Steam Donkey Racing’s Air Quality Policy

It seems like the smoky days in Cumberland have come and gone, and we hope they stay that way. In fact, our meteorological soothsayers are telling us that everything is moving in the right direction for PACE Multisport Dodge City X to be unaffected by air quality issues come September 9.

That said, we can’t control the weather (yet), and with the cancellations of two triathlon events in the Okanagan recently, coupled with a spate of 10+ air quality in the Cumberland area last week, we know that air quality is on your minds. Thus, we thought it would be a good time to share our policies on air quality as they pertain to our events, including PACE Multisport Dodge City X.

Air Quality Policies driven by Triathlon BC

Our policies around air quality follow in lockstep with those of Triathlon BC, our sanctioning body. These policies, along with more information on the Air Quality Health Index (HQHI), the particular dangers of forest fire smoke and general guidelines for exposure to poor air quality , can be found in Triathlon BC’s Air Quality Policy.

Because wood smoke can be particularly problematic, we choose to err on the side of athlete safety should air quality be a concern. Here’s our policy:

Air Quality Health Index ratings and how they affect SDR events

AQHI of <7: All events proceed as planned

AQHI of 7-8: Events will be modified/shortened. In the case of PACE Multisport Dodge City X, the Standard Course would be cancelled and all athletes, including relay team members, would do the Sprint Course.

AQHI of 9-10+: Events must be cancelled or postponed until air quality improves.

Like we said, we have every reason to believe that air quality will not be an issue on September 9. In fact, as of today the AQHI is already back down to 1, the lowest (cleanest) end of the scale (see image). That said, we’ll continue to keep you updated should air quality once again pose an issue. In case you’re still concerned about poor air quality on race day, we’ve also extended our deadline for athletes who wish to defer their registration to next year from August 31 to September 3, 2018.