Saturday's Kiwanis Winter triathlon and Fat Bike events postponed

News release: Kiwanian Brandi Venne, Chair of this year's Kiwanis Winter Triathlon committee, has been monitoring the long range cold weather forecast for this Saturday's Kiwanis Winter triathlon and Fat Bike events to be held in North Bay.

Seems Mother Nature has cooler ideas heading into the Family Day weekend as we were looking to maintain, modify or re-schedule this community program in the event of continued sub -15 to -25 windchill levels on Fri eve/Sat am.

Brandi Venne emphasized this morning "We wish to host a fun and safe event for everyone and this deep cold snap was not in our plans.  We are pleased to have an alternate date of Saturday March 12 at Nipissing University same times, with the same course format."

By today, Feb. 10, the weather forecast has not changed despite looking for any improvement.    Making this decision to re-schedule this event was difficult due to the planning and energy put forth by all involved.  Now, we will look forward to the Sat. March 12 date and will notify athletes, our volunteers and utilize our media outlets to help us notify the community of today's decision.

After reviewing Environment Canada website, this is their cold temperature plus Wind Chill Hazards:

Wind Chill Hazards and What To Do

Wind Chill, Exposure Risk, Health Concerns and What to Do

0 to -9 Low Risk -> •Slight increase in discomfort
•Dress warmly
•Stay dry

-10 to -27 Moderate Risk -> •Uncomfortable
•Risk of hypothermia and frostbite if outside for long periods without adequate protection.
•Dress in layers of warm clothing, with an outer layer that is wind-resistant.
•Wear a hat, mittens or insulated gloves, a scarf and insulated, waterproof footwear.
•Stay dry.
•Keep active

-28 to -39 High Risk: exposed skin can freeze in 10 to 30 minutes -> •High risk of frostnip or frostbite: Check face and extremities for numbness or whiteness.
•High risk of hypothermia if outside for long periods without adequate clothing or shelter from wind and cold.
 •Dress in layers of warm clothing, with an outer layer that is wind-resistant
•Cover exposed skin
•Wear a hat, mittens or insulated gloves, a scarf, neck tube or face mask and insulated, waterproof footwear
•Stay dry
•Keep active

-40 to -47 Very High risk: exposed skin can freeze in 5 to 10 minutes
Footnote 1 •Very high risk of frostbite: Check face and extremities for numbness or whiteness.
•Very high risk of hypothermia if outside for long periods without adequate clothing or shelter from wind and cold.
•Dress in layers of warm clothing, with an outer layer that is wind-resistant.
•Cover all exposed skin.
•Wear a hat, mittens or insulated gloves, a scarf, neck tube or face mask and insulated, waterproof footwear.
•Stay dry
•Keep active.