Penticton will be the testing ground for the first provincial club championship in B.C.
The 35th Peach Classic Triathlon will help launch the inaugural Provincial Club Penant race on July 16.
Steve Brown, race director of the Peach Classic and Allan Prazsky, executive director of Triathlon B.C., made the announcement of the Provincial Club Penant championship joining the provincial spring and standard triathlon championships as part of the weekend.
鈥淲e are really pleased to be selected to host this event for the first time in B.C.,鈥� said Brown in a statement. 鈥淭he Triathlon Club Championships are a hotly contested and popular title around the globe, and it makes its debut in B.C. right here in Penticton. This makes a really nice tie in with the Individual Provincial Championships. Obviously both organizations are hoping it will bolster memberships for clubs and affiliation with TriBC as well as additional registrations for the Peach Classic.鈥�
Brown said that pennance club championships are big in Ottawa, where Triathlon Canada has run it where they have more clubs. The championship was run at the national level and received a good response. Brown said there is a trickle down effect if events are successful at the national level. Triathlon B.C. wanted to give this a try and contacted Brown to see his interest in running it with them and he accepted. When it comes to the number of athletes participating, Brown said he doesn鈥檛 know how many will sign up.
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Regardless of ability, the club championship welcomes every competitor aged 19 or older. Each registered annual member athlete with TriBC accumulates points based on their age category and are then contributed to their respective club鈥檚 accumulated total. Athletes need to add their representing provincially sanctioned club name during registration. Performance results from every athlete on a team will count towards the Club Championship in both the standard and sprint distances. Two Club Championship Pennants will be awarded: Division 1 Clubs, with eight (or more) athletes participating in the 2017 Peach and Division 2 Clubs, with up to seven athletes participating in the 2017 Peach Classic. A minimum of three clubs must be competing in each division to be awarded a Championship title.
The only event where points can be earned for the Club Championship title is the 2017 Peach Classic. Only annual Triathlon BC affiliated Club Members are eligible to earn points for their club.
Currently, there are 93 athletes signed up. In 2016, 269 athletes competed in the sprint and standard distance.
For more detailed information on Eligibility, Points and How it Works, follow the links on the Peach Classic website at or call Steve Brown at 250-809-1798.
