After 30 years, the North Okanagan based non-profit sports society, Kal RATS, is shelving its shoes.
“After much consideration and deliberation, the board of directors of Kal RATS (Running and Triathlon Sports) has made the difficult decision to dissolve our organization,” the society said in an announcement. “We will continue to offer group activities to our club members and will honour our race and event commitments for the remainder of the year.”
According to president Darlene Wood, the closure comes due to a confluence of factors.
“It is expensive to put on races. Everything has gone up, and we just don’t have the same numbers in participants that we used to,” she told The Morning Star. “It is also hard to get volunteers anymore. We have had our core group of people that have been doing it for a long time but, running three events, it makes it really difficult. Right now, we only have 30 members and we used to have huge amounts and it is just becoming more difficult to recruit people.”
The Kal RATS ran their first triathlon in 1995, when the society took over the rights from the Bella Vista Triathlon.
“We just decided to take this on in May,” said organizer Dan Kunzelman in 1995. “We’re brand new at this but somehow we’ve managed to pull it off.”
The first triathlon saw over 100 participants, and has steadily grown in the years since.
For 30 years, the society has ran three annual races; Starting Block 10K in the winter, Sprint Triathlon in June and Kal Park Trail Run in October.
Wood said that, effective April 1, 2025, Kal RATS will officially close.
“Our last race will be our triathlon then the trail race,” she said. “We are hoping to have people that have raced with us before to come out and just be aware of the fact that this is our last race to promote.”
Over the years, the non-profit has supported students with a scholarship and bursary program for local high schoolers. It has also raised funds for several community initiatives, including the Okanagan Rail Trial.
“A lot of our volunteers have helped with the junior triathlons in the past,” Wood explained. “We are trying to make sure we have a succession plan for the races, because they’ve been going on for so long that we want to be able to see them continue.”
The final Kal RATS Sprint Triathlon will take place on Sunday, June 23. To sign up, or to donate, visit kalrats.com.
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