Farewell to Ironman Newfoundland 70.3  

It wasn’t long after I made my last post that rumours started to fly about the possible demise of the Ironman Newfoundland 70.3. Low turnout along with new races in Muscoka and Calgary would make it difficult to continue with the event even though it was well run, and featured an awesome course.

By mid fall, the rumours turned to fact, and Wreckhouse Entertainment put an end to their two year relationship with North American Sports, and announced there would be no 2009 event.

Having a 70.3 event so close to home made it near impossible to resist. Given the fact that I was born and raised in Corner Brook, and still had family there made the logistics of planning a trip around the event too easy to pass up.

Ironically, one of the factors that led to the events demise was one of the biggest draws for me. Low numbers made the chances of hooking a qualifying slot for Clearwater pretty good, but at the same time, low numbers made it difficult for the organizers to continue.

In retrospect, I felt that the 2008 event showed significant improvement, and although the numbers were only slightly better than 2007, the number of Newfoundland athletes dropped which meant that the increase in overall numbers came from athletes from away.

If the event was in danger of being discontinued, it would have been good to give it just one more try, or even make the 2009 event the last, that way, anyone who skipped 08 would have one last chance to participate in this type of race without having to travel to St. Croix, or Timberman, or Orlando. And maybe if there was just one more year, and a bump up in participants, organizers might rethink the decision, but hindsight is 20-20, and I am sure that these ideas were well considered and contemplated, and in the end, the final decision was one that the organizers could live with.

So to Steve and Mark and all the other people who made the event possible, Thanks. And to the people of Pasadena and Corner Brook who opened up their communities to athletes from all over the world, you should give yourselves a pat on the back. I have travelled to a couple of events, in different destinations, and the venue and course for the Ironman Newfoundland 70.3 was second to none, and I will miss swimming Deer Lake, and riding and running the Humber Valley.