Penticton's last Ironman will go down as a memorable one for both the athletes and the community. 

Over 900 athletes from across the world came to the Peach City to run in the final Ironman, 35 years after it was founded. 

Race day on Aug. 25 got off to a unique start, with the swim portion of the triathlon cancelled due to the temperature of the water being too cold even for wetsuits. 

While competitions in other cities have seen cancellations of swims, it was the first time Penticton had it happen. The change didn't shake Lionel Sanders, who came in first place with a combined bicycle/run time of 6:57:09. 

"This was a fantastic experience, it's a shame it won't stay here because it's such a great venue," said Sanders. "I mean, it's a real honest course. The community is all out supporting it, and the history of this race; all the greats have done this race."

Sanders' wife and son met him at the finish line to present him with his medal 

"The only thing that gets me to the finish line is being able to see them."

News of the cancellation of the Ironman in Penticton came in July, with Ironman Canada announcing that the only future events will be in Ottawa going forward.

Olympian Sarah True had a friend in Penticton reach out to her, and with a month to go before the race, she signed up and changed up the focus of her training to prepare.

"It's not like I got off the couch and was like, 'Oh, I'm gonna do an Ironman in a month,'" True said. "I live near the mountains so it felt like home. I wasn't expecting the winds though."

True finished first for the Pro Women division with a combined time of 7:52:29.

While the race included athletes from places like Anchorage, Alaska and even further from Colombia, locals showed up as well not only to cheer the racers on but to compete themselves. 

Local stars Jen Annett and Jeff Symonds both came out for the final run at the Penticton Ironman, participating in one of the community's biggest sporting events. 

"It's kind of put Penticton on the map," said Annett. "It's really sad to see it go."

Annett finished fifth in the Pro Women division with a time of 8:13:20. Just a few weeks before the Ironman, Annett competed in and finished first in the Ultraman, earning her a place at the upcoming championship. 

"It hurt more than Ultraman did if that even makes any sense," said Annett. "I am obviously just not fully recovered from it."

She is headed off to the Ultraman World championship at the end of November. 

Symonds on the other hand will be getting back to school, as he returns to teaching following his 8:30:56 finish. 

"I thought 10 good weeks I could put together something good and I think there might have been some missing components or even just, you know, doing a few more races to sort out all the little details," said Symonds. 

With a job and his family to return to, Symonds said he isn't looking to jump right back into training for another race just yet. 

"There's part of me right now feels like I'm done triathlon for a while, but there's also part of me that doesn't want to leave on that note," said Symonds. "With our little boy, it's how much sacrifice do I want make because it's getting harder and harder to not want to spend more time with him.

"But, I bet if you ask me tomorrow, I'd be like, 'Let's get some redemption,' So, I wish there was another race here for sure."

Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield also expressed how bittersweet it is to see the Ironman leave Penticton again, especially with how many former competitors that he knows who have made homes in the community after coming to compete. 

"Penticton and Ironman have always had a great relationship and it just speaks to the fact that so many triathletes have actually ended up moving to Penticton that shows how much they love this place," said Bloomfield. 

Bloomfield himself competed in Ironman in the past, including in 2003. That year's race was complicated by multiple wildfires throughout the Okanagan Valley.

"When we went on the bike route, we were coming off of Oliver Ranch Road hitting Highway 97 there was a fire on the left-hand side where the fence posts were burning on the side of the road," said Bloomfield. "We're cycling through and there's helicopters going overhead with buckets are coming out of Vaseaux Lake and they were bucketing the fire on our left. That was surreal. And then there was so much smoke in the valley that we had to run around the city three times instead of running down to OK Falls and back."

What the future will be for competitions in the city, whether they search out and find a different signature event or help develop smaller local ones, is too soon to say.