Penticton athlete Jeffrey Symonds took a first place position in the Challenge Penticton triathlon on Sunday.
Image Credit: Richard Lam; Getty Images
August 26, 2013 - 10:21 AM
PENTICTON - Two local athletes made headlines in the Challenge Penticton races on Sunday but for different reasons. Jeffrey Symonds came out on top, but Janelle Morrison didn't finish after she was involved in a "vehicle accident."
Symonds took first place in the first ever Challenge Family triathlon event with a time of 8:29:57 despite a hard wipe out at the bottom of Yellow Lake Hill. He crossed the finish line with severe gashes to one arm, yelling and throwing his arms in the air.
Even though Morrison was involved in the "vehicle accident," Morrison powered through most of the day. She held third position at one point but couldn't complete the run.
Challenge Penticton drew roughly 1,300 athletes along with their team members, sponsors, friends and family members to the city. It was created as a replacement for the long running Ironman triathlon.
“Today marked a whole new journey for the sport of triathlon,” Challenge Family CEO, Felix Walchshöfer said. “The Challenge Family launched its first race in North America, and we’re confident the success in Penticton will lead to even more athletes taking the challenge.”
To encourage more participation the event had relay versions of the three different race elements: swimming, biking and running. It was also expanded to five days. There was a parade, fun runs, and other activities.
To contact the reporter for this story or to send photos or videos, email Shannon Quesnel at squesnel@infotelnews.ca, call 250-488-3065, tweet @shannonquesnel1 or @InfoNewsPentict.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013