Les McDonald (triathlon)

Les McDonald, CM (30 April 1933 – 4 September 2017) was the founding President of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) from 1989-2008, and was made an Honorary President for the organization until his death in 2017. He is largely credited with getting the sport of triathlon into the Olympic Games, with the inaugural race taking place at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney, Australia, in 2000.[1][2] He is a member of the Triathlon Canada Hall of Fame (2001), Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (2007),[3] the BC Sports Hall of Fame (2009),[4] and the ITU Hall of Fame (2014).[5] He was awarded the Olympic Order in 2010, in Vancouver, by the International Olympic Committee.[6] He was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2013[7] by His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, the Governor General of Canada.

Les McDonald

CM
Les McDonald in 1987
Born(1933-04-30)30 April 1933
Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
Died4 September 2017(2017-09-04) (aged 84)
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
CitizenshipBritish, Canadian
OccupationIF President
OrganizationInternational Triathlon Union
Term1989 - 2008
SuccessorMarisol Casado
AwardsTriathlon Canada Hall of Fame
BC Sports Hall of Fame
Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame
ITU Hall of Game
IOC Women and Sport Award
HonoursOrder of Canada
Olympic Order

Personal life

Les McDonald was born to a coal miner and a newspaper shopkeeper and grew up in Felling, a borough near Newcastle upon Tyne (where he was born), in the northeast of England, in 1933. He was the eldest of 3 children. He left school at the age of 14 to work in the coal mines and help support his family. He completed two years of military service and was part of the British army of occupation of Germany in the post-war period, which would eventually lead to him meeting his wife, Monique. In 1955, he immigrated to Vancouver, BC, where he married and had 3 children. As a young man in the northeast of England, he had discovered rock climbing and skiing. He became a legendary rock climber and would go on to achieve many first ascents in Canada, some with the legendary Fred Beckey. He then continued his passion for skiing, coaching at Grouse Mountain and Whistler Mountain. He helped form the Alta Lake Sports Club based out of Whistler, BC, Canada, and competed in several cross country ski marathons including the Engadin Skimarathon.[4] During his early professional life, he worked as an electrician and labor union organizer with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. His prowess in sports administration and organization were heavily influenced by his experiences as a labour unionist.[4]

Triathlon

Les discovered Triathlon in the 1980s while cross-training for marathons. In 1981, he organized one of the first triathlons in Canada, which took place in Vancouver. He founded the British Columbia Triathlon Federation in 1983, followed by Triathlon Canada in 1984. He was President of Triathlon Canada from 1984-1996, and a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee Board of Directors.[8] He was a five-time Ironman Age Group World Champion in the 50-55 age class from 1983 to 1987, setting consecutive age group record times in the process.[9] He spent much of his own time and money traveling around the world setting up national triathlon governing bodies ahead of the 1989 World Championship and the inaugural International Triathlon Union (ITU) Congress in Avignon, France where he was elected President of the ITU. He is largely credited with getting the sport of triathlon into the Olympic Games through years of tireless effort and dedication to the sport.[10] He was a driving force in the sport of triathlon, and pushed feminist values including equal prize money, representation, and concurrent medal ceremonies for male and female athletes. He remained president of the ITU until 2008, retiring at the age of 75. He was appointed as Honorary President of the ITU and remained in that position until he passed away.[11]

Les McDonald - 1987 Hawaii Ironman World Championships

Awards/Honours

Notable achievements

Mountain climbing
Les McDonald - Climbing

First ascents

Triathlon
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References
  1. "Triathlon at the Olympic Games: A History Lesson". IRONMAN.com. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  2. "Former ITU President Les McDonald Dies at 84 | Triathlete.com". Triathlete.com. 2017-09-05. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  3. "Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame". Team Canada - Official 2018 Olympic Team Website. 2014-04-02. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  4. "BC Sports Hall of Fame". www.bcsportshalloffame.com. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  5. Union, International Triathlon. "Les McDonald ITU Hall of Fame". Triathlon.org. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  6. Union, International Triathlon (2010-02-28). "ITU Honorary President Les McDonald Awarded Olympic Order". Triathlon.org. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  7. General, The Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "The Governor General of Canada". Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  8. "Triathlon Canada Nation Extends Thoughts and Prayers to Family of Les McDonald | Triathlon Canada". www.triathloncanada.com. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  9. Inc., Jeff Cuddeback - Triple Fitness Training. "The Top 10: Kona's Greatest Age Groupers". www.jeffcuddeback.com. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  10. Phelps, Sean (Spring 2006). "The creation and development of an international sport federation: A case study of the International Triathlon Union from 1989-2000". Florida State University: 268.
  11. "ITU Honorary President, Les McDonald, dies at 84 years of age". aroundtherings.com. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  12. Union, International Triathlon (2010-06-23). "ITU Honorary President Receives IOC Women & Sport Award | Triathlon.org". Triathlon.org. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  13. "IOC honours women on Olympic Day - Olympic News". International Olympic Committee. 2016-12-13. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  14. Beckey, Fred (2008-06-01). Rainy Pass to Fraser River. The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 9781594854309.
  15. Tjossem, Donald R. (2015-03-30). Mountain Climbing in Washington State. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439650646.
  16. Lemieux, Rene Cortenraad & Alex. "Peasant's Route, Squamish - Rock Climbing Topo and Info". www.gearlooptopo.com. Retrieved 2017-09-08.
  17. Beckey, Fred (2003-06-09). Cascade Alpine Guide; Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass: Climbing & High Routes. The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 9781594851551.
  18. Beckey, Fred (May 1995). Cascade Alpine Guide: Rainy Pass to Fraser River. The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 9780898864236.
  19. "Angel's Crest is a Squamish 5.10 Classic - Gripped Magazine". Gripped Magazine. 2016-06-22. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  20. "British Columbia Climbing - Mountaineering and Rock Climbing in British Columbia, Canada". www.bcclimbing.com. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  21. "The Centennial Climb on Mount Vancouver". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
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