ITU Seeks to Add Winter Triathlon to Olympics

warm up canadian race
The Next Olympic Sport?
ITU Seeks to Add Winter Triathlon
to Olympics
by Patrick Janukavicius
The Pentathlon des Neiges
The itu is adding a winter triathlon to the the Pentathlon des Neiges festival on March 8–9,
2014. Instead of the traditional itu winter format of run, bike, and cross-country ski, the
new event will feature 5 km of snowshoeing, 12 km of speed skating and finish with 8 km of
cross-country skiing.
The itu has high aspirations for the new winter triathlon format, insisting in a press
release: “With the popularity and the exceptional growth of summer triathlon, the itu is
working to develop the winter equivalent in hopes the event will one day be included in the
Winter Olympics.”
Talented athletes from around the globe are travelling to Quebec to partake in the event,
including Olympic biathlon medallist Sylvie Becaert of France and six-time biathlon world
cup medallist Rene Laurent Vuillermoz of Italy.
Two Canadian favourites are set to race: Marc-André Bédard, a 2010 Olympic biathlete,
and professional biathlete Claude Godbout, who will take on the women’s race. Both won
the pentathlon last year.
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Triathlon Magazine Canada March & April 2014
“One of my mottos is
‘no regrets.’ So, give
everything you’ve got
and remind yourself of
this motto before you
make any decision in
life.”–Claude Godbout
top and opposite top
The 2013 Pentathlon
des Neiges
opposite Marc-André
Bédard and Claude
Godbout
photo Courtesy of Pentathlon des Neiges
T
riathlon has become a mainstay on the summer Olympic
schedule and now the International Triathlon Union (itu)
wants to be part of the winter Olympics, too.
photos Charles Cote, RicRowan Photography 2013 / www.ricrowan.com
warm up canadian race
Claude Godbout, Professional Biathlete
Marc-André Bédard, Olympic Biathlete
Godbout would love to win the first itu Winter Triathlon in Quebec. Her training for biathlon is rigorous and she will only need to make minor modifications to prepare for the new race
format. “Two weeks before the event, I will do less skiing and focus on skating, snowshoeing
and transitions,” says Godbout. “The fitness is there, so it will only be a matter of developing
efficiency in the other two disciplines.”
Godbout has left nothing to chance as she prepares to take the inaugural event. Two
years ago, during her first pentathlon, she cramped while changing her ski boots in transition. When the transition comes around this year, however, Godbout will be ready. She has
custom-made equipment from GV Snowshoes which allows her to keep the same boots on
for all three events.
Godbout does up to 30 hours of training a week and competes in 35 biathlon races every year.
Despite racing with a hybrid bike, a heavy
pair of snowshoes and heavy training skis,
Bédard ended up coming in second in the
pentathlon two years ago. He decided to do
it for fun and ended up in contention, so he
pushed a little harder than he planned for.
Although his equipment cost him the win,
his experiment was a success.
Armed with GV Snowshoes, and better
equipment from friends, he took the win
last year.
While biathlon is his primary sport,
Bédard doesn’t shy away from anything competitive. He’s also had success in Spartan
races, winning events in Canada, the U.S.
and Slovakia.
Aside from racing in the pentathlon the
last two years, Bédard has very little snowshoe and skating experience. Skating, with
its similarities to skate skiing, comes easily
and his fitness gives him an advantage in
deeper snow.
“The more snow, the better I will perform
and I’ll basically let my shape do the rest,”
says Bédard who feels his ski training will
serve him well. “The combination of sports
in the winter triathlon favours complete
endurance athletes and training doesn’t get
much better than cross-country skiing.”
March & April 2014 triathlonmagazine.ca
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