position on April 11th – the announcement was made a day earlier.
Related: Event cancellations and postponements due to coronavirus COVID-19
Finding a date for the event in September seems like the only possible option if the race is to take place at all in 2020 – the average water temperature in Lac Mont-Tremblant in September isn’t that much lower than in August – the average water temperature for the month is 20 degrees C (68 Fahrenheit), with the air temperatures averaging 12 degrees C for the low and 20 degrees for the high. Things drop dramatically in October, though, with the average water temperature dipping to 14 degrees and the average high at 13 degrees.
Related: The Kona qualifying conundrum
The Kona conundrum – How will athletes qualify for the Ironman World Championship?
Postponing or cancelling Ironman Mont-Tremblant will make the qualification process for the Ironman World Championship even more complicated – Ironman had previously announced that it would be extending the Kona qualifying period until August 30, but today’s announcement ensures that another qualifying event will drop out of that qualifying window.
