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Vinge, McCallan top local field at Cumberland’s Dodge City X

The PACE Multisport Dodge City X, touted as “Canada’s toughest off-road triathlon,” returned to Cumberland after a one-year hiatus, on Sept. 18, with a couple of well-known names topping the field of local athletes.
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The PACE Multisport Dodge City X, touted as “Canada’s toughest off-road triathlon,” returned to Cumberland after a one-year hiatus, on Sept. 18, with a couple of well-known names topping the field of local athletes.

Derek Vinge was the first across the line in the standard event with a time of 2:28:12, followed closely by his best “frenemy” and fellow chiropractor Clay Ward. On the women’s side, Kelsey McCallan was the top local, edging out Natalie Ward and beaten only by professional XTERRA athlete Katie Button. Athletes who won their respective age categories in the standard event were also crowned Triathlon BC provincial cross triathlon champions.

The PACE Multisport Dodge City X standard event featured a 1.5-km swim in Comox Lake, a grueling 23-kilometre mountain bike and a 9.5-km trail run. The top finisher in the roughly half-distance sprint event was speedy youngster Jack Mace from Nanaimo, who bested Courtenay’s Joel Baker by just eight seconds. Tracy Barr, also of Courtenay, was the top female finisher in the sprint event, finishing ahead of all but the fastest two male athletes.

“We were eager to get back to racing after COVID messed up our plans for last year’s race, and it was inspiring to see the enthusiasm and athleticism of this year’s participants,” said race director Ryan Parton. “The fact that we’re starting to see pro racers on the starting line now, just three years into the event, is testament to the fantastic trail conditions we have here and the of the volunteers who are so dedicated to putting on a top-tier event.”

PACE Multisport Dodge City X also featured a relay category, which this year was topped by “the Fat and the Curious,” a local team comprising Iris Tinmouth and brothers Damian and Nicolas Parlee that blasted through the standard course in a time of just 2:25:17.

This year’s event also featured a new annual tradition, the awarding of the Dynamic Spine, Sport & Wellness “Tough as Dodge” award, which was given to Black Creek’s Jennifer Hoffman. Hoffman was honoured for her “immense fortitude and endurance” as she battled through a notoriously tough course in her first-ever triathlon.

PACE Multisport Dodge City X is hosted by Steam Donkey Racing and supported by a contingent of local sponsors that includes Dodge City Cycles, Fit Chiropractic, Thomas Dargie IG Wealth Management and Extreme Runners.

For full results, photos and more, visit www.dodgecityx.ca.