Twenty-two sprint competitors at the Banff Triathlon on Sept. 8 will earn the chance to represent Canada at the 2013 World Championships in London, England.
Paul Regensburg, organizer of the Banff Triathlon, made the announcement last week, adding that the Alberta Triathlon Association has named the Banff race the provincial championship for the 2012 season. He described the title as an honour for the race, which is only in its third year of existence.
The world championship positions can go to any sprint competitor in the 11 divisions.
“If the first person doesn’t take it, it goes to the next person. People who never thought they’d represent their country can get asked to go to the world championships. There have been people who’ve done their first tri and been asked to be on the national team.”
Last year, 750 competitors participated in the event, however, organizers are expecting 1,000 this year. Although the 25 per cent jump is a lofty goal, it’s still below the Parks Canada cap imposed on the event.
“We want to respect the number of competitors. It’s actually below our allowance, but at that number, the economic benefit for the community is very strong,” Regensburg said.
The economic spinoff for the town of Banff is about $3 million, based on a formula that takes into account hotel stays, meals and other purchases.
“If anything, I’d say that’s low. Other events we hold don’t have people staying three nights,” Regensburg said.
More than half of the participants stayed more than two nights in Banff and 73 per cent dined out more than once.
“Triathletes come and check their bike the day before. They tend to stay in town, they tend to have money. The demographic is the upper and middle class, and they bring people with them,” Regensburg said. “We want it to be a weekend festival.”
There will be some changes to the course this year (which includes Olympic, sprint and super sprint distances), as organizers want to improve traffic flow this year. During their first year, weather was miserable, however, last year’s warm temperatures attracted more visitors.
“Last year, we ended up with a beautiful day that put more stress on the town. It caught us off guard. That’s one of our goals – improve flow of traffic around the townsite,” Regensburg said.
Organizers have co-operated with Parks and the Town of Banff to ensure the event also incorporates more information about the destination.
“In the beginning, the first application was rejected by Parks. We came back addressing their needs. After the first period, Parks has been a great partner. It was tough to establish, but since then Parks and the town have been great ever since,” Regensburg said.
The triathlon also donated $2,500 to several community groups, including Banff Community High School, Bow Valley KidSport, Banff Hockey Academy and Banff Community Foundation.
“In discussions with Parks and the Town of Banff, it’s important to give back. We gave $2,500 and we have other programs to give back as well.”
For more information, visit www.triseries.ca/banff
