Josiah Wilkinson’s triathlon career is taking off — literally.
Fresh from winning the Apple Blossom sprint-distance event in Kelowna by a country mile a couple of weekends ago, the 18-year-old from Prince George is set to jet off to Europe for his first taste of international competition. Junior elite races are lined up in Austria, the Netherlands and Hungary.
“I’ve never raced outside of Canada,” Wilkinson said.
Currently ranked seventh in the country, Wilkinson is expected to climb higher in the national standings in his final year as a junior before moving up to the under-23 category. His results in the three European events will serve as qualifiers for two additional races. His first race is June 14 in Wels, Austria.
On May 4 in Kelowna, Wilkinson won the overall sprint title by more than seven minutes over the next closest competitor in a field of 249, finishing the course — an 800-metre swim, 20-kilometre bike and five-kilometre run — in 1:01:54.
“The race plan was just to go hard in the swim, then kind of go at a comfortable pace but still push it in the bike and run just to see where the legs were at — there was no plan for a podium, it was just kind of an icebreaker,” said Wilkinson, who now trains out of Victoria. “It was awesome that I got on the podium anyway, just following the race plan. It feels pretty good. I’m pretty happy about it.”
Wilkinson spent more than half his life training and racing with the Prince George Barracudas Swim Club.
“My swim has always been decent. I was a club swimmer for 10 years, so the past couple of years I’ve been mostly focusing on running and biking,” he said. “But definitely this season I knew I had to pick up my swim to compete with the guys in Europe.”
Wilkinson hopes to continue building his sprint résumé en route to a future Olympic bid. He also has his sights set on standard-distance pro events (1,500-metre swim, 40-kilometre bike, 10-kilometre run) and eventually the Ironman distance.
“It’s a long process. It will probably take eight to 10 years (to reach the Olympics),” Wilkinson said.
He’s met Simon Whitfield several times at training camps in Victoria. Whitfield, a four-time Olympian, won gold at the inaugural Olympic triathlon in 2000 and silver in 2008.
“He’s a super down-to-earth guy and he explains what it takes to get there,” said Wilkinson. “It’s just kind of cool seeing those guys around.”
This summer, Wilkinson plans to compete in the junior national series, culminating with the junior national championship in Montreal in September. A top-two finish in the national points standings would earn him a spot representing Canada at the world junior championship in Wollongong, Australia, on Oct. 17.
Now in only his third season as a full-time triathlete, Wilkinson got an early start in the sport thanks to his father, Clayton, a triathlon coach. He introduced Josiah to the sport through the Prince George Kids Triathlon.
Josiah says one of the toughest aspects of elite racing is balancing training in all three disciplines, but his experience on the junior development national team has helped.
“Time management is a huge part of triathlon because you’re trying to get as good as you can at three different sports,” said Wilkinson, a 2024 Prince George Secondary School graduate. “You have to be able to do a full workout every day, go to school or work, and then spend time with your family and friends. The days are pretty packed with not a lot of downtime, but you get used to it.
“I like the challenge of it. Every day it’s like, man, do I really want to sit on my bike for three hours? But I kind of like pushing myself and seeing what my body’s got — seeing what my limits are and pushing them. That’s probably what I enjoy most.”
Wilkinson works part time at McDonald’s and at Cycle Logic bike shop in Prince George, and both jobs help support his triathlon career. Cycle Logic sponsors him through its ambassador program with free cycling gear, and McDonald’s offers food discounts that help fuel his five-foot-nine, 155-pound frame. He tries to make healthy choices, opting for chicken sandwiches and salads.
“Cycle Logic are the best guys — they set you up, and they’re all bike racers, so they’re super supportive,” he said. “I try not to (eat hamburgers). How bad can chicken be for you?”
As lean as he is, Wilkinson jokes that sometimes he wishes for a bit more insulation during the cold race season.
“I’ve put on a bit of muscle just from swimming and riding the bike, but I’m super lean,” he said. “As soon as race season comes up, I have almost no body fat and I get cold super easy.”
The cold didn’t slow him down in February when he placed second overall for the second straight year at the Prince George Iceman — a multisport endurance race featuring cross-country skiing, running, skating and swimming.
Wilkinson began open-water swim training this week in Victoria and also trains at West Lake. His father launched the Northern Triathlon Club two years ago and revived the Prince George Northern Triathlon, which starts and finishes at the Aquatic Centre. This year’s event is scheduled for Sunday, June 1.
The Northern Triathlon Club had a strong showing at the Apple Blossom event. Four of the 12 club members who raced in Kelowna placed first or second in their age groups.
Jonathan Taylor was first in the men’s 40-44 division (fourth overall, 1:10:19). Anna De Wynter won the women’s 20-24 division (third overall, 1:18:49). Aleza Cartwright finished second in women’s 16-17 (1:31:08). Levi Wilkinson, Josiah’s 14-year-old brother, was second in the male 14-15 youth course (35:33).
Northern club athletes adapt to Prince George’s winter conditions using treadmills and the indoor track at the Northern Sport Centre. They also train with indoor bike trainers equipped with simulation software.
“Everybody’s been training hard over the winter,” Josiah Wilkinson said. “I don’t think anybody had any expectations to get on the podium, but it was definitely a good surprise that we could go down there and do well.”
It was Levi’s best triathlon result to date.
“At the BC Summer Games last year, he had a great time but was a little disappointed with his result. And this year — first race — he gets second. He’s been working hard, and that’s awesome.”
