Peace Garden Triathlon boosts race calendar

Jared Spier and Triathlon Manitoba wouldn’t mind a few more gifts like the one they unexpectedly received from Duane Latimer in 2019.

Spier, a Triathlon Manitoba longtime executive director, said the Peace Garden Triathlon that the Boissevain product Latimer and his family stage every season has become one of the highlights of the organization’s annual race calendar.

“It was an area we didn’t have a race before and it’s such an active area and a beautiful area of the province,” Spier said. “There are active communities all around so to have that opportunity to get in there and not only deliver an event in the area but deliver an event in such a unique and incredible venue, that’s as close as we get to having a closed-course triathlon.”

It’s the first event south of the Trans-Canada Highway in Westman since the Brandon Kids of Steel race ended in 2010 prior to the flood.

Spier noted the campground is filled with triathletes, and with the race’s unique setup — a mixed team relay on Saturday, and then Sprint and Olympic races plus a Sprint duathlon and Olympic aquabike on Sunday — it’s a weekend of fun that Spier compares to going to summer camp and hanging out with your friends around a campfire.

It’s become a family affair for the Latimers, something Spier calls phenomenal.

“I can’t say enough good things and I can’t say thank you enough to Duane, and neither should any other triathlete who’s been to that event,” Spier said. “It’s so wonderful to have the opportunity to race there, and the product that’s put on, the welcome that everyone gets.

“Every year I say hi to Duane’s mom at registration. It’s his crew that is putting it on, and well he does get support from others in the community and even from Brandon area, but it is a labour of love for sure.”

Spier said Triathlon Manitoba does its best to support him, but they’re three hours away so the local team does the majority of the heavy lifting.

The organization’s race calendar opened last Sunday at Birds Hill, and also includes The Pas (June 20), St. Malo (June 27), Hecla (July 18), Peace Garden (Aug. 1-2), Riding Mountain (Aug. 15) and Stonewall (Aug. 22).

While Peace Garden is one of the youngest races on the calendar, Westman’s other race is the oldest, with the Riding Mountain Triathlon originally started in 1986 by Laurie Penton.

It was taken over in 1996 by Winnipegger Dave Lyon, a Manitoba track and field legend who died in 2013. Ellis and Deb Crowston worked closely with him for several years before and then took control in 2007.

The couple, along with with sons Gage and Kyle and a large team of volunteers, transformed the race into the biggest in Manitoba history, drawing a provincial record of 542 athletes in 2012.

“The investment into making that event the standout event on the Manitoba calendar was really notable,” Spier said. “It resulted in every other race stepping up to that same level. I think what Ellis and his group did was really bring up the sport across the province as a result, because he was definitely leading at that time.”

East St. Paul resident Dave Lipchen who runs the Windburn Multi-Sport Academy, took over the Riding Mountain Triathlon from the Crowston family in 2018, and has battled with the pandemic and zebra mussels in recent years.

Needless to say, Spier was relieved with the ruling that boats will be allowed back on Clear Lake as park staff continue to combat the spread of zebra mussels.

“The stability for planning is going to be an asset for everybody, to know what you can do,” Spier said. “Last year, just from a safety standpoint, we still needed to have that confirmation that you can have a boat. There was a back and forth and they weren’t sure they could confirm a safety boat in the water, and obviously the swim is the dangerous part of triathlon.

“If something goes wrong and you don’t have someone who is able to respond as quick as possible, that was an extra headache last year. We didn’t need it again this year, which is great.”

The Manitoba race circuit had had a number of events come and go over the years, but two others have stood the test of time.

For the last 29 years, the season has begun at Bird’s Hill, and usually a couple of weeks later, it moves to St. Malo.

The organization shifted to a club structure in the mid-1990s that meant every club had to put on a race, and Triple Threat has organized Bird’s Hill, while Tribalistic, which was later named Prairie Performance Triathlon, has staged St. Malo.

“It’s great,” Spier said. “They’re closing in on 30 years.”

The sport also re-established its northern presence when The Pas returned to the race calendar in 2024, although it was cancelled in 2025 as the community supported fire evacuees.

“It’s a nice really nice community event,” Spier said. “It’s not just The Pas, it’s the Kelsey Recreation and the tri community there and they just bring everything together there.”

The swim is actually held in a pool instead of open water.

A number of other communities have also hosted adult races over the years, including Morden, Lac du Bonnet and Kenora — Pinawa also hosts a race, but it’s unsanctioned — with volunteer burnout one of the reasons they’ve disappeared.

“That’s what makes Duane being able to pull off the Peace Garden incredible,” Spier said. “He’s not calling on a team to get that done.”

One of the keys is simple infrastructure.

Spier said better roads wouldn’t hurt for Manitobans looking to spend time in provincial parks, and triathlon would certainly mainly benefit too.

“In terms of holding out hope, we would love to see those races come back because each of those races were really strong opportunities to get out and race,” Spier said. “We need to see some investment in parks as well. Manitoba’s provincial parks are beautiful but the funding for the roads in the parks is … I don’t know of a provincial park in Manitoba that’s had a new road in the last decade.

“Birds Hill Park is shocking, Hecla/Grindstone is shocking.”

He noted the frost heaves in Birds Hill are especially awful.

On a more positive note, Spier is looking forward to the fact two qualifying spots per age group are available for the 2027 multisport championships in Edmonton this season.

The organization continues to focus on kids programming at the Manitoba Triathlon Centre, helping younger and older athletes to achieve their potential. While they’ve graduated triathletes onto the national team, including 2024 Olympian Tyler Mislawchuk of Oak Bluff, they’re well aware the elite stream isn’t for everyone.

“We recognized post-COVID that there was a drop in the number of young athletes in triathlon, so we’re trying to make sure we have a better structure in place to support those athletes as they come through the sport,” Spier said. “Both to encourage them at the youngest and newest levels.

“Whatever direction they want to go, whether it’s the MTC elite side of the sport or just staying and enjoying it as the lifestyle and lifetime part of triathlon, we try to make sure we have a pathway for them either way.”

Not many people come to triathlon by accident. Most newcomers want to test themselves in a different way, so the key is to make them welcome when they arrive.

As a result, Triathlon Manitoba is attempting to make that first race less daunting.

“We’re trying to do as much as we can to support people to take those first steps,” Spier said. “It can be pretty intimidating. Whether you have a fear of swimming or you’re trying to invest in a bike, there are so many extra steps for a sport that is really three sports. It’s tough to balance it all out. “If you’re taking on a triathlon, you’re taking on a little extra for sure.”

As a result, the organization has introduced an introduction to triathlon program in the last few years, which included swims and clinics.

The 10-week swimming course, which is held in Winnipeg, helps athletes get prepared for the water and what’s affectionately referred to as the “washing machine” in races as a large group swims together in the same direction.

The swimming program has drawn from a distance, including an athlete who drove in from Brandon to attend.

Happily for a sport that was crushed by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 and then suffered a huge drop in numbers in 2022, triathlon has made an impressive comeback.

Last season, the sport saw a 21 per cent increase in participation, and pre-registrations for races suggest that could happen again.

Spier is hopeful to see some new faces toeing the line this summer.

“We’ve got a lot going on and it’s great to see the growth that’s happening and the support for new people at events,” Spier said. “If anyone is interested in seeing what it’s all about, please come out to an event. Whether you’re coming out as a volunteer or a racer or a fan, you’ll get to see what’s going on and how you can get involved to whatever degree you want to be involved.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com