There was one common factor when we were deciding between the two contenders for the 2007 Huntsville Forester sports story of the year:  impact.

The stories did not feature championships or individual accolades, but rather represented decisions made this year that could have impacts for years to come.

In the end, and after a few rounds of eenie-meenie-miney-moe, the crack sports staff has decided that the awarding of a qualifier for the world Ironman 70.3 triathlon is this year’s story of the year.

The recommendation for the construction of a second arena pad for Huntsville by a parks and recreation subcommittee came in a close second.

In both cases, the announcements will dramatically impact the local sports scene for years to come. The Ironman could only enhance the town’s reputation as a triathlon nirvana when coupled with the success of the annual Muskoka Triathlon, while a second arena pad would relieve the burden on local sports groups who try to accommodate their users while maintaining their bottom line.

The two events would also add to north Muskoka’s push into the growing sport tourism marketing.

However, it is the Ironman qualifier that will put the region on the world map, which is what gave it the edge for the top story of 2007.

“We’re incredibly pleased to have been chosen as a host site,” said Huntsville mayor Claude Doughty at the press conference this past August. “This is exactly the event we want in this community.”

The Ironman 70.3, or half Ironman, is a triathlon that includes a 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike ride and 21.1-km run, totaling 113 km, or 70.3 miles.

There are currently over 20 Ironman 70.3 races held in different locales around the world, all of which lead up to the annual Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3.

The Muskoka Ironman, to be held Sept. 14, 2008, will be hosted by Deerhurst Resort and have a $25,000 US prize purse, as well as 50 slots for the world championships.

Race director Mitch Fraser said there were many reasons that Huntsville and Lake of Bays were chosen as the Ironman site, but one important factor was the course.

The course for the Muskoka Ironman 70.3 will take participants on a  swim in Pen Lake, followed by a bike ride around Lake of Bays, and will end with a run through Huntsville, along Fairy Vista Trail and ending at the Deerhurst golf course.

“The course is extremely challenging,” said Lisa Bentley, a 10-time Ironman champion who helped in securing the rights for the Muskoka Ironman, as well as mapping out the course design.

The event will run here for three years and could attract as many as 1,500 competitors each year.