Orangeville resident Jim Schembri was looking forward to hearing all about his good friend Ivan Chittenden’s experience participating in the Youghal Ironman in Cork, Ireland.
Shortly after 5 a.m. that day, Schembri answered a call from Ivan’s wife informing him that the Etobicoke resident had died while taking part in the triathlon’s swimming leg.
He said they’d discussed the strong current that Chittenden expected to face for part of the swimming section, but Schembri said that his friend had been mentally preparing for that challenge and was a “very experienced amateur athlete” who was in good physical shape and ready to take it on. Chittenden, who was also an accomplished marathoner, was someone who deeply loved pushing his limits and would travel around the world to race, Schembri said. Recently, they’d spoken about him possibly trying out for the Half Ironman, known as 70.3, World Championships.
Despite training together extensively, Schembri and Chittenden had only raced together twice, most recently in April at the Boston Marathon. He said he was especially looking forward to doing a medium-length ride with Chittenden later on this year, one his good friend had planned and included a few stops along the way at some of their favourite cafes.
“The triathlon community is a very close community and this loss has had a devastating effect on all of us.
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