I wanted to go up watch and compete but I’m working this weekend. Hoping they do it again next year. Seems like it’d be a fun format.

The smoke is horrible in North Idaho and NW Montana right now as well

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Matt

I was in Kelowna for the two weeks prior and this weekend. Air quality was poor leading up to races so we made full use of indoor training options. I can’t believe how bad the air quality got, and how quickly it went bad, during the Friday Race briefings. Was poor (6) when we went in at 4:45 and a 10+ when we came out at 6:30.

Cancellations were definitely warranted IMO, it’s really really bad here. I hope that after 2 years without Apple, it can make a comeback on people’s calendars. I really like the new (old) location, and new bike course. Heats/finals for CAMTRI would have been really exciting to watch. I try to support local races that are predictably on the calendar, but that’s getting harder and harder to do with weather and date changes.

I took a few of my Juniors to H2O for a little swim/run activation on Saturday, after heats were cancelled, as prep for Sunday, and the place was packed with others doing the same. It was a neat place to be, full of Canadian elite triathletes. The slow lane was moving at a 1:20/100, that was us.

Date conflict was definitely unfortunate, it’s becomming harder to support the unpredictable triathlon scene in Penticton in August. The Peach Classic, Okanagan Trestle Tour, Hayman Classic, and at least 2 swim meets are still on my annual calendar tho.

The locals know that the Apple is going to be here long after the rugby crew are packed and back in Queensland, so that's not an issue. The new issue of wildfires however may be a bit more problematic. Did I break the code of your reference to it’s becoming harder to support the unpredictable triathlon scene in Penticton in August."


What every ST follower wants to know is, "will the IronSoul" run next Sunday?

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http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

Why the heck these two events were scheduled for the same weekend is something that deserves its own thread =-

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Its because WTS Montreal next weekend. Pros at both races need to be in Montreal with ITU in the Olympic qualifying window for points. 2019 there is no such conflict and scheduling back to normal.

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@rhyspencer

I was in Kelowna this weekend for the Apple. I had originally registered for Superleagues but ended up registering for Kelowna when it was announced as the National Championships. It's been a goal of mine to try to win the Apple and the National Championships someday, so I figured this would be my chance and that I could do Superleagues next year. Right now I'm unsure if I'd register for either for next year.

When I got to Kelowna on Friday I thought there was a good chance the race was going to be a go. The air was smoky but it wasn't causing me any issues and didn't seem too bad at that point. I was shocked when I woke up Saturday morning to do my pre-race ride and the air smelled like campfire. It really took a turn in a short amount of time. I went out for a 30 minute ride and you could feel the poor air quality. The race organizers did an excellent job of keeping us all in the loop as to what was going on and in communicating the standards they would be using to determine if the race would be a go. We all knew on Saturday that it was unlikely to be a go on Sunday morning but I tried my best to prepare as normal as if I would be racing. The organizers did the best they could under some really bad circumstances and I'm sure they are just as disappointed as a lot of us. That said, Sunday morning was definitely a low point for me in doing this sport. It's been a really trying 2 years in this sport for me and I've wanted to quit more times than I can count but trying to do well at this race had kept me going this summer and I felt really good coming in. So when I woke up in the morning and found out the race was cancelled I pretty much just packed up my stuff and left Kelowna for home. In the end though, it's just a race. It's just a really terrible situation in our province right now and I really feel for everyone being affected by this

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Team Every Man Jack

Hi Rob, sorry to hear about that. Gas money, hotel co$ts, and food all add up to an expensive weekend to look out your window at the smoke. And then there's the lost opportunity to race, those hours of training... Hope you can find a race before too long to give you a chance to compete at a high level. (otherwise we'll be duking it out at Cultus Lake and that's not exactly a fair fight).

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http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

I'll see you at Cultus lake for sure :) It's always on my schedule

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Team Every Man Jack