St. John's businessman first to Newfoundland start line

This story by Gary Kean first appeared in The Western Star on December 28, 2006

From successful chief executive officers looking for another challenge to individuals determined to overcome personal battles. That's the range of athletes the Ironman triathlon tends to attract and the kind organizers of the Ironman 70.3 race in western Newfoundland next summer are looking forward to focusing on.

Karl Smith of St. John's, for example, is the epitome of the kind of racer this event is bound to attract. Smith is the chief executive officer for Newfoundland Power. He's been doing triathlon on and off for about a decade and even did a full Ironman race in Penticton, B.C. last year.

This year, Smith had his heart set on doing an Ironman 70.3 distance event - a race that requires a dedicated training regime, but not the demanding, longer-term commitment of a full Ironman. He figured he'd end up traveling to some exotic location to do such a race. When he heard Corner Brook had been granted an Ironman 70.3 race, Smith immediately sought the honor of being the first to register.

Not only did he do that, but his wife Karen Hurtubise and his good friend Keith Butler - also from St. John's - were second and third to register. Not bad, considering organizers in Corner Brook will be put to the test with a brand new race on a new course after hosting nine consecutive Olympic distance World Cup triathlons.

"Corner Brook has done such a phenomenal job with the races they have done and this is the sweet spot of the sport right now," said Smith. "If you do Olympic distance long enough, you want to go and do something else. But Ironman takes a lot of commitment and you have to give up everything else. My theory is you can do an Ironman 70.3 and still have a life. I think a lot of people feel the same way."

Steve May of Wreckhouse Entertainment, the event's organizers, agreed Ironman 70.3 events are growing in popularity.

"Karl Smith's kind of enthusiasm is really what we had hoped for and expected, though it did take us by surprise that registration hadn't even opened and they were so aggressive about it," said May. "It certainly backed up what we felt Ironman was going to be like. People love Ironman and they are drawn to it."

While he didn't want to release any specific numbers, May did say registration for next summer's race is already exceeding expectations. With 75 qualifying spots for the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 up for grabs, people have already registered from eight Canadian provinces, about 15 U.S. states, England, Germany and Switzerland.
Interestingly, pointed out May, the largest concentration of registrants so far has come from the St. John's area.

Smith, who has been involved in developing the sport and the Kids of Steel version of it in St. John's, said the capital city's triathlon community is abuzz about this race.

"People who are in this sport recognize the Ironman brand as being special," he said.

"They know the folks at Ironman can be very particular about where they grant races and they know this will be the only sponsored half-Ironman in Canada this year. Combine that with the fact we have so much confidence in Corner Brook to pull off this race and this is a big draw. To many people in the general public, it doesn't mean a thing. But it is fantastic for anyone caught up in this sport."

While there will be an elite division, May said age-groupers like Smith will make this race special.

"It's not all about the first person to cross the finish line, it's about every person who crosses the line," said May. "The pros in Ironman recognize the age groupers as well. Many of them will come back with everyone else to the finish line to cheer on the last finishers. You just don't have that at the end of an Olympic distance race."

You can reach Gary Kean at gkean@thewesternstar.com

Story re-published with permission from The Western Star / Transcontinental Publishing (Corner Brook, NL)
Photo courtesy of The Evening Telegram, St. John’s, NL