20 Years of the Prince George Iceman

By Kelly Sharp

    Prince George Icewomen solo competitors mass start on Otway trails

The grey sky, wind chill and blowing snow did not harness the enthusiasm for a fixture of winter in Prince George – the Prince George Iceman. Over 500 participants and 150 volunteers came together for the multi-sport event.

“It’s the north, it’s the community that has so much spirit,” solo competitor Nadine Caron said.

Volunteers prepared the transition stage at the Caledonia Nordic Ski Centre for the impending scramble for running shoes to replace ski boots.

“It beats training,” laughed one volunteer who has been at her familiar volunteer post for over a decade.

“The Iceman runs so smoothly because of volunteers,” said long-time Iceman committee chair Kathy Lewis, who after 13 years welcomed a new race director to organize the Iceman.

Twenty years after racing to first place in the very first individual competition of the Prince George Iceman, Brian Martinson was back for yet another solo effort on the trails, road, ice oval and in the pool.

“I like the different events,” said Martinson. He can still recall the -25 temperature that greeted the 58 entrants in late January of 1988.

The 20^th annual Prince George Iceman had a familiar name lead the field of 78 solo competitors. Forty year-old Sean Empey of Mackenzie won his third Iceman title in 1:50: 16, 3 minutes and 39 seconds ahead of 17 year-old Matt Neumann of Prince George. Seconds behind Neumann after the opening 8km cross country ski, Sean Empey pulled away in the 10km run.

“Running is my strong point,” said Empey. Extending his lead over Nuemann to 2 minutes entering the 5km skate

 “I am do,” joked Empey who had won the overall Iceman title in 2001 and 2004.

Matt Neumann, competing in only his second solo Iceman, improved from a 17^th place showing to second place overall.

Sarah Campbell Tennant, a UNBC medical student, won the solo Icewoman title in 2:11:15.

In one of the closest finishes in the history of the Icewoman, Tina Haskins of Smithers placed second overall, a mere second ahead of Kathy Lewis out of the pool. Both posted times of 2:12:30.

One hundred plus teams participated in the Iceman relay with the biggest cheers of support going to the 2 special needs teams, the Designer Genes team from the Choices for Down Syndrome and the CNC Amigos, from the college’s Open Doors Program.

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