Up for Sale: Challenge Penticton

The City of Penticton is looking for new organizers for next year’s Challenge Penticton triathlon and festival. Currently the event is run by the Penticton Triathlon Race Society, a volunteer board of directors, established through a legal assignment by the city.

As the race has grown, it has become too demanding for the board all of whom also have full-time jobs. The city is seeking a collective or individual to take on running the event full-time.

President of the Penticton Triathlon Race Society Paulette Rennie says the society board agrees with the decision. “The Penticton Triathlon Race Society believes that a review of the business model responsible for a million dollar race is healthy and beneficial for all involved. The ideal operating model will see an individual or private entity with a vested interest lead this race to its maximum potential. This entity will understand the value and importance this race brings to our community and the communities of the South Okanagan and will eat, breathe and sleep Challenge Penticton Canada,” says Rennie.

Penticton Mayor Garry Litke is hopeful that the new organizers will further develop the success of the race. “This is an incredible opportunity for an organization to take a world-class race to whole new heights,” says Litke. “We thank the current organizers for their dedication to the community. The inaugural Challenge Penticton Canada restored a level of quality to our time-honoured triathlon, in addition to generating significant economic activity in the entire South Okanagan. This would not have been possible without the society’s tireless efforts in promoting our city as a premier destination for sport.”

The society board will transition the new organizing body through registration of the 2015 event.