Expect delays this Sunday in Huntsville as hundreds of athletes will descend on the town for the annual Ironman Muskoka.
There will be no road closures this year, however, Jon Morton, President of TriMuskoka Triathlon Club, says some intersections will be OPP-controlled to ensure athlete safety.
He says the race will start early Sunday morning and wrap up around 4 PM.
The swim portion will take place at Fairy Lake and ends in the river near the Canada Summit Centre. The biking portion will start on Brunel Rd. and go towards Baysvlle and on Hwy. 117 towards Dorset. The running course will take athletes out Main St. to Aspdin Rd. and out Old Ferguson Rd. and Gun Club Rd., then back into town.
“Other than that, the rest of the downtown should be free-flowing,” he says.
“There’s a lot going on,” Morton says, adding he urges everyone to be patient.
The last time this course was run was in 2019 and Morton says it “went well.”
If you have to overtake a runner or cyclist, give them plenty of room and use common sense when trying to get around them. “Leave extra time to get to your destination,” he adds.
Morton expects around 1,500 athletes to be running through downtown. “It’s a hugely popular event,” he boasts, adding it’s totally sold out. Morton points out that isn’t the case everywhere. “People love coming to Muskoka,” he says.
Morton is hoping for better weather this year than the “wacky weather” they got last year. “We get a lot of people that get really excited to visit and have a good race day,” he says.
Morton encourages everyone to be supportive of athletes, suggesting they make funny signs and place them at the end of their driveway. He adds that, so long as you do so safely, you’re free to stand on the side of the road and cheer the athletes on.