SPORTS FLASHBACK 2002: Couple returns to Penticton for Ironman triathlon

Most couples may celebrate the anniversary of their first meeting or date with a special dinner or outing. For teachers Dale Sawatzky and Shannon Townley-Mckay, competing in triathlons is a lifestyle, and having met at the Penticton Ironman Triathlon as spectators in 2001, it was only natural they would return to B.C. for their honeymoon in 2002.

After completing the famed Ironman Triathlon in 2000, Sawatzky returned to Penticton last August as a spectator and to register for the 2002 event.

After spending several days at Penticton, he boarded a shuttle bus for the 1½ hour bus ride to Kelowna, to catch a flight home. That is where Dale and Shannon first met. Shannon was also in Penticton as a spectator and to register in person for the 2002 race, as well.

A shuttle bus is usually just a short ride, but in this case it was just long enough for the two teachers from neighboring provinces to strike a chord.

A few weeks later, they met again in Regina. They were engaged in January and Dale and Shannon were married June 29 in Steinbach, the day after the 2001-02 school year ended.

Where did the newlyweds honeymoon, you ask? Well, they drove out to Penticton, to try out the Ironman Triathlon course firsthand, in preparation for the August 25 event.

Both had been training on their own through the fall and winter to prepare for the grueling Ironman Triathlon, which includes three disciplines; the 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike ride and a 42-km marathon distance run.

Dale was able to train some of the time with Steinbach pharmacist Jamie Falk, who was also in training for the 2002 Ironman.

In the two summers leading up to the 2002 Ironman at Penticton, both Dale and Shannon competed in several Olympic-standard triathlons in their respective provinces, including the half Ironman this summer in Morden.

“Competing in triathlons is a lifestyle,” says Sawatzky. “It is addictive.”

There were 2,032 entries in this year’s race, the 20th annual event. The mass start in the swim at 7:00 a.m. is the largest such mass start of any Ironman in the world. The newlyweds started the race together, but would quickly lose touch of one another in the sea of people, who had converged on the Okanagan city from around the world.

Shannon actually outswam her new hubby, emerging from the water after 1:08.44, 778th overall, and 13 minutes ahead of Dale. The 180 km bike ride took more than 6½ hours. Dale was minutes quicker than Shannon, but was still behind her coming into the marathon distance run.

Dale eventually passed Shannon, on mile nine of the run, finishing the marathon 575th overall in a time of 4:15.09, which was 33 minutes faster than Shannon.

Overall, Dale finished 977th in a combined time of 12 hours, 25 minutes and 15 seconds, three minutes quicker than his finish two years earlier. Shannon followed in 12:44.49.