Kempenfelt Triathlon Club

Brent Boden, Founder

History of The Kempenfelt Triathlon Club

In 2006 a collection of like-minded athletes got together to form the Kempenfelt Triathlon Club (KTC). The KTC was an integral ingredient to the growth of triathlon in Central Ontario. Formed on friendship, the KTC’s foundation has not been lost, as it has evolved into the Barrie Baydogs Triathlon Club, and grown from 20 - 30 members to 130+. The following was written by honorary lifetime member Brent Boden, and describes how the Kempenfelt Triathlon Club was born and grew from an idea to the Barrie Baydogs Triathlon Club, one of the premiere triathlon clubs in Ontario.
- Matt Doucette, member since 2009.

“In 2005, I returned to Barrie after a 3 year work relocation to Halifax. While I was in Halifax I got involved in the Halifax Triathlon Club as a newbie and enjoyed every minute of it. When I returned to Barrie I immediately began looking for a local club and soon realized one did not exist. While I was looking, I met several like-minded individuals who were regulars at the East Bayfield Saturday morning spin classes. One day I boldly asked if any of them wanted to start a triathlon club. Every one of them was interested. There was Mischelle, Ted, Gary, Shawn, Tim, Tony, Andrea (my wife), Diane and myself. We met a few weeks later and started the Kempenfelt Triathlon Club, got sanctioned, and began organising work-outs. In the first official year we had between 20-30 members. We began swimming as a group during the open lane swims at East Bayfield and took over a lane every Tuesday and Thursday evening. In the summer we held a weekly brick (Bike and Run) working on getting faster. We maintained that pace for 2 years. As club President I became a little overwhelmed with the new family addition and a large increase in work responsibilities and had to find another person to take over the club. Fortunately Mischelle Stevens took over as President and she continued to grow the club for the next two years. In 2010, Jamie Neilsen took a turn as club President and evolved the club into the Barrie Triathlon Club (Barrie Baydogs). It has been great to watch the club grow over the years from its humble beginnings, and I look forward to see how far we can take it over the coming years”.
- Brent Boden, founding member.