Cold could delay start of Prince George Iceman

Heading into this weekend’s Prince George Iceman, the outdoor venues for Sunday’s 38th annual multisport endurance race are in near-perfect condition.

The skating ice at the Exhibition Park oval is in top-notch shape and the cross-country ski trails at Otway Nordic Centre are buried in snow.

There’s also sunshine in the forecast for race day.

There’s one question on the minds of everyone connected to the race: How cold is it going to be?

Environment Canada is predicting the Arctic air that’s been hanging over the city the past week will still be chilling out our surroundings when it comes time for the skiers to line up Sunday morning for the start of the race.

With an overnight low of -26 C expected, that 10 a.m. start might have to be pushed back an hour.

“If it’s -22 C we’ll delay the start for one hour and it warms up we’ll proceed, but if it cools down we’ll cancel it,” said Iceman chair Julie Ubdegrove.

Hopefully it won’t come down to that.

With 448 participants signed up, registration is up considerably over last year’s 384 total and almost 100 more than 2023, when there were 349. The skate segment was cancelled in two years ago due to poor ice conditions brought on by the weather. Nobody’s worried about that now.

‘We have ice, we have snow, it’s going to be a real Iceman,” said Ubdegrove. “Registration is rocking, we’re getting back to pre-COVID numbers.

“I think it’s the fun of the event that people like and the soloists, for them to say they did five different legs of the race in one day - what an accomplishment.”

The race was cancelled in 2021 due to the pandemic and it was a virtual event in 2022.

Of this year’s 448 total, 47 are adult soloists. There are also 76 adult relay teams and 16 junior relay teams. The cutoff for registration was Tuesday night.

“We’ve had people reach out looking for a skater or a skier, it’s awesome to see how the community comes together to help each other out,” said Ubdegrove. “You could be part of team that maybe you don’t know anybody on. It’s a great community event that brings people together in all areas.”

Alex Nemethy of Vanderhoof and Lindsay Van der Meer of Prince George, the respective male and female Iceman solo champions, won’t be defending their titles. Nemethy did not register and Van der Meer will be competing as part of a team in the relay.

The race starts with an eight-kilometre ski at Otway followed by a 10 km run to the Exhibition Park ice oval for a five km skate (12 ½ laps), which leads into a five km run. It ends with an 800 metre swim in the 50 m pool at Prince George Aquatic Centre.

Spectators who want to go to the ski venue to watch the opening segment and cheer the skiers on whenever they come into the stadium after each two km loop are encouraged to use the free shuttle bus that runs between the Aquatic Centre and Otway Sunday from 8 a.m.-12:40 p.m.

Race packages will be available for pickup at the Courtyard Marriott (Fraser Room) at 900 Brunswick St., Saturday from 5-7 p.m., or at the Aquatic Centre at 8 a.m. Sunday.

The post-race awards banquet meal is served at about 2:30 p.m., with doors at the Prince George Convention and Civic Centre open at 1:30 p.m.