Surf City couple finishes Ironman Canada

Dave and Becky Bartis didn’t finish the Ironman Canada in the times

they had hoped, but the Huntington Beach couple was happy just to

finish the race in Penticton, British Colombia.

Forest fires threatened nearby communities of Kelowna and Okanagan

Falls, which sit on opposite ends of Penticton, and smoky conditions

dominated race day as more than 1,950 athletes representing 40

countries competed in the popular triathlon.

It was the 21st run of the Ironman Canada, which adjusted to the

conditions and made last-minute course changes.

Dave Bartis completed the triathlon in 10-hours, 44-minutes -- “a

good hour longer than he had hoped,” said his wife, Becky, who

finished in 11:58, “a good hour and 10 minutes off what I wanted to

finish in.”

Canada’s Lisa Bentley and South Africa’s Raynard Tissink won the

women’s and men’s title, respectively.

“We did well despite the conditions and we had a lot of fun,”

Becky Bartis said. “We went through a lot of craziness with all that

smoke on race day, but it ended up being a great day.”

The Ironman Canada was the ninth Ironman in which the Bartis’ have

competed and it is the last, big Ironman of the season for the

couple.