It was with considerable disappointment that we read Cheryl Rumpel’s letter to the Cochrane Eagle. The Footstock Kids Triathlon, to which she takes issue, is an event which promotes lifelong health and fitness for more than 400 young people ages three to 15. In fact, the Footstock Kids Triathlon is one of the largest and longest running kids triathlons in Canada, having been in existence for well over 20 years. The entire Footstock Race Weekend provides a venue for good clean family fun in an environment promoting health, fitness and meeting personal challenges.
In addition, the Footstock Race Weekend brings a significant amount of commercial traffic to Cochrane’s businesses, given that close to 1,000 participants and spectators and almost 300 local volunteers come to Cochrane for the annual event. All profits from Footstock are donated back to local non-profit organizations including the Boys and Girls Club, Activettes Food Bank, Morley Foodbank, Rock the Waves, Right to Play and other similar worthy causes.
In 2013, as a result of the development in Cochrane’s commercial areas, the kids triathlon was moved to the Glenbow area to ensure the safety of the 400 kids competing in the event and to mitigate traffic challenges in the area of Fifth Avenue. Approvals and permits were obtained from the Town of Cochrane, and continue to be obtained on an annual basis.
The impediments to which Ms. Rumpel refers, consisted of nothing more than a row of pylons spaced every 50 feet designed to keep kids on their bikes safely out of the flow of traffic on the road for a period of five hours on Sunday morning June 4. Ms. Rumpel and other residents were free to come and go from their homes, cross the bike lane carefully, and fully able to park their vehicles on the other side of the road from their houses for this short period of time. Further up Glenbrook Crescent was one temporary road closure (for the five-hour period). All residents were provided reasonable options for accessing their residences and appropriate signage was erected to guide traffic accordingly. Marshals were placed at these locations to assist residents in coming and going from their homes.
As members of the team of race directors who work tirelessly in a volunteer role from January to June each year to put on these community events, it is very disappointing to see these comments published in our local paper.
Prior to hearing Ms. Rumpel’s complaints, our race director team felt very grateful to the Glenbrook residents who took care to park cars on their lawns, across the street and in other locations to ensure the bike course would provide the utmost safety for the young children out enjoying this community event. We were personally pleased and gratified to see so many residents out cheering for the young athletes participating in the triathlon. We personally spoke with several residents who communicated how much fun they had watching the smiles on the young participants’ faces as they rode by.
Finally, as part of three key race personnel who took the time following the kids race to stop and hear Ms. Rumpel’s concerns, we are saddened that she still felt compelled to send her comments to the Eagle. It is our hope and belief that Cochranites, and Glenbow residents, will see this comment for the anomaly that it is, and continue to support an event that is designed to benefit all residents of our community.
Joel Wilkinson, Meredith McMorran & the Footstock Race Director Team
