Ultimate Winter Challenge

33rd Annual Iceman competition enjoys smooth finish

Feb 9, 2020 | 1:35 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Yet another year is in the books for the Prince George Iceman, having completed its 33rd running on Sunday (Feb. 9).

488 total competitors braved the elements, putting forth their best at the four-sport winter event – the only one of its kind according to Liz Bennett, the Race Director and Sponsorship Coordinator for the event.

“Our event is unique to Prince George. Nothing quite like it exists in the world – there’s no four-sport multi-sport event in the winter.”

Iceman puts competitors through components of skiing, running, skating, as well as swimming.

Even in its 33rd year, Bennett states there’s a number of competitors who’ve been coming out ever since its conception. The oldest athlete is said to have been 78-years-old this year.

The event even managed to draw a competitor from as far away as Australia. While international interest, or provincial for that matter, isn’t necessarily high, Bennett wants to push for a larger pool of competitors from outside the region.

“This year, what we did – which was effective but I think we were a little bit late in doing it – was challenging other triathlon communities in Kamloops, Kelowna, Vancouver, because we don’t typically draw many participants from those areas,” said Bennett. “We usually get ones from Terrace or Kitimat. Just letting those communities know so they know well in advance in order to train for it.”

Wrangling up an adequate number of volunteers was fairly easy for the organizers of the event. It’s believed that due to there not being another large-scale event, such as the World Para-Nordic Skiing Championships last year, competing for the same pool of volunteers, made the process easier for the 33rd Iceman.

On race weekend, it takes approximately 130 volunteers in order to put on Prince George Iceman.