Impressive Turnout and Spirited Competition For 2024 Triathlon

The turnout for the Swan Hill Swimming Pool Triathlon on Sunday was fantastic. With 82 registered athletes, it was the second-highest level of participation for this event since it began in 2003. The event also drew a sizable crowd of family, friends, community members, and other supporters to cheer on the competitors as they faced this incredible challenge of athleticism and endurance.

The excitement began in the swimming pool as the first athletes of the day completed the swimming portion of the triathlon. As each participant finished up in the pool, they either hopped on their bikes for the cycling leg of the challenge or, in the case of the tag team competitors, their team members took over for this event. And wrapping up this feat of endurance, the triathlon concluded with a run.

The day was overcast, with light rain falling a little later in the morning, but that didn't dampen the spirits of the athletes or their enthusiastic supporters.

All nine categories of competitors had wrapped up their events by roughly 10:00 AM, and then everyone headed into the school's large gym, where a stage with a winner's podium with 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place tiers had been set up for the awards ceremony.

Here are the final standings for the 2024 triathlon:

4 & Under Female: 1^st Place - Aspen Paull

5 & 6 Female: 1^st Place – Adele Robichaud; 2^nd Place – Emma Blum; 3^rd Place – Freya Poirier

5 & 6 Male: 1^st Place – Heath Gelowitz; 2^nd Place – Everett Millar; 3^rd Place – Weston Gelowitz

7 & 8 Female: 1^st Place – Korie Blum; 2^nd Place – Arya Robichaud; 3^rd Place – Brooke Blum

7 & 8 Male: 1^st Place – Jett Cox; 2^nd Place – Spencer Simms; 3^rd Place – Alexander Paull

9 & 10 Female: 1^st Place – Gwynn Gelowitz; 2^nd Place – Piper Zuk; 3^rd Place – Ariyanna Butler

9 & 10 Male: 1^st Place – William Thomsen; 2^nd Place – Foster Simms; 3^rd Place – Kaiden Johnson

11 &12 Female: 1^st Place – Kensey Thomsen

11 &12 Male: 1^st Place – Quinn Macdonald; 2^nd Place – Ryder Zuk

13 & 14 Male: 1^st Place – Peter Thomsen

15, 16, + 17 Female: 1^st Place – Jordyn Bruce

18+ Short Course Female: 1st Place – Lyn Burt

18+ Short Course Male: 1st Place – Nils Nylund

18+ Long Course Female: 1^st Place – Tiffany Macdonald; 2^nd Place – Margaret Osbourne; 3^rd Place – Roxy Schmidt

18+ Long Course Male: 1^st Place – Clayton Macdonald; 2^nd Place – Stefan Vezina; 3^rd Place – Tj Linger

12 & Under Tag Team: 1^st Place – Lilly Pierik, Sarina Strydhorst, and Keltie Tuininga; 2^nd Place – Carson Blum, Deland Ryan, and Ben Ryan; 3^rd Place – Layla Samms, Nathan Casey, and Brantley O’Brian

13 + Tag Team: 1^st Place – Kayla Neudorf, Hudson Thomsen, and Owen Macdonald; 2^nd Place – Iris Macdonald, Jamie Molnar, and Julie Thomsen; 3^rd Place – Guy Perkins, Mike Gardiner, and Jason Townsend

In addition to earning first-place trophies, Aspen Paull, Kensey Thomsen, Nils Nylund, and Lilly Pierik set new records in their categories.

The 2024 Swan Hills Swimming Pool Triathlon was a resounding success, bringing together athletes of all ages for a day of spirited competition.

Congratulations to all the participants for their remarkable achievements. The triathlon showcased the community's incredible talent and reinforced the importance of coming together to support and celebrate each other's successes.

Thank you to the hard-working staff at the Swan Hills Swimming Pool for organizing and running this event and to all of the volunteers who helped make it happen.

Dean LaBerge, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Grizzly Gazette