Things are picking up for triathlon in British Columbia says Tri BC executive director

With one of the mildest climates in the country, it’s no wonder the Lower Mainland of BC hosts the earliest multisport races of the season at the University of British Columbia on Saturday March 9th. As the season ramps up, Triathlon Magazine’s Kevin Heinze spoke with Allan Prazsky, executive director of Triathlon BC, about the state of triathlon in his province.

Triathlon Magazine: How many members are in Triathlon BC right now and what was the record high?

Allan Prazsky: Last year we recovered nicely from the downturn that Covid caused, and we had just about 7,500. The record high came in 2017, which coincided with the Penticton World Championships, there were about 11,000.

How is the sport of triathlon doing in BC from your perspective?

It’s in good shape. We are working on bringing even more diversity to multisport events here in the province. We are also working on getting more people into the sport including new Canadians. As well, we have been able to invest more money into the sport, specifically in the areas of officiating, coaching, age-group racing and para-sport.

What are some of those exciting events happening in the province in 2024?

We are sanctioning about 50 events in the province this year. Some exciting races on the schedule include the Canadian Cross Triathlon Age Group Championships in Victoria (an Xterra event). Recently announced is the addition of a 70.3 event as part of Ironman Canada in August. And we are also very interesting in seeing how well the new gravel half iron event will do. It’s slated for Cowichan Lake in July.

Ironman adds 70.3 race to Ironman Canada weekend in Penticton

We recently heard of the new PTO T-100 tour getting started, which opens up more racing opportunities for pros. The PTO had a race in Edmonton two years ago, but it no longer exists. Is getting a PTO tour stop in British Columbia something Tri-BC would be interested in?

There were two larger organizations who were looking at Vancouver specifically to host a marquee  event in 2024, however the turn-around time for the decisions prohibited that from happening. I think being able to have such an event, it is a combination of whether an organization can afford it and if they can work within the timelines that the city has in place.

Who are some up and coming triathletes in the province?

First off there is Daniel Damian, he is in the U-23 division and came off a very impressive 2023 with a podium in Europe and the Nation U-23 crown. We are also excited about Hayden Woodrow. He is a recent Dalhousie graduate and current U23 racer, Woodrow’s training speeds are on par with Daniel’s, his only caveat being a lack of race experience, which we hope to rectify in 2024. Woodrow trains with our BC Team under the guidance of our Provincial Coach, Kelly Guest.

This is an Olympic year, in your experience do the games have any impact on people getting into the sport?

We hope the coverage inspires a lot of people to try out the sport, but to truly make an impact we need to see Canadians with medals around their necks. Whether that is this year, or the next time remains to be seen but I’m confident we will see an uptick in our province. I also know that triathlon in BC will continue to flourish with or without the Olympics.