Masters and Age Group Athletes
Whether it’s a gold medal pursuit or simply completing a triathlon, athletes of all ages strive to meet their goals with passion, hard work, and dedication. At Triathlon BC, we believe multisport is for everyone. Whatever stage of athlete you are, Triathlon BC is here to support your fitness endeavours. Check out our information on age appropriate development, Provincial Championships, World Qualifiers and stories from BC's triathlon community!
Age Group Team Canada
The Canadian Age-Group World Championship Teams consist of top performing age-group athletes and para-athletes who earn a spot at a qualification race to represent Canada on the world stage at the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships. Team members have the unique opportunity to represent their country, participate in a unique team environment and celebrate their sport within the global multisport community. The age-group team is one hundred percent self-funded.
Para-triathletes compete in age-group competition according to their classification. If they are not officially classified through the ITU process, para-triathletes can always race locally in a self-identified “Open Paratriathlon”.
The 2025 World Championship Events are:
2025 World Triathlon Multisport Championships – Pontevedra, Spain
Aquathlon, Cross Triathlon, Cross Duathlon, Standard Duathlon, Sprint Duathlon, Long Distance Triathlon, Long Distance Aquabike
2025 World Triathlon Championships – TBD
Standard Triathlon, Sprint Triathlon, Standard Aquabike, Mixed Team Relay
Athletes who go on to earn an automatic spot at a designated qualifying event must also meet Triathlon Canada’s eligibility criteria, listed below.
- Must be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada.
- Must be a valid annual member of a Triathlon Provincial Sport Organization (i.e. Triathlon BC) PRIOR to the qualification event.
- Must submit an Expression Of Interest (EOI) PRIOR to the start of the qualification event.
2024 events and disciplines listed below will qualify athletes for the 2025 World Championships.
DISCIPLINE | EVENT | DATE | LOCATION |
Standard Triathlon | Oliver Sprint & Standard | June 01 | Oliver, BC |
Standard Triathlon | Peach Classic | July 07 | Penticton, BC |
Standard Aquabike | Victoria Half & Sprint | July 14 | Victoria, BC |
Sprint Triathlon | Cowichan Challenge | June 30 | Chemainus, BC |
Sprint Triathlon | Oliver Sprint & Standard | June 01 | Oliver, BC |
Mixed Team Relay | Oliver Half & MTR | June-02 | Oliver, BC |
Standard Duathlon | Elk Lake Triathlon | August 04 | Nanaimo, BC |
Sprint Duathlon | UBC Tri-Du | March-09 | Vancouver, BC |
Cross Triathlon | Squamish Off-Road Triathlon | June-18 | Squamish, BC |
Cross Triathlon – 3 spots | XTERRA Victoria National Championships | July 7 | Victoria, BC |
Long Distance Triathlon | Victoria Half & Sprint | July 14 | Victoria, BC |
Aquathlon | Elk Lake Triathlon | August 4 | Victoria, BC |
Note 1: With limited age group qualifying spots available throughout Canada, particularly western Canada, expect events to fill early. Early registration, where available, is recommended.
Note 2: To be eligible to secure a World Championship spot, athletes must be members of their provincial triathlon association (i.e. Triathlon BC) PRIOR to competing in the qualifying event.
Note 3: Age-groups are categorized according to gender and 5-year age brackets based on 2025 ages (i.e. 16-19, 20-24, 25-29, etc.). Qualifying events host one spot, per gender, per age group.
Note 4: Under Triathlon Canada’s Expression Of Interest policy, rolldowns are permitted
BC Championship Events
Triathlon BC’s Provincial Championship events uphold values that include participation and inclusiveness, while offering athletes of every age an opportunity to test themselves against the best competitors from British Columbia and abroad, in their pursuit of a Champion’s title.
2024 Provincial Championship Events
The 2024 Provincial Championship season spans over 3 months, starting in Canada’s wine capital, Oliver, and ending on the south tip of Vancouver Island, with stops along the way that include Squamish, Kamloops, Chemainus and Victoria, covering seven popular multisport disciplines.
disciplines.
DATE | CHAMPIONSHIP DISCIPLINE | EVENT | LOCATION |
January 22 | Indoor Triathlon | BC Indoor Triathlon | Kamloops |
May 26 | Off-Road (Cross) Triathlon | Squamish Off-Road Triathlon | Squamish |
June 1 | Standard Triathlon | Oliver Sprint & Standard Triathlon | Oliver |
June 2 | Mixed Team Relay Triathlon | Oliver Half & MTR | Oliver |
June 22 | Junior & U23 Triathlon | Kamloops Youth Triathlon | Kamloops |
June 30 | Sprint Triathlon | Cowichan Challenge | Chemainus |
July 14 | Long Distance Triathlon | Victoria Half & Sprint | Victoria |
August 4 | Duathlon | Elk Lake Triathlon | Victoria |
Triathlon BC’s Provincial Championship events uphold values such as participation and inclusivity, while offering performance pathway athletes an opportunity to test themselves against the best competitors from British Columbia in their pursuit of a Champion’s title and its associated hardware.
BC Champions Lists
- 2024 BC Champions List
- 2023 BC Champions List
- 2022 BC Champions List
- 2019 BC Champions List
- 2018 BC Champions List
- 2017 BC Champions List
- 2016 Provincial Champions List
- 2015 BC Champions List
- 2014 Standard Champions List
- 2014 Duathlon Champions List
- 2014 Junior Elite Champions List
- 2014 LD Champions List
- 2014 Sprint Champions List
- 2013 BC Champions List
2019 BC Championship Photo Albums
2017 BC Championship Photo Albums
- 2017 Bare Bones Duathlon
- 2017 Oliver Half Triathlon
- 2017 Xterra Victoria Triathlon
- 2017 Peach Classic Triathlon
55+ BC Games - Salmon Arm 2024
Triathlon BC is thrilled to be selected by the Host Society to be offered as a marque sport in the 2024 55+ BC Games, being hosted out of the Salmon Arm region. A sprint triathlon will be held Wednesday, September 11 out of the District of Sicamous, and a duathlon will be held on Friday, September 13, in the Community of Canoe.
The region will be hosting 24 sports and expecting upwards of 2,700 participants, with almost 1,000 volunteers being involved in the planning and staging of the Games.
Registration for the 2024 Games will be open on March 1, 2024. For information about the event, including results from the 2023 Games, visit our website www.55plusbcgames.org
The 55+ BC Games has 12 zones within the province:
- Zone 1: Vancouver Island South
- Zone 2: Vancouver Island North
- Zone 3: Fraser Valley
- Zone 4: Lower Mainland
- Zone 5: Okanagan – Similkameen
- Zone 6: West Kootenay Boundary
- Zone 7: East Kootenay Boundary
- Zone 8: South Central
- Zone 9: North Central
- Zone 10: North West
- Zone 11: Bulkley Valley – Lakes – Nechako
- Zone 12: Peace River – Liard
Masters Athetes - The Evolution of Training and Staying Fit
The benefits of regular physical activity are well documented; sustained long-term health, increased social connectedness, improved mental and physical well-being and better quality of life.
While triathlon is a fountain of youth for many, it’s important that the maturing triathlete doesn’t reapply the same training strategy year after year, decade after decade. With some adjustments to your annual plan, you can stay fit and fast well into your 60s and beyond.
We asked Victoria’s Lance Watson, LifeSport head coach, who has trained a number of Ironman, Olympic and age-group Champions over the past 30 years, to outline some of the age-associated changes to training Master athletes should consider.
Athletes in their 40s
Many athletes can replicate the threshold training they did in their mid-30s through their early 40s. The biggest change is recovery time. The good news for the long-term athlete is that muscle memory —muscle familiarity that comes from repeating a motion— does not disappear with age, so experienced athletes can be more efficient than their younger counterparts with fewer lifetime training miles. Athletes can attain previous fitness levels with less threshold work so long as they can perform consistent, strong aerobic efforts.
Recovery weeks should take place regularly, and they need to provide a really good recharge. Increased focus on body maintenance through massage and stretching can also prolong an athlete’s high performance window.
Athletes in their 50s
Athletes in their 50s need to carefully “pick their spots” in the season. They can train for high-level performance but cannot sustain the same levels of intensity or duration as younger athletes. You have to be clear on what your peak event is, and have a longer aerobic base phase followed by a shorter threshold-emphasis peaking phase.
Strength training also becomes more important after age 50. Lifting two or three times per week much of the year and doing a core strength and flexibility routine regularly is a good idea. There’s more need for recovery, and a minimum of two weeks out of every five should be dedicated recovery weeks.
Research out of Australia has shown that cycling performance declines less with age than swimming and running. (This is more pronounced at iron distance than at Olympic distance.) Good cycling fitness will help support a declining run split. If you can start the run feeling fresher, you are capable of running closer to your open run abilities.
Athletes in their 60s and Beyond
After 60, the injury risk and recovery required from frequent high-intensity training is not worth the benefit. A good guideline is one high-intensity swim, bike and run workout every two weeks coupled with frequent aerobic work emphasizing movement efficiency. Take two days off per week, and every second week should be a recovery week.
Along with aerobic conditioning, do resistance exercises that work the major muscle groups along with regular stretching. Yoga can help maintain strength, range of motion and stability.
Protecting the joints from inflammation, pain, stiffness and structural breakdown means a mature athlete has to respect the body’s pain signals. The healing process from injury at this age can be much longer.
Regardless of your age, the take-home message is: Use it or lose it!
ATHLETE FEATURES:
Triathlon BC celebrates every athlete, from the international elite athlete in search of Olympic glory to our local grass roots participant crossing the finish line. We are reaching out to our community to gather interesting and inspiring stories to share and grow our network. Check out some of our athlete features below:
Garth Fuller
Eleanor Paugh
Leigh Blaney
Joanne Montgomery
Evan Fagan
Carol Currie
Marie-Josee Cossette
Carolyn Hubbard
Suzanne Flannigan
Michael (Mikey) Ross
Mark Shorter
Bruce Regensberg
If you have stories that you would like share with Triathlon BC please contact us today