Parks and Rec discontinues Whidbey Triathlon
Published 1:30 am Friday, November 28, 2025
After nearly 30 years, the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District is no longer putting on the Whidbey Triathlon.
Executive Director Brian Tomisser announced the decision not to sponsor the athletic event in 2026 during a board meeting last week.
In 2025, the triathlon had 171 participants, about 33% of which lived within the parks and rec district’s bounds. Though it brought in $17,522 in revenue, it actually cost the district to put on, since expenditures totaled $22,941. Tomisser said permits, police charges and city of Langley staff overtime have all gone up in cost.
Compared to previous years, attendance seems to be down. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 300 participants. The event is also an extensive time commitment, with the district’s recreation supervisor, Skye Dunn, putting in at least 196 hours working on the 2025 triathlon.
Tomisser said there are 28 other triathlons in the state, and only Whidbey’s is run solely by a government agency. South Whidbey Parks and Rec is searching for a new entity to take on the Whidbey Triathlon, and Tomisser said he and Dunn are in the process of meeting with other organizations.
“We have a lot of information we could share,” Tomisser said. “I mean, you really wouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel. You just have to take the wheel over.”
Another challenge is the limited number of hotels in the area and a lack of cell service in remote areas of South Whidbey.
Commissioner Krista Loercher recommended reaching out to the other entities, like tourism boards and chambers of commerce, to let them know the event might be going away if no one else takes it on. The city of Langley should also know that the rise in expenditures helped contribute to the event’s downfall, she added.
Loercher, who has been a volunteer for nearly 20 years, said it’s sad that the event is ending.
“It had a good run,” Tomisser agreed.
Commissioner Erik Jokinen remarked that it was a good entry-level triathlon.
