Young speedster beats pros at Dodge City X

Frontrunners Fit Chiropractic Dodge City X, the Comox Valley’s annual off-road (cross) triathlon, crowned its youngest champion ever on September 8. Young speedster Lewis Dickson, 24, recorded a time of 2:25:37, good enough to beat the entire field – including four professional triathletes who turned up for this year’s race.

“Cross triathlon is a sport in which the top athletes seem to peak a bit later, so it’s great to see young speedsters like Lewis showing us that the future of the sport is as bright as ever,” said race director Ryan Parton. “This is such a fun event with a super supportive atmosphere that attracts participants of all ages and fitness levels, and it’s inspiring to watch them give it their all on one of the toughest courses in Canada.”

Frontrunners Fit Chiropractic Dodge City X features a 1.5-km swim in Comox Lake followed by a 22-km mountain bike and a 9.5-km trail run through Cumberland’s vast trail network.

On the female side, local physiotherapist Kelsey McCallan was the top amateur, edging out her perennial rival and last year’s champ Natalie Ward. A roughly half distance “sprint” version was topped by David Frisch and Ruth Mills, both of Courtenay. 

The event also featured an Elite race, in which Vancouver’s Nathan Killam topped the podium alongside Sechelt’s Katelyn Button, both defending Elite champions from last year’s event. Each top professional took home a $500 prize donated by Architype Millwork and Cabinetry.

This year’s race marked the sixth year in Cumberland for an event that’s earned an integral spot as part of the village’s trail culture.

“When we came out with our first event in 2018, people were like ‘what’s cross triathlon?’” said Parton. “’You mean I can do a triathlon with mountain biking and trail running? That’s awesome!’ Now people stop me in the trails to tell me they’re training for it, or that they want to do it. It’s pretty cool.”

While Frontrunners Fit Chiropractic Dodge City X always hosts a contingent of top competitors vying for a place on the podium, the bulk of its registrants are typically amateur athletes and weekend warriors who are simply out for a personal challenge and a bit of camaraderie. Parton and his colleagues at Steam Donkey Racing, the nonprofit that hosts the event, celebrate those participants with the Tough as Dodge Award, given out each year to a competitor who exhibits exemplary grit or perseverance. This year’s joint recipients included Mary MacRae, who took time out of her race to help another rider in distress, and a local trio of Derek Tripp, Bonny Ervin and Diana Olsen, a relay team with a combined age of 224 years.

Frontrunners Fit Chiropractic Dodge City X is hosted by Steam Donkey Racing and supported by a contingent of local sponsors that includes Dodge City Cycles, Dynamic Spine, Sport and Wellness, BodyNetix and Thomas Dargie.

For full results, photos, video and more, visit www.dodgecityx.ca.