Weekend's first Copper Town Triathlon bodes well for scene: Organizer

The triathlon scene has officially returned to the region.

Long-time RAM Fitness and Cycling owner Ryan Mitchell is feeling elated after hosting Algoma’s first sanctioned triathlon since 2016.

Nearly 100 athletes gathered in Bruce Mines on Sunday for the 1st annual Copper Town Triathlon, which provided competitors with scenic views along the shores of Lake Huron.

The name of the event pays homage to Bruce Mines being the location of the first copper mine in Canada.

Having been involved with countless races across southern Ontario and beyond for nearly two decades, Mitchell sensed there was a huge demand in northern Ontario for an annual triathlon.

“I’m a triathlete myself, and I just love the sport and how it gave me focus for training,” he told SooToday. “I felt like I wanted to share that with our local community since we didn’t have anything like that. Now, people can get a triathlon closer to home rather than travelling to other places to do these races.”

Participants had the option of competing in one of three races:

• Sprint Triathlon: 750 metre swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run
• Sprint Duathlon: 5 km run, 20 km bike, 2.5 km run
• Try-a-Tri: 400 metre swim, 10 km bike, 2.5 km run

“People could do a relay as well to break up the components of the race,” Mitchell says.

The event organizer says the decision to facilitate the race in Bruce Mines came to mind through his good friends Sharon Seeler and Jamie Stopes who live in that area.

After setting the stage for the race, Mitchell had no doubts that the town of 500 was the perfect spot for a triathlon.

“The scenery is great, and it’s in a quaint community which is nice,” he says. “Bruce Mines has great roads for biking and running that’s not interrupting major highway space. We used their marina for the swim, so there’s a big open space for your transition area.

“It was also very spectator friendly because they have a nice long marina dock where people can walk down and actually see the swim instead of just looking from shore. It’s almost like you’re out there with them.”

The Copper Town Triathlon featured participants from across the country, from as near as Elliot Lake and Goulais, to as far as Windsor and Montreal.

This year’s cut-off age to compete was 15, but Mitchell is hoping to offer racing opportunities for a wider age group in years to come.

“The door is open for more possibilities in the future for sure,” he says. “My goal is to expand it a little bit, open it up to youth with shorter distances, and maybe even expand it to an Olympic-distance race. But I’m not sure of the logistics on that yet.”

Thanks to a strong turnout, good weather, and lots of support from Bruce Mines council and the 50 or so volunteers, Mitchell couldn’t be happier with how well Sunday’s event played out.

“We had the perfect amount of people for the first year,” he says. “Bruce Mines was awesome to us. We really didn’t have any major issues, and the support from council and our volunteers was amazing.”

Mitchell has tentatively set the 2nd annual Copper Town Triathlon for the July 21 weekend next year.

Copper Town Triathlon results:

Sprint Triathlon (men’s)

• 1st: Nicholas Lambert (Elliot Lake)
• 2nd: Nigel Roedde (Richards Landing)
• 3rd: Robert A. Eso (Sudbury)

Sprint Triathlon (women’s)

• 1st: Marissa Lobert (Sault Ste. Marie)
• 2nd: Jill Esposito (Aweres Township)
• 3rd: Karly Meincke (Sault Ste. Marie)

Sprint Duathlon (men’s)

• 1st: Scott McCron (Sault Ste. Marie)
• 2nd: Mark Jones (Sault Ste. Marie)
• 3rd: Sonny Spina (Sault Ste. Marie)

Sprint Duathlon (women’s)

• 1st: Krista Dubie (Sault Ste. Marie)
• 2nd: Lindsay Spina (Sault Ste. Marie)
• 3rd: Tiana Bressan (Sault Ste. Marie)

Try-a-Tri (men’s)

• 1st: Evan Smith (Sault Ste. Marie)
• 2nd: Nathan Elgie (Echo Bay)
• 3rd: Brad Harfman (Sault Ste. Marie)

Try-a-Tri (women’s)

• 1st: Maya Alexandra Mensen (Dominican Republic)
• 2nd: Kate de Beer (Sault Ste. Marie)
• 3rd: Mick McClosky (Penticton)

For a full list of results, visit here.