Announcing The New Welland Venue & Long Course Race

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Changes For All Races

The big news for all athletes is the change of venue. The swim is still in the Welland Recreational Waterway but the race site has been moved up the road to the Welland International Flatwater Centre. We used the Flatwater Centre for the 2015 Niagara Falls Barrelman Triathlon and can tell you the athletes loved it for a number of reasons. So what does this mean?

  • The swim course uses the same rowing lanes, which means many athletes can actually use the underwater guy wires for sighting purposes.
  • It also means that the 400m run up to Transition is gone.
  • There is grandstand seating for spectators at the start and finish of the swim.
  • The new location also means there is LOTS of parking.

*Watch the first minute of our Barrelman video to see the Welland International Flatwater Centre in action!

The Give-It-A-Tri and Sprint bike courses are virtually the same and the run will still be on the fitness paths along the Recreational Waterway.

The New Long Course Race Distance

There is one other notable change and that is in the race distances being offered. While Saturday will still have the Give-It-A-Tri and Sprint Triathlon and Duathlon, Sunday will now feature a new race distance of a 2K Swim, 56K Bike and 15km Run. This replaces the Half Iron Distance. We have had a few inquires as to why the change and want to be completely transparent. With the early season 70.3 races in the area (Syracuse, Muskoka and Mount Tremblant) we have seem a dramatic decrease in the number of athletes wishing to compete in an independent half iron distance race. Even though athlete post-race survey comments were overwhelmingly positive and race day reviews were excellent, the number of athletes racing has slipped from over 500 to the high 300’s. Rather than fight a trend towards the support of the 70.3 brand we thought we would give athletes another great choice in the race calendar.

For those athletes who are planning on competing in a 70.3 distance race we hope you will still join us in Welland and use the new Long Course distance as a tune-up. Back in the 80’s and 90’s many athletes used the June Muskoka Long Course race for exactly that purpose.

For those athletes who are aspiring to eventually race in a half iron distance race, like the Niagara Falls Barrelman, the 2k/56k/15k distance is a fantastic way to build up to the longer distance.

For the athlete who likes a longer race but still wants to “go hard”, the Long Course distance is a great format where you can push your limits and be recovered in a few days and continue on with your training for the rest of the summer.And, don’t forget you can use the Rose City Long Course as the perfect opportunity to hone your strategy for the K-Town Long Course on July 31st.

No matter which distance you enjoy, we really hope you will join us in Welland this year for a brand new race experience at a favourite destination.

*note: Long Course Maps will be posted to the website by February.