I won a lottery spot for IMCA. Can any participants of previous IMCA can give me input on lodging, travel (I plan on driving, unless there’s a compelling reason to fly - the drive will only be about 14 hours and beautiful), et cetera.
I did Canada in '97 and '99 and a more awesome race is hard to imagine. The course is 100%, snot-locking, ass-bustin killer. It rules. You’ll love it. Those last two miles into town on the run are the most incredible 2 miles you’ll ever run. The crowd is insane.
Lodging is tricky. All the best hotels along the “strip” (facing Lake Okanagan) fill very quickly. However, you may be able to get on a waiting list for Spanish Villa or one of the other hotels up and down that strip. Try to get a place on the strip though, it is worth the extra effort for the convenience.
I did fly into Kelowna and drove an hour to Penticton (from Detroit, MI. via Vancouver). I don’t think driving is good for you before a race. Flying isn’t much better but at least you don’t have to think and you can sleep. Flying into Penticton is sketchy since the airport is very, very small.
Beyond that, not much advice. There are several places to eat dinner along the lake at sunset. Awesome. big fun. Have a great race and good job qualifying!
We drove in this year from edmonton. Split the driving into 2 7 hour days. It wasnt that bad, and there were 2 of us driving. As for hotels, make the phone calls NOW. most of the hotels fill up the day after the race when most people register. There is always summerland, peachland and towards skaha as well if you dont find a place right in town. Its a pain in the ass to find parking though with all the people there.
And damn, nice job getting a spot…lucky bastard…im going to try and qualify again this year, i should have signed up after i finished the race this year! 
Hopefully see you there,
-kevin
We borrowed an RV from my parents and stayed at an RV park around the corner from Lakeshore Drive. about two blocks from the Siccamous if you see that on the run course map.
Highly reccomend this if you have access to an RV.
Prepare your own meals. abit more relaxed than Lakeshore.Biggest bonus–brought my hammock for recover napping.
Wow. The closest hotel I could find is in Princeton, BC, which is about 60 miles away. Ugh. I guess it will have to do.
Oh, not to fret my friend, you simply have to know how to work the system: Get to town a day before the majority of triathletes. You may have to spend one night in another hotel off the strip at worst. In the morning, make it your mission to walk up and down the street asking if they have any cancellations. They will. Take one of those and move from your hotel outside of town to the strip. Pretty straight deal. There are invariably some cancellations in the final days before the race. If you invest a little shoe leather you can get a prime spot. I did it in '97 and it worked killer.
Good idea. Now hurry and delete your suggestion before anyone else reads it: )
Check out the Coast Inn at Apex. It is about 30 minutes from the start. Very quiet and cool up there. They say its at altitude but its only like 5000’. Cheap rates (its off-season for them) and nice rooms. They have a decent ski lodge type restaurant that Lori Bowden is apparently very fond of. Best of all, I will bet money they aren’t sold out. They just don’t hype it very hard because they consider themselves a winter place, not a summer place. I got my room three weeks before race day this last year.
The first place in Penticton I called today, the Best Western on Skaha Lake Road, had rooms for next year. I booked 4 nights at $129/night. (And it’s Canadian dollars, so it’s almost free right? 
) Try calling them direct. The Best Western website won’t take reservations for the dates of the race.
It seems too easy that I got a room in town with one phone call, so I’ll check next week to see if my reservation is entered into the system correctly. Is there something ‘wrong’ with the Best Western that I should know about??? The reservation is cancelable in case I need to make changes.
Thanks,
Ken
Awesome!!! I called them direct as well and got 2 rooms for 5 nights. Sweet.
Go with Apex, I would not recommend Princeton. It’s nice in Apex, but the drive got old.
I always book lodging and flights one week before the event. Never been a problem, I always find a flight directly into Penticton and a hotel within a 3min walk of the expo. Remember, 2200 people or so sign up, 200 drop out before race day. Most of them had accomodation booked.
Gerard.
I think there is tent camping on the Skaha lake side.
Check here:
http://www.penticton.ca/vis/accommodations/camping.asp