To kick off the Subaru Sooke International Triathlon next Sunday, LifeSport Coaching is hosting its first annual Sport & Lifestyle Exposition at the Prestige Oceanfront Resort on Aug. 5 and 6.
LifeSport is organizing the triathlon, and the expo is designed to promote the event with sponsor and vendor booths, activities for the kids, and a chance to meet Olympic gold medalist Ashley McIvor, said expo manager Karen Dallimore.
“We wanted to open it up to the public,” said Dallimore, who added the expo was previously only for athletes during registration the day before the race.
This is also the first year that the competition will be nationally televised on TSN, and its drawing a lot more interest as a result.
There will be LifeSport coaches on hand running clinics and talking about nutrition; the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence is setting up a kids relay and obstacle course; and retail booths from various community businesses selling things like sporting apparel and accessories.
People can also expect to see triathlete pros milling about, said Dallimore, and McIvor will there on Friday to sign autographs.
The expo is free and will be open on Friday from 2 until 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.