Anne Charles (left) with her sister Christina Charles (right) at the 2022 IRONMAN Canada-Penticton triathlon. (submitted photo/Anne Charles)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Emergency Situation

P.A. athletes feeling empathetic after B.C. triathlon cancelled due to wildfires

Aug 22, 2023 | 5:00 PM

Multiple Prince Albert athletes are feeling deflated after their months of training were all for nothing.

Anne Charles, Mark Nagy, Carmen Doyle, and Janet Berezowski were set to compete in the 2023 IRONMAN Canada-Penticton triathlon at the end of August, however, it’s since been cancelled due to the ongoing wildfire situation in the province.

Charles told paNOW she felt gutted when she found out, though her mood quickly changed.

“You definitely feel for the people that are out there and have lost a home,” she said.

According to West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund, around 90 homes have been destroyed in the area.

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Because of this and the thousands of people across British Columbia who were forced to evacuate, Charles explained they’d have a tough time going to the competition even if it was allowed to proceed.

“You don’t want to take resources away from the locals. You don’t want to take a hotel room if a firefighter needs it, or an evacuee needs it.”

It’s not all bad news as IRONMAN Canada is allowing those who registered for the Penticton triathlon to compete in another event that hasn’t been cancelled.

Charles is considering going to Wisconsin or Arizona, though she’s leaning towards visiting the Grand Canyon State. She added Nagy is expected to join, while Doyle and Berezowski just accepted refunds for the cancelled race.

She’s also contemplating taking part in some provincial events around the time she would have been in B.C., so it doesn’t feel like her training has gone to waste.

Meanwhile, Charles has no plans on registering for next year’s Penticton triathlon.

For her, she just has no desire to put herself through the training needed to prepare for an IRONMAN competition.

“(Training) takes a lot from you, but it also takes a lot of time and dedication from your family. I have to give a shoutout to my mom, she’s taken the time to support my sister and I in training for these events. It’s a lot to ask for her,” she said.

Her sister Christina is set to compete at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in October after qualifying during the 2022 Penticton triathlon.

-With files from The Canadian Press

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow