2021 Barrelman Cancelled

As we have promised over the past several months, we have been working towards opening registration by July 1 in the sincere hope that we would be able to deliver the race on September 19. We now have enough information to make this very difficult decision. Barrelman 2021 will not go ahead.

While the situation for the general population is improving, it is now clear that they will certainly not improve to the point where we will be able to obtain the necessary permits, arrange for emergency services to be on site (an absolute must) or secure the paid duty Police who marshal our complex course so well. This is heartbreaking news for us all. We would love nothing more than to see you all racing, but without these three critical components, the race simply can’t happen. On a more personal note, I will also not jeopardise the health of any individual, whether athlete, volunteer or crew member in the pursuit of a single race. We will be back in 2022!

The biggest factor in obtaining permits is the potential number of people gathering at Barrelman, in both Welland and Niagara Falls. With over 1,200 people racing we know the total number of people gathering would be in excess of 3,000. That number is comprised of approximately 1,200+ athletes, 1,500-1,800 spectators, almost 200 volunteers, 40 race crew, almost 50 Police and EMS staff. Lastly, there is also currently no clear indication of when the border will be open, meaning some 30% of our athletes would not be able to join us at Barrelman.

This was an extremely difficult decision however, we could not have our athletes waiting any longer to hear from us. I hope you understand the rationale behind our decision and trust you know we are doing the best we can to accommodate and take care of all our athlete/customers. In the coming weeks we hope the COVID situation has more clarity and we will be able to open registration for Barrelman 2022 in late summer/early fall.

Please be patient and wait for new updates and FAQ’s on our website. We are also planning a Facebook Live video broadcast within the next 2 weeks to explain our thinking and to take questions from athletes.

All the best,

John Salt, Jason Vurma and Joseph Park and the entire MultiSport Canada Team