Frontrunners Fit Chiropractic Dodge City X has just announced the addition of a new youth relay category for teens ages 13 to 16. The off-road triathlon, which takes place on September 6 in Cumberland, has been a favourite of adult athletes since 2018 and is now also open to a younger cohort of swimmers, mountain bikers and trail runners.
“We have to follow Triathlon Canada’s age guidelines, which prohibit anyone under 16 from doing our solo triathlon,” says race director Ryan Parton. “I often get asked if younger athletes can participate and I hate turning them away, so when one of our sponsors suggested we launch a relay version of our shorter sprint course, we jumped all over it.”
The youth sprint triathlon features a 750-metre swim in Comox Lake, a technical 12-km mountain bike course and a challenging 5-km trail run through the forested hills of Cumberland. The event is open to teams of two or three participants, although team members must be at least 16 by the end of this year to participate in more than one discipline. Though the event is open to teens as young as 13, Parton advises that participants should be competent swimmers, mountain bikers or runners, noting that the swim is entirely in deep water and the bike and run courses can be challenging.
“Our goal is to deliver a safe, fun and overwhelmingly positive experience for all,” he says. “If anyone wants to chat with me about the course or about suitability, they can contact me through our website and I’m happy to help.”
Alongside the youth sprint relay, Parton says his team has also created a non-competitive, “Just 4 Fun” sprint relay, which uses the same course but is open to anyone over the age of 13.
“Race with your kids, your friends, your extended family – whoever you want to spend some time with sweating in the woods and living your best life, sign up and bring them along!”
For those looking for a more competitive event, this year’s Dodge City X standard triathlon will serve as the BC Cross Triathlon Championship, as well as a qualifier for the 2026 World Multisport Championship in Abu Dhabi.
Frontrunners Fit Chiropractic Dodge City X is hosted by local non-profit Steam Donkey Racing Club and is part of the BC X Tri Series. To learn more or to register, visit www.dodgecityx.ca.
Steam Donkey Racing would like to thank Dodge City Cycles, Dynamic Spine Sport & Wellness, BodyNetix Professional Fitness and local swell guy Thomas Dargie, along with its other event sponsors.
