Will there be a 26th annual Corner Brook Triathlon?

CORNER BROOK If a 26th annual Corner Brook Triathlon is to become a reality this summer, it will stem from the motivation of an ad-hoc committee of local athletes trying to preserve tradition.

With the organizing core developed in years past having shifted gears to concentrate on the first hosting of the Ironman 70.3, the local triathlon has been left by the wayside.

Sherry LeDrew was chosen to spearhead the project of keeping the tradition alive. She said that not much has happened in terms of ironing out the organizational details in the month since they had their first get-together.

"It is not dead in the water, but there is nothing official yet," LeDrew told The Western Star. "We have come together to discuss the possibility and hopefully make it happen. It is athletes that want to see races happen because they want to race. It is not coming from people who want to get out there and put the race off from an organizing perspective.

"We would love to see the organizers organize it, but if that is not going to happen then we feel it is important to try to make it ourselves."

The biggest stumbling block so far has been choosing a time to hold the event. With so much going on this summer, it has been hard for the group to decide on a date to hold the event.

"There are so many things on the go this summer with so many different organizations," she said. "Every time we come up with a date and try to pinpoint it, there is a clash with something else."

LeDrew noted the month of July, which has become too soon now to hold the event anyway, as one in which athletes' calendars are already jam-packed. The Stephenville Triathlon, Ironman 70.3, the Tely 10, a local Sunday running series are just a few of the events making it a taxing month already.

"We are talking about a date now in August," she said.

In terms of a route, August may just be a better time anyway, she concluded. In August, there will be no connection or conflict with the Ironman 70.3 race. The route from last year would probably be best. LeDrew said it worked so well there would have to be a good reason not to use it. Road closures, if they are necessary, would only be up for the duration of the event and not all day as experienced in recent years.

LeDrew hopes the triathlon tradition will survive above all else.

"You don't want to see it sit for a year," she said. "Once you break that cycle, it is no longer a 26- or 27-year history anymore. The history of it is just too good to let it sit."