This year’s ATB Financial Lloydminster Triathlon on June 14 will include a qualifier for the upcoming Saskatchewan Summer Games for the 12-15 age group. The top three males and females will represent the zone and be assigned a Triathlon Saskatchewan coach. Pictured are kids making the transition from the swim to the bike. Source File Photo
This year’s ATB Financial Lloydminster Triathlon for kids will include a sanctioned qualifier for the upcoming Saskatchewan Summer Games in Lloydminster.
The top three male and female finishers who enter the 12-15 age group qualifier at Bud Miller All Seasons Park on June 14, get to represent the zone triathlon team at the July 21-27 Games over the same course.
“It’s going to be great. Summer Games in Lloydminster is going to be amazing in July. It’s going to be a busy week,” said Jackie Bender.
She’s on the ATB triathlon committee along with Haley Howland and Cindy Rekimowich who are also local Games sports and venue chairs for the triathlon.
More than 2,000 athletes, coaches and officials are expected to participate in the Games with about 50 to 60 triathletes—over three days of competition.
“The first day the kids have to do the full triathlon. The second day they do a duathlon, so that’s just running and biking and the third day they do a team event,” explained Howland.
Their first order of business is capping the entries for the ATB triathlon at around 800 with registration to close on or before March 31.
Letters have been out to parents of grade school students in the Lloydminster public and Catholic school divisions about the triathlon and the special Games qualifier.
“They don’t have to do both. If they want to compete at the summer Games they can register as a qualifier or just do the ATB triathlon,” said Bender.
As of last Thursday, a total of 10 kids had registered for the Games qualifier.
Both groups of triathletes in the 12-15 age group will complete a 400-metre swim, an 8-kilometre bike and a 2 km run.
In the meantime, the eight-person ATB organizing committee is looking for volunteers who want to be trained in officiating at the Triathlon Saskatchewan-sanctioned qualifier.
“This is the first year the race will be sanctioned. We will run that qualifying event at the end of the day,” said Howland.
The six who qualify for the Games will work with a zone coach from Triathlon Saskatchewan leading up to the Games when swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball will also take place at Bud Miller All Seasons Park.
This year will be the ninth edition of the ATB Lloyd triathlon, which is run in partnership with the City of Lloydminster, the two school divisions, and title sponsorship by ATB Financial.
“ATB is an amazing sponsor, but we have many sponsors. Without their help we wouldn’t be able to make this happen,” said Bender.
She says the kids also get a lot for their entry fee of $25 a person including a bib, a t-shirt, tons of food and a medal.
“It’s a highlight of the year. It’s really a fun day,” said Bender.
She and Howland estimate it takes about 100 volunteers to put on this event.
“The place is crawling with orange shirts. Those are all of our volunteers,” said Bender.
“A lot of them are repeats who come back year after year. It’s just such a positive day that brings the community together,” added Howland.
Bender says it promotes activity among other benefits for kids.
“It’s just a really great day. A lot of kids choose to do it on a team so it promotes teamwork and collaboration,” she said.
Bender works at Lakeland College, which is also supportive in terms of traffic flow and the disruption to routines on that day.
“Sometimes we have volunteers who help out. It’s a crazy but exciting day,” said Bender.
