Local teen places top 15 in youth triathlon at the 2018 Ontario Summer Games

Ian Markham, age 15, a well-known swimmer from the Muskoka Aquatic Club (MUSAC) participated in one of Ontario’s largest multi-sport events this weekend (August 3-4), the 2018 Ontario Summer Games (OSG) in London.

This event takes place every other year and hosts youth qualifiers between the ages of 12 and 18. Markham earned a spot in the Youth Triathlon (ages 15-16) after qualifying last year when he placed third at the 2017 Youth Cup Series.

The OSG individual triathlon race consisted of a 500m swim, a 15km bike ride and a 4 km run. Markham completed the race with a time of 52:21 to finish in 14th place of 24 male triathletes.

Once individual results were compiled, the athletes were assigned to a four-person mixed relay team with each completing a 250m swim, a 5km bike ride and a 5km run. Markham’s team placed eigh^th out of twelve teams. The Triathlon Mixed Relay will make its Olympic debut as an official sport in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Markham has been competing in triathlons for the past 10 years. He is very disciplined and trains on his own. “Every day I would train one leg of my event by either going to the lap swim at the pool or just going for a bike or a run,” said Markham, adding that he just wanted to make his OSG experience fun. “Making it to OSG was my goal so once I made it I was already happy.”

Now that he has accomplished that goal, Markham is preparing to leave for a 10-month Rotary student exchange in France, made possible by the Rotary Club of Huntsville. He leaves on August 27 to stay with host families in Aubenas, located in the Rhône Valley in southern France. “Pretty awesome location for someone who enjoys cycling,” added his mom, Janet.

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