While the Multisport Canada Lakeside triathlon weekend technically occurs in the summer, it’s not unusual for chilly early morning air to be cooler than the water temperature, and that’s what happened again this year.
Alasdair and I arrived at the race site super early, so early that we got the prime parking spot at the Northern Star Equestrian Centre 200m down the road. Pro tip: if you’re racing at Lakeside, plan to arrive earlier than you usually do, because parking is done 1 vehicle at a time in a farm field – athletes get stuck in traffic closer to race start time (and no one needs that stress on race morning).
After setting up in transition we kept our long sleeves on as long as possible before putting our wetsuits on. For this race Alasdair would be in the 2nd wave, and me in the 4th (we were seeded based on our predicted finishing times).
750m swim
The swim course is a counter-clockwise triangle, with two green turning buoys that you have to keep on your left. I felt that I was swimming pretty straight for the first two legs, but on the last leg I couldn’t for the life of me swim straight! My GPS track doesn’t look bad, so maybe I was straighter than it felt. The swim exit is very close to transition in this race, not like some others (such as Kingston or Guelph Lake).
20k bike
I jumped on my bike and immediately started passing other athletes – 10 or 11 in a very short time (this is because I’m slow on the swim!). This course is an out and back on rural roads, without too many hills. I continued to pass people, and at around 3k or so from the turnaround I spotted Alasdair. I was riding over 29 km/h until the last climb, which dropped me down a bit. I played leapfrog with one athlete during the ride, but lost track of him eventually.
5k run
For once I did the entire run without once looking at my pace. I just tried to keep a quick turnover of my feet. The temperature was great for running, so I decided to push it a little. The run route is an out and back, mostly flat, with one significant hill just before the turnaround. I spotted Alasdair walking before I reached 1k – turns out his hamstring was bothering him and he decided to turn back early. I ended up not grabbing any water or F2C from the aid stations, and crossed the finish line with no idea what pace I had run. Turns out I was running a 6 min/km, my fastest triathlon run pace this summer. Maybe I should look at my watch less often.
Race stats:
Time: 1:36:05 (14/27 women 45-49)
750m swim: 20:12 (2:41/100m) (23/27 women 45-49)
T1: 1:47
20k bike: 42:32 (28.2 km/h)(13/27 women 45-49)
T2: 1:34
5k run: 30:00 (6:00 min/km) (14/27 women 45-49)
And with that, my last triathlon of 2023 is done.
Before we left though, we volunteered for the Kids of Steel races in the afternoon (ages 3 to 15). The 3-5 year olds could have their parents with them, but age 6 and up the kids were on their own. It was super fun helping them find their bikes (and missing shoes!), unclipping helmets (and tangled hair!), and pointing them in the right direction (and chasing them down!).
It’s not often I have my very own Sherpa and photographer for a triathlon, but Alasdair didn’t register for this race, so I was in luck. The original plan was for me to do the Subaru Triathlon Series Milton sprint triathlon as a season-opener, ride 30k to the race site, do the race, and ride home (we’ve done it before). However, for multiple reasons that didn’t happen and instead I deferred to Guelph Lake II. I had still intended to ride the 45k to the race, do the race, and ride 45k home, but given my back isn’t healed yet, I decided not to push it. Next year!
It’s been a few years since I competed in a Subaru race. Guelph Lake is a great venue, but I hadn’t remembered how hilly it is (more on that later!).
750m Swim
Instead of an in-water start, where athletes are treading water when the race begins, this race starts on the beach, with athletes running (or walking!) into the water. This swim was to be my first swim workout in more than a month, as I had been resting my back as much as possible and the rotation of swimming aggravates it.
Right from the start I encountered congestion on the swim, and never really got away from it. Someone kept whacking my feet and legs over and over, and then I inadvertently started doing the same to someone else. I think it was a woman with her bike racked on the same rack as mine – once we reached our bikes I apologized to her just in case.
I struggled to get my shoes tied up, which Alasdair got on video, of course. And then I was off, heading for the bike mount line, blissfully unaware of the huge hill to come.
30k Bike
While Multisport Canada’s sprint races have a 20k bike, the Guelph Lake II sprint is 30k. The pavement at the beginning and end of the course is quite rough, and then the hills begin. I was under the impression that the bike course was revised fairly last minute due to construction. At one point quite early on, there was a huge hill that I know I’ve never ridden before despite doing this race several times – at least 6 or 7 people were walking their bikes up the hill in front of me. I rode it, but stood up for the steepest bit!
Later as I passed 2 guys while climbing a hill, we commiserated on yet another hill, and the one guy mentioned that he rode the posted bike course the week before and “this is not the posted bike course!” Apparently that huge hill (and other hills!) were late additions.
7k Run
Instead of a typical 5k Multisport Canada sprint run, this one was 7k through the campground, almost entirely on camp park roads, with a tiny bit on a trail at the turnaround point.
There were quite a few campers cheering for runners, including a big group of very enthusiastic kids! And there was no shortage of toilets, since we were running through a campground! Early on in the run I caught up to a guy with “powerlifting” on the back of his shirt. I said, “I bet you’d rather be power lifting right now!” and he said yes, with 10 minutes to rest in between lifts! While the sun came out and was hot for last bit of the run, overall the race conditions were great.
Results
Time: 2:16:52 (5/9 women 45-49)
750m swim: 21:53 (2:55/100m, includes long run uphill then around and into transition)(7/9 women 45-49)
Word of advice: don’t do the K-Town long course triathlon while jet-lagged and after having done very few workouts in the 3 weeks leading up to the race (0 swims, 2 bikes, 3 runs). I didn’t really have a choice as I tried to heal my super tight back muscles, and as I spent a week travelling just before the race!
While 2022 saw the race move from Confederation Park downtown Kingston to Canadian Forces Base Kingston a little East of downtown, 2023 saw another new run route. More on that later.
While Alasdair and I went to the optional Saturday afternoon race kit pick-up, we still arrived at the race site super early on Sunday morning. Thankfully this gave Alasdair plenty of time to go back to our Airbnb after forgetting his F2C in the fridge. He still had lots of time to get ready for the race.
2k Swim
Alasdair and I were in the same yellow cap swim wave, so as I was treading water at the back of the pack just before the race started, I heard him say something about having a tow rope and asking who was going to tow him. The race began and I was glad to have started at the back – no congestion! I followed the crowd until the pack got further and further away. My goggles started fogging up, and it became more difficult to see the buoys. I should have stopped to fix them sooner, but when I did, I could see again! Unfortunately, the left lens started filling with water, so I had to stop once again. The next wave of swimmers started 3 minutes after us in purple caps. It didn’t take too long for one of the faster swimmers in the wave to catch me, and as they did I got whacked in the legs multiple times. On the first half of the swim I felt like the current was with me, but it was when I turned at the green buoys and started heading back that I realized the current was actually with me on the return. I was flying! Ha! Since we swam closer to shore on the way back, it was also more weedy. At one point I had to remove a weed stuck to my goggles. I felt my tight abs during the swim, but not my tight back muscles. The exit ramp was very slippery, but there were volunteers helping athletes out if needed. I was disappointed but not surprised to see 53 minutes on my watch as I stood up out of the water. Slow. Then I made the long run back to transition, about 250 m. As I got ready to ride I ate a piece of homemade banana bread, determined this time not to feel hungry and in need of food on the run (as I felt at the Welland long course this year).
55k Bike
I headed out on the bike, and very quickly encountered the first of many hills. This course doesn’t have much flat road. At the 23.5k mark I spotted Alasdair, who had made the “out and back” turn and was at around the 29.5k mark. This course isn’t a complete out and back. On the return there’s a point at which we leave Highway 2 and ride on quieter roads. In the last 5-10 minutes before reaching the turnaround I really had to pee, so I was grateful for the portapotty. At some point I decided to stand up for one hill, and found my legs to be wobbly! Over the course of the ride I passed 3-4 riders, drank 1 bottle of F2C, 1/2 a bottle of water, 1 pouch of Endurance tap, and ate a piece of banana bread. In the final few km’s of the ride I caught the last of the sprint racers.
15k Run
While last year’s run route was mostly flat with 3 climbs of the Fort Henry hill, there was a new run course this year. The elevation gain would apparently be similar. For once the temperature was a reasonable 23 feels like 25C with the humidity. I hadn’t looked at the new run route ahead of time (though I knew we were doing 2 loops), so I was very pleasantly surprised when I got to the top of the Fort Henry hill and saw that the 2nd loop would start at the top of the hill, so we only had to run it once. What I didn’t know at that time was that this course had a lot more ups and downs, with very little flat. This meant that while the elevation gain was similar, I found it harder! I was at around the 3 to 3 1/2k mark when I first spotted Alasdair, who was at around the 12 1/2k mark (and on his 2nd loop). Despite the temperature being reasonable, I still looked forward to pouring water on my head at each aid station, and drinking F2C and sometimes water too. At one point on the run course there was a man giving out ice cubes at the end of his driveway. That was the best part of the run course! The other part I liked was running past an Osprey breeding platform at a park, where on the platform and others on a hydro wire across the road were calling to one another. I ended up doing a run/walk combination, with more walking than I would have liked. Remarkably my back didn’t give me any issues on the run. Despite my much slower-paced run compared to last year, I eventually made it to the finish line, very glad to be done.
Later that afternoon we went for a swim at the Gord Downie Pier (Breakwater Park), then for some delicious pizza at Woodenheads, and then ice cream at White Mountain Homemade Ice cream.
Race stats:
Time: 5:05:23 (7/7 women 45-49, 56/70 women, 161/206 athletes)
With a very tight back in the days leading up to the Bracebridge triathlon weekend I wasn’t sure I would even make it to the start line. But I did a 25 m test swim on the Friday and deemed myself ready to race… or at least attempt the swim. Whether I got through the swim, bike and run was to be determined.
Saturday Olympic
My alarm went off at 4:30 AM, and by 6:15 AM we were at Annie Williams Park in Bracebridge, having seen 2 turkeys, a raccoon and a deer on our way!
We headed for transition to rack our bikes before going through registration, but I couldn’t find the rack for bib 163 anywhere. Turns out someone had had some fun overnight changing the numbers at the ends of the bike racks, messing up the bib number ranges! Once Jason the race director sorted things out by moving numbers around, I racked my bike, and went through registration (to get my swim cap, t-shirt, and timing chip), and then set my stuff up.
1500 m swim
This race uses a time trial start, meaning that one athlete starts swimming every 5 seconds. Athletes are seeded based on predicted race finishing times, and line up in the water by bib number. Alasdair started about 5 minutes ahead of me. The water was 22-23C, which was a great temperature. My race started and off I went, hoping my back didn’t give me too much grief. The swim course goes west along the Muskoka river, then crosses the narrow river (25 m?) and heads east. We had been warned in the pre-race briefing that there was a downed tree just after the turnaround, but I got pretty close to it (as did others!) before I saw and heard one of the lifeguards waving us around it. Other than that my swim was pretty uneventful. I didn’t feel my back much, but did have some discomfort under my ribs.
The run from the water to the transition area is very short in this race. Back at my bike I removed my wetsuit, put my helmet, socks, shoes, sunglasses and race bib on, ate some banana bread as I did all that, and headed for the mount line. With no portapotty in transition, I made a pitstop at one on my way to the bike mount line. In doing so a woman thought I was heading the wrong way, but soon realized there was a reason to my madness!
42 km bike
This bike course is 2 loops of a 21 k course (longer than the usual course in order to have the turnaround at a safe place), with one big hill at around the 5 k mark and other hills along the way. Each time I’ve ridden it I’ve done at least part of the biggest hill standing up. Sadly I lost all my speed going down it on the way back to the race site on my first loop when there was a lineup of cars waiting to turn into Santa’s Village! A couple of riders made the very dangerous decision to cross the centre line of the road and ride facing oncoming traffic. Had any one of the cars in my lane turned left (not expecting a cyclist to fly by on the left), the cyclists might very easily have been dead. I saw Alasdair once on each loop, with him around 6-8 k ahead of me. I didn’t feel the tight spot of my back on the ride, but did feel some tightness in another area of my back – I’m blaming it all on my canoe trip just before the race.
10 km run
Thankfully there was cloud cover for the run and it wasn’t too hot. The majority of this run is along the Muskoka River, so it’s quite scenic. I don’t remember now how far along I was when I spotted Alasdair. I grabbed F2C at all but the first aid station, but never stopped running (often I walk while drinking). My back was tight for the entire run, but it wasn’t painful.
I was thankful to have been able to complete the race.
Race stats:
Time: 3:33:14 (5/9 women 45-49, 35/54 women, 126/167 athletes)
1500 m swim: 43:22 (2:53/100m)
T1: 2:30
42 k bike: 1:37:02 (25.9 km/h)
T2: 1:32
10 k run: 1:08:48 (6:52 min/km)
Sunday sprint
The next morning we were back at the race site bright and early, with me registered for the sprint and Alasdair for the sprint and the give it a tri.
750 m swim
This time I would start 8 minutes after Alasdair.
Early in the swim I had to fix my goggles twice, with water annoyingly entering my right lens. After the turnaround I started feeling very warm – almost too warm for a wetsuit. Not too much later I got kicked in the face by someone doing the breaststroke, which knocked my goggles onto the top of my head. Thankfully they didn’t break! The rest of my swim was uneventful, though I was still feeling tight under my ribs.
21 k bike
The sprint distance race was one loop of the 21 k bike course. I saw Alasdair before I reached the turnaround, and on the second half of the bike course I played leapfrog with a woman named Yasmine, which made the time pass more quickly. My back felt better than it had on the bike the day before.
5 k run
The advantage of doing a sprint triathlon the day after an Olympic is that it seems so short! I saw Alasdair just before I reached the 1 k mark, and I chatted briefly or cheered for many on the course, including Yasmine. I didn’t grab a drink at any of the aid stations, and ran the whole thing, though again my back was quite tight.
And then I was done, 2 races in 2 days.
Race stats:
Time: 1:44:07 (8/11 women 45-49, 55/102 women, 143/245 athletes)
750 m swim: 21:07 (2:48 min/100 m)
T1: 1:59
21 k bike: 46:36 (27 km/h)
T2: 1:17
5 k run: 33:08 (6:37 min/km)
I cheered for athletes in the give it a tri, including Alasdair, and then stayed to cheer the very last competitor across the finish line. From an 80 year old man to another who had been in a coma for 16 days 4 years ago, there is never a shortage of inspiring athletes!
This year’s Multisport Canada/Somersault K-Town long course triathlon was to be held at a new venue, Canadian Forces Base Kingston, instead of Confederation Park downtown. The change was made in part to maximize safety on the course – athletes would have a more protected swim and wouldn’t have to bike across the metal grate bridge.
Prior to the race I finally got to meet Cory, an athlete I follow on Instagram but who I hadn’t yet managed to see in person. Thanks again Cory for introducing yourself!
2k swim
The new swim course was in the Great Cataraqui River north of Highway 2 (from HMCS Cataraqui) instead of in the St. Lawrence River (open to Lake Ontario) south of Highway 2. We were told it would be calmer. Alasdair and I were to start in the same wave, which meant we should see each other more during the race.
We got into the water from a dock, but this meant (for me at least) that once I was in for my quick warm-up, I wasn’t getting out again (too hard to get out). I didn’t want to get in too early because I’d have to tread water until the start, but I didn’t want to wait to the last second either.
The 10 second countdown started and we were off, with me right behind Cory. Sadly, I only got to draft off of him for a couple of swim strokes, because then he was gone! We swam shore side of a buoyed boat lane. For this race we had to keep the buoys to our right, swimming about 1 km north east along the shore, 25 m across, then back even closer to the shore.
With about 500 metres to go, the swim course got very weedy. It was also at this point that I noticed a current in my favour, however, my motion-sickness never likes it when things don’t align, so my swim strokes at a different speed than the waving weeds was not pleasant. My hands were non-stop hitting weeds and I had them sticking to my head too, wrapped around my face. At one point I hit rocks (or something!) with my left hand. I later heard from athletes who cut their hands and feet during the swim.
With only a couple hundred metres to go, some swimmers ahead of me seemed confused – they were swimming at a strange angle away from shore. Maybe they were looking for deeper water to get away from the weeds?
Overall, my swim was fairly straight, and I passed at least one person (but most passed me as usual). As I approached the swim exit I could see that the blowup swim arch was off to the side, and had fallen over. There was a very slippery mat at the swim but volunteers warned us and helped us out if needed. Then I set out in bare feet running about 200 m or so on pavement back to transition!
55k bike
While getting myself ready to bike, I ate half a homemade muffin. The bike route was only slightly different than the previous course, which meant lots of hills, with more downhill on the way out (never a good sign!). I passed around 3 people, and played leapfrog with one woman (I overtook her on the downhills, she caught me on the uphills). I saw 3 dead skunks, forced down 2 homemade energy bites, and stopped at the bottle exchange to fill my own bottle with F2C. There was a nice downhill to finish the bike course. I saw Alasdair just before the turnaround in Gananoque.
15k run
Before even starting the run, I knew the heat was going to be my enemy! Thankfully, there was a light breeze coming off the lake. The run course crosses highway 2 via stairs and a pedestrian bridge, then does a loop through the Royal Military College (RMC). The course was mostly flat, with one very big exception, the long climb up the Fort Henry Hill (because forts are always built up high!). When I reached the first aid station, I was super disappointed to discover that it had run out of drinks. This meant I didn’t get one until 4k into the run, after having conquered the Fort Henry hill (with a run/walk combination). I was pleasantly surprised to see my friend Lisa at the aid station! The run down the hill was the best part of the run course.
Picture by Lisa
The 15k course included 3 loops at RMC, which meant that I saw Alasdair multiple times. At each aid station I poured water on my head and drank F2C and/or water. I ran the entire 15k, other than the steepest parts of the Fort Henry hill, and as I went through the aid stations. There was great support from cheering spectators at RMC.
Alasdair was waiting for me just before the finish.
I enjoyed some post race pizza and my first ginger ale in years (I’m not a pop drinker but felt like something sweet). We watched the end of the awards, and then we soaked our heads with a hose before heading out!
Race stats:
Time: 4:55:09 (7/8 women 45-49, 39/64 women, 146/218 athletes)
Swim: 57:05 (2:51 min/100m)
Bike: 2:06:22 (25.9 km/h)
Run: 1:47:13 (7:08 km/h)
Later that afternoon Alasdair begrudgingly walked 4k for ice cream. 🙂
While we’ve raced at Welland many times, this was to be our first time doing the long course here (2k swim, 50k bike, 15k run). It was a super early morning, with a 4:45 AM alarm and 5:30 AM departure to get there in time. Alasdair was to start at 8:18 and me at 8:24 (we were seeded based on our predicted finishing times).
Pre-race and ready to go.
It always amazes me how much space some athletes take up in transition. I’m a minimalist (I put the 2nd water bottle on my bike after I took the picture).
All set up.
My Twitter friend Christine was racked next to me.
2k swim
Due to some construction at the Welland International Flatwater Centre, the swim start had to move a little from its normal location (this time further away from the building). I did a very short warm up swim, then waited onshore with Alasdair. I went into the water just after him, staying near the shore until it was my wave’s start. For the first time ever I wore a black swim cap! Not ideal, as it is not very visible if you’re trying to keep your eye on athletes in the water. Apparently they were supposed to be silver. I thought it odd that the black caps went to the slowest athletes (I was in the last wave – only the swim/bike athletes started after us).
The countdown from 10 started and the race began! Thankfully, I had a pretty uneventful swim! Absolutely no breathing issues, I swam fairly straight, and I had my fastest swim race pace this year. I did not say fast – I said fastest!
We swam down the recreational waterway (a long way!), turned right at a green buoy, crossed the waterway (took me a few seconds to spot the green buoy on the other side because we were swimming into the light and it was in the shade), turned right, swam back towards the building, turned right at the last green buoy and headed diagonally to the swim exit. The volunteers were great there helping people out of the water (on rocky ground). The run to transition was also different (no stairs this year) because of the construction, but it was a longer run to get to our bikes. I ate a homemade apple muffin while I got ready to ride, then ran out of transition with my bike.
50k bike
What should have been a 56k ride became a 50k ride, again due to construction. Instead of riding down to Lake Erie, which is beautiful (but windy!), we did a route with one section of it that we had to ride twice. It meant that Alasdair and I got to see each other multiple times! The first time I spotted him he was about 4km ahead of me (I was 2k from a turnaround).
While normally bike courses are completely on roads, for this race we rode a few hundred metres on a bike path (again because of construction). This was fine, but getting from the path onto the road wasn’t fun – there was gravel that I wasn’t thrilled to ride on. Thankfully, I stayed upright and my tires were fine.
I can’t be sure, but I was likely the only athlete scouring a creek along the road for turtles – I saw 5 on one log. I also saw a mamma duck on a log with at least 4 babies standing closely around her.
At around 30k I caught Christine, but sadly she wasn’t feeling well after the bike so she called it a day.
I did a great job (for me) drinking lots on the bike – one bottle of Nuun, and about 2/3 of another one with water. Unfortunately, I put the Nuun in the wrong cage, so just after starting the ride I had to grab the water bottle, hold it super tight in my teeth (I thought I was going to drop it for sure!), put the Nuun in the more accessible cage and put the water one back. Success! I forced down a super dry granola bar, but had to wash it down with water!
With about 15k to go my right glute started giving me trouble, tightening up on me. I figure it was a result of my 39k Bruce Trail run the weekend before the race. I had to frequently get up out of the saddle to relax it. My pace started to slow. Let’s just say I was happy to be done the bike! I wasn’t sure I would be able to run… I took two bites of a banana and then headed out. It was kind of demoralizing to hear people finishing the race while I was just starting the run!
15k run
After a slow transition (had to pee and reapply sunscreen), I headed out on the run course, an Endurance Tap gel in my shirt (I was a little worried about not having eaten enough). At this point, I should mention that it was 32 degrees Celsius, feels like 35 with the humidity. It was ridiculously hot. Thankfully, I quickly realized that my glute wasn’t going to be an issue on the run! I hadn’t reached 1k when I saw Alasdair for the first time. Because we would be running 2 loops of the course, I got to see him multiple times. My plan was to run from aid station to aid station, stopping at each one to grab electrolytes and water, to walk while drinking them, and to also pour water on my head! As soon as I saw small blue towels at an aid station, I grabbed one, soaked it in an ice cold bucket, and stuck it down my shirt! I then continued soaking my towel at each aid station. Looking forward to the next aid station was a good way to break the 15k down into manageable chunks. I passed 8 of them, so I didn’t have to wait too long each time to cool myself down. I felt pretty good, all things considered. At times we had a very slight breeze, which felt amazing. I never did have the gel. I cheered for and encouraged other athletes as I ran, some who were further along the course than me, and others further behind. We were suffering together!
At the start of the run it was hard to imagine running in that heat for 15k, but somehow, I did it.
Doing back to back triathlons in Gravenhurst has become a thing for Alasdair and I. Thankfully, the longer Olympic race was on Saturday this year, and the sprint on Sunday. New for 2022 were assigned start times based on predicted finishing times. Theoretically this should reduce passing on the swim, bike and run. Unfortunately, this also meant that Alasdair and I were to start more than 40 minutes apart (on different boat runs), and would only see each other once over the course of the two races.
Saturday Olympic triathlon
Pre-race with gear ready to go.
1500m swim
With Alasdair on the earlier run of the boat, I walked to the docking area on my own, listening to two loons calling in Lake Muskoka. I was in the 1st of 3 waves on my boat. The boat arrived at the location where we would jump off super early, so everyone waited on the boat until about 8 minutes to go. When they told us to start jumping in, I was one of the first (plugging my nose with one hand, and making sure my goggles stayed on my head with the other!). As I resurfaced I did bit of a gasp due to the cold water. My ears and face were chilly, but I knew I would warm up quickly once I started swimming. Waiting at the start line I barely had to tread water, because my wet suit helped me to float.
This year the swim course changed very slightly at the request of the boat operator, who wanted to let us out in deeper water. So we swam away from shore, then made a sharp turn back towards shore and basically swam a straight line to the swim ladders at the dock. I happened to swim pretty much the entire way to the left of a woman in a bright orange wetsuit (99% of triathlon wetsuits are black), which really helped me in sighting! I knew that she was doing the breaststroke when sighting, so I was confident she knew where she was going. I had to sight less often. I was grateful to not have breathing issues on the swim this time (something new to all 3 of my races in 2021), and I was able to see very well with my new goggles! At last year’s Gravenhurst Olympic distance race I think I had to adjust them 4 times! I chatted briefly with the orange wetsuit lady along the dock, and it turns out I helped her swim straighter too!
40k bike
Having done this course many times, I knew to expect lots of rolling hills. What I was surprised to see were 2 dead snakes and a dead muskrat! At 10k I met Alasdair, but then didn’t see him the rest of the race. Shortly after this point I tried to shift into my big chain ring and my chain fell off. Thankfully, it was a pretty quick fix, but my fingers were then covered in chain oil! My stomach wasn’t happy in the last 10k, so I was glad to get off my bike. I had a granola bar in transition as I got my helmet, socks, shoes, sunglasses and race bib on, then headed out for the run.
10k run
My stomach was still not happy when I started running, and I really hoped it would feel better soon, because 10k of hills would be awful! After about 2-3k it was back to normal. I was thankful for the cooler temperatures – traditionally this race has been in July, when it can feel like 40C with the humidity. Instead, it was about 20C. Unfortunately I had very annoying bugs following me for most of the race – I was actually stung or bitten by two, one on my leg, and one on my back! I stopped very briefly at each of the aid stations for a quick drink of electrolytes, then was on my way again. I think my favourite part of this run course is the last km, because it’s downhill or flat! Alasdair was there to cheer for me in the last few hundred metres, and just like that, I crossed the finish line!
Lucky me, I won a pair of leg warmers as a draw prize.
Race stats
Time: 3:26:39 (5/7 women 45-49, 41/86 women, 227/340 athletes)
1500m swim: 43:01 (2:52/100m)
T1: 2:26
40k bike: 1:29:06 (26.9 km/h)
T2: 2
10k run: 1:10:06 (7 min/km)
Sunday sprint triathlon
We helped this Snapping Turtle off the road on the way to the race.
We arrived at the race site in the rain, and heard our favourite announcer Steve Fleck saying that because of possible thunderstorms a decision would be made just prior to the departure time for the first boat as to whether the swim portion would go ahead (or whether we would all be competing in a duathlon – run/bike/run). I prepared as if the swim would go ahead, but didn’t put my wetsuit on. Thankfully, the decision was made to go ahead with the swim (the storms stayed away!), so I put my wetsuit on. Leaving transition and heading for the boat, I didn’t get too far before I realized that I hadn’t gotten my helmet out (it was tucked in my bag away from my bike). I got it out, then headed back to the water.
750m swim
I headed for the boat and was really really early, but so were 3 other athletes. We had a good chat! Once again Alasdair was on a different boat, but this time, I wouldn’t see him at all during the race! I was in the 2nd of 3 waves on my boat. Much to my disappointment, I had some breathing challenges early on, so I immediately switched to right side only breathing until I calmed down. And then all was good! No orange suit guide this time, but I swam pretty straight again.
20k bike
I was just about ready to grab my bike and head for the mount line when I realized my water bottle was in my backpack! I ran to get it, ducking under 2 bike racks as I went (and again on the way back) – bags must be tucked around the edges of the transition zone so they are not tripping hazards. After finishing the Olympic distance bike course in my big chain ring, I forgot to change gears so it was ready for the sprint race! Somehow I couldn’t figure out why I was having trouble at the start line. I ended up biking the first 5k in the big chain ring (I never do that!) before I figured it out. I decided to push harder for this race, and ended up riding faster than the day before. It was a good ride, and I didn’t have any stomach issues.
5k run
I was grateful to be running under cloudy skies – no rain, just the threat of it. I decided not to stop at any of the aid stations, and even convinced myself to run all the hills (including a pretty steep one). I felt good on the run, and amazingly, my pace was quickening as I went. Normally I start at a pace I can’t maintain and slowly lose steam. For whatever reason, I actually negative split this run (faster 2nd half than 1st).
Me expressing disbelief to Alasdair near the end as I was negative splitting the run.
In any case, it was a great way to finish the race!
And then I won another draw prize, this time a merino wool base layer (top). Yay!
Race stats
Time: 1:43:31 (4/6 women 45-49, 58/110 women, 179/325 athletes)
750m swim: 23:35 (3:08/100m)
T1: 2:39
20k bike: 43:16 (27.7 km/h)
T2: 1:44
5k run: 32:17 (6:27 min/km)
Gravenhurst, we’ll be back!
A big thank you to our friends Emma and Brian for the best race accommodations out there!
Why do one triathlon on a Saturday when you can do two? It wasn’t my idea (really!), but it didn’t take long for me to agree to end the 2021 triathlon season with a bang by doing back to back races in Welland. The International Flatwater Centre is a fantastic venue, and Multisport Canada puts on great races in the Rose City. Covid-19 precautions were in effect, with masks in transition and at registration, a covid check, and races spread over 3 days with less athletes in each race.
When we received an email with our individual starts times a few days before the race, we realized that we would have less than an hour between races, and race kit pickup for the give-it-a-tri would start – and end – while we were doing the sprint race. But on race morning Alasdair got it all sorted out – the race crew knew that two crazy people would be coming to register late!
When we first arrived at the venue we accidentally racked our bikes on the give-it-a-tri rack, but we hadn’t set our things up, so when we realized our mistake it was easy to switch to the sprint racks. I left my bike, went through registration, and then got my things organized. I put on my wetsuit and headed down the stairs to the water. I had lots of time before my race, so I watched other people start, found some shade to wait in, then eventually found a random athlete to zip me up! I did a short warm up swim, found Alasdair, and waited for athlete #86 to be called to the start line!
Sprint triathlon
750 m swim
Almost ready to go!
For this race, we were seeded based on our predicted finish times (of the swim? or the entire race? I can’t remember). This meant that the fastest athletes would start first, and the slowest last. One swimmer would start every 30 seconds. The swim start was incredibly well organized. There was a 2-sided digital clock so the race crew and the athletes in the water warming up could read it. My start time was 11:42:30, so a couple of minutes before that I was called up, and went into the water from the dock. I treaded water until my start time, then when the clock hit 11:42:30, I started. Alasdair must have forgotten to seed himself when he registered, because he was placed nearly at the back of the pack 20 minutes after me!
If you’ve been following my triathlon adventures this summer, you will know that I’ve had mini panic attacks on the swim for each of my races so far, the Barrie sprint, Gravenhurst sprint, and Gravenhurst Olympic. Well I’m not sure if it was the solo start, but I had the most relaxed swim of any triathlon yet this summer! My only issue was a bit of water in my goggles, which I quickly tipped out. I was so relieved to have a good swim!
I made my way up the stairs to transition, took the rest of my wetsuit off at my bike, put on my helmet, sunglasses, socks, shoes, and race bib and headed out with my bike. It was quite a long run to the bike mount line.
20k bike
The bike was 5 loops of a closed road course which is relatively flat. There are two 180 degree turns per lap (and two 90 degree turns) – it’s a backwards L shape. As I started my 3rd loop, Alasdair started his 1st. He passed me and then I chased him for the remainder of the ride. Athletes had to count their own laps, or use a bike computer or watch, or use the Sportstats clock on the race course (hard to read when you’re riding fast!). Thankfully, I didn’t lose track! After my 5th lap it was a long run back into transition. I racked my bike, removed my helmet, put on my hat, changed my shoes, and headed out the run exit.
5k run
The run was 2 loops on a path along the recreational waterway. It was while running that I really started thinking how crazy it was to be doing another race after this one. I even considered not doing it, and just cheering for Alasdair! Speaking of Alasdair, as I was starting my 2nd loop, he passed me on his 1st. One thing I’ve missed this year is seeing the age of other athletes on their legs (no body marking this year) – it helps to know if you should actually try to catch someone or keep ahead of them if you know that they’re in your age category! Of course, I might not have had any fight in me anyway!
I was grateful to cross the finish line, but didn’t have time to relax! I grabbed a mask, put it on, and went back to registration, where I confused the volunteers who looked at me funny trying to register while already wearing a race bib! We sorted things out quickly and off I went. I grabbed a juice box, downed that, and headed back to transition to move my bike and all my stuff to the give-it-a-tri rack. I organized my things again, forced myself to eat half a muffin so I wouldn’t be starving during the give-it-a-tri, and then at some point I found Alasdair. It was already time to go down to the water.
Race stats
Time: 1:42:56
Swim: 21:04 (2:48 min/100m)
T1: 1:58
Bike: 45:17 (27.82 km/h)
T2: 1:18
Run: 33:19 (6:39 min/km)
Women 45-49: 3/5
All women: 33/51
All athletes: 94/132
Give-it-a-try
400m swim
My start time for the give-it-a-tri was 2:02:00, with Alasdair 40 seconds behind me. I knew this meant that he would pass me during the swim. The swim course looked so short compared to the sprint course – I was so glad to have done the longer race first. When athlete #210 was called up, I headed for the start line. I had another relaxed swim (!), and before I knew it I was heading back to transition. Sure enough Alasdair beat me there, but he only headed out with his bike a few seconds before me.
12k bike
I was so disappointed when I found out that we had to do 3 laps of the bike course (12k), and not 2 (10k). I was mentally prepared for only 2! Thankfully, another 2k wasn’t a big deal. When I started biking I felt that my legs were definitely more tired than they were at the beginning of the sprint! I chased Alasdair the entire race, but it was a losing battle – he was pulling just slightly further ahead with each loop.
2.5k run
I spotted Alasdair heading out of transition on foot as I was running back in with my bike. The run was 1 loop of the course we ran in the morning. At this point, I was really glad that I was only doing it one more time! Alasdair passed me when I had between 500m and 1k to go. And then not a moment too soon I too crossed the finish line, for the second time that day!
Race stats
Time: 1:02:25
Swim: 12:09 (3:02 min/100m)
T1: 2:26
Bike: 29:08 (25.95 km/h)
T2: 1:31
Run: 17:11 (6:52 min/km)
Women 45-49: 3/5
All women: 16/51
All athletes: 43/101
After the second race we were finally able to relax! We chatted with Race Director Jason Vurma, then headed for the water to cool off before heading home.
With Race Director Jason Vurma
Thank you Multisport Canada for adapting and putting on races this summer! We were so thankful to be back racing. See you in 2022!
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If you think starting a triathlon by yelling “Cannonball!!!” and jumping off a boat is a great idea, then the Multisport Canada Gravenhurst race may be the one for you!
Alasdair and I decided to once again do both the sprint and Olympic races, with the sprint on the Saturday and the longer Olympic on the Sunday. We were very lucky to be spending the weekend nearby at our friends’ cottage.
Saturday sprint
Driving to the race site in the pouring rain, I wondered what the weather would have in store for us! However, the rain pretty much stopped as we arrived. Walking our bikes into transition, we passed 2 members of the race crew sweeping water off the road where we would be running our bikes out of and back in to transition.
As part of the Covid-19 protocol, we had to wear masks in the transition zone and at registration, and we had to show that we had done the Covid screening. I set my stuff up in transition and was ready to go (that’s Alasdair racked beside me)…
Using a bag to keep shoes dry.
… or so I thought! Good thing I realized a few minutes later that I hadn’t taken my helmet out of my big triathlon bag!
750m swim
There was one boat that would ferry athletes to the swim start, in 3 separate groups. Alasdair and I were lucky enough to be on the same boat and starting in the same swim wave (i.e. at the same time). I always like to be one of the first to jump off the ship in my wave so I have more time to swim over to the start line and relax for a couple of minutes before the race starts. Before jumping off I heard the announcer say that someone had done a back flip off the boat. I was the 2nd to jump off in our wave, with Alasdair right behind me.
When the horn sounded, I started swimming, but it wasn’t long before I had a mini panic attack, just like in Barrie a few weeks before (prior to this year, it had only happened once – during my first triathlon in 2010)! I did breast stroke, then front crawl with right side only breathing, then got my bilateral breathing back and all was good. The rest of the swim was fine!
I reached the ladders at the dock, looked at my watch and saw 20-something minutes. I climbed the ladder, and started running to transition. I unzipped my wetsuit, removed my arms from the sleeves, and then took off my swim cap and goggles. I crossed the road, and did the long run around and into transition, where I caught up to Alasdair, who was getting ready to ride.
I removed the rest of my wetsuit, put on my helmet, sunglasses, socks, shoes, and race belt, and took off (before Alasdair). “See you when you pass me!” I said.
20k bike
It didn’t take long before Alasdair passed me, after which I was pelted with very hard rain! Thankfully it didn’t last long. At the turnaround point (it was a hilly out and back course) he was less than 3 km ahead of me.
I felt strong on the bike leg and was happy with how it went.
Back in transition I racked my bike, removed my helmet, put on my hat, changed from cycling shoes to running shoes and took off.
5k run
Near the beginning of the run, which starts on a gravel path, someone cheered for me by name but I didn’t see who it was (I found out the next day it was Carley!). For once this run was not hot and humid! Normally the race is in July when it always seems to be uncomfortably hot! Instead the temperature was ideal. At some point before the turnaround, Alasdair and I passed each other. I felt strong during the run, and ran the entire hilly 5k, with the exception of a few steps when I walked while drinking from a cup.
Near the end of the run I spotted Alasdair waiting (and cheering) for me. As I neared the finish line I heard the announcer Steve Fleck say my name and call me the other half of the Paterson duo. I was glad to be done, and wondered how the next day’s race would go!
Unusual race spectator! Apparently its owners were also racing!
After the race we headed to Boston Pizza’s patio for our first meal at a restaurant in more than a year! The last time we ate at a restaurant was when we biked 30k for breakfast on a patio and then biked home.
Race stats:
Time: 1:41:29.8
Swim: 22:52.5 (3:02/100 m)
T1: 1:54
Bike: 42:20.1 (28.35 km/h)
T2: 1:09
Run: 33:15.9 (6:39/km)
Women 45-49: 5/6
All women: 57/97
All athletes: 184/280
Very cool t-shirt design!
Sunday Olympic
1500m swim
Once again, Alasdair and I were in the same swim wave, but this time, I was 1st to jump off. Then it was Alasdair. As he resurfaced, he said, “I lost my goggles! I forgot they were on my head!” He had forgotten to put them on his eyes before he jumped. Thankfully, there was a lifeguard right there on a floaty thing, and she ducked under the water and came up with them as they were on their way to the bottom of Lake Muskoka! “I love you!” Alasdair said. Crisis averted.
The race started and I felt that my breathing was good and I’d be fine this time – but then, sure enough, another mini panic attack! I completely lost my breathing rhythm. This time I did breast stroke longer, then did front crawl with right side only breathing for probably 100m. I figured I would calm down and start front crawl again. And it worked. I decided then that if it happened again, I would immediately switch to just breathing on the right.
Because I did the breaststroke for so long, and because there weren’t many swimmers in each wave, it wasn’t long before everyone was long gone and I felt completely on my own. By this time my breathing was fine, but I couldn’t see a soul, not even a lifeguard. “Am I alone out here?” I thought. “Are the lifeguards with the pack of swimmers ahead?” It was a slightly disconcerting feeling. I focussed on swimming in the right direction, because I didn’t want to end up in the wrong bay like I did once before!
Sometime after the 1000m mark (my watch beeps every 500m on the swim), I saw another swimmer!! I immediately thought that they had passed me, but then realized that was impossible – we were the last wave to jump off the ship, and the next wave had to be picked up at the dock and brought out to the start, meaning a 40 min gap between waves. I wasn’t that slow! I soon figured out that the silver swim cap meant the person actually started ahead of me, so I had caught someone. However, I knew I was swimming slowly when I got close to a lifeguard towards the end of the swim and she cheered for me, telling me that I was doing awesome and I was almost there! I told her I was having trouble seeing (my goggles kept fogging up). By the time I got to transition, Alasdair was long gone.
40k bike
Not only did the Olympic race double the length of the ride, but it also very likely doubled the number of hills! My legs were definitely more tired than for the sprint race, so I was biking more slowly.
10k run
However, my legs felt better than expected when I started the run. Once again, the extra distance on the run added a lot more hills! But like the day before, I ran the entire course except 2 times when I stopped to drink from a cup at an aid station. I find that if I give myself permission to walk, it’s the beginning of the end and I start walking more and more! At around the 3 1/2 k mark I spotted Alasdair running towards me. At the run turnaround one of the race crew, who clearly had seen me racing the day before, said “Two times?? Two times??” I was thankful to finally reach the last 1k of the run course, which meant the uphill sections were all done! Once again, Alasdair was waiting near the end of the run, ready to cheer me on. I was glad to be done! Overall, my pace was slightly slower than the day before, totally reasonable given that I didn’t start with fresh legs!
Race stats:
Time: 3:29:26.6
Swim: 45:24 (3:01 min/100m)
T1: 2:20
Bike: 1:30:39.2 (26.47 km/h)
T2: 2:00
Run: 1:09:05 (6:54 min/km)
Women 45-49: 5/6
All women: 51/62
All athletes: 220/269
Love the little person jumping off the boat!
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It may have been the last triathlon of my 10th year of triathlon, but the Multisport Canada Lakeside sprint triathlon saw me do something I’ve never done before!
This year, Alasdair and I set out for Lakeside with lots of time to spare, because last year it took forever to get into the farm parking lot near the race site, and we were all stressed out before the race began. This time we were all set up and ready to go when an announcement was made that the race was being delayed by 15 minutes because of the number of people still trying to park.
Pre-race with Sunova Lake behind us.
It was chilly out, so I stayed in my fleece top for as long as possible! While I was standing at my bike before the race, another competitor sprayed talcum powder in his shoes, which blew onto my shoes, socks, and into my goggles! He was very apologetic, and when I told him that if my husband beat me in the race I could use the talcum powder as an excuse, he said to just tell him some jerk in transition sprayed talcum powder all over my stuff.
750m swim
Alasdair was to start in wave #3, and me in wave #5. I usually swim a tiny bit before the race begins, but I opted not to, with the air feeling cooler than the water.
The horn sounded, I started my watch, and I began to swim. Almost immediately I had water gathering in my left goggle lens. I had to adjust my goggles 3 times in the first 100m before they felt fine! After that, my swim was pretty uneventful. I encountered a woman doing the backstroke, who apologized to me (maybe because I had to go around her?). I was predictably slow but I think I swam pretty straight.
20k bike
I decided to push my bike pace and see what I could do. It was a new course this year due to construction on the usual route, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but we were told that there were rolling hills. I passed a lot of people on the bike, and I spotted Alasdair somewhere between 5k and the 10k turnaround. I felt like my ride was going well, but my watch wasn’t cooperating so I had to do the math every 5k to estimate my pace. Turns out I rode my fastest race pace this season.
5k run
I know this run course well, and once again decided to push the pace and see what I could do. I knew if I got side stitches I would have to slow down. My watch wasn’t sure which sport I was doing, but after pressing a few buttons, I managed to see my run pace. It’s an out and back course, and at one point, I was running faster than a car, which didn’t have room to manoeuvre around all the athletes. I said to the woman in the passenger seat that I’m not used to passing cars while running, and she said it must make me feel like a goddess!
With about 1km to go, I noticed that a woman who passed me was in my age group, and her name was Caroline. I was pretty sure that someone named Caroline always beats me. I decided that I would do what I could to not let that happen this time. Normally, I would have just let her go, and not even tried to keep up. I’m not really sure what was different this time. I picked up the pace and overtook her, hoping to increase the distance between us. When I heard her coming, I sped up again. I’m pretty sure she caught me again at one point, as I seem to remember running just behind her, wondering if I could stay with her and then make my move just as we hit the finishing chute. That last km was my fastest one of the day. With just a couple hundred metres to go, two other women in my age group passed me, and maybe Caroline too. In any case, I picked up the pace yet again, running at 5:15 min/km, faster than I ever run, and attempted to stay with them or pass them. I wondered how hard I could run before I would feel like throwing up! Looking back now I’m amazed I didn’t get any side stitches. I managed to stay ahead of 2 of the 3 women, with only Maja getting away. When I looked at the results later, it turns out only Caroline was in my age group! In fact I think one of them was in the duathlon. In any case, it was my very first time jostling for position, and it was hard work, but super satisfying!
In the end, I finished the race in 1 hour 30 minutes and 23 seconds, which was pretty much the “best case scenario” when I was doing the math on my bike and trying to figure out what my finish time might be.
It wasn’t my fastest run pace of the season, but it was my fastest sprint this year (of 3 races).
I was thankful for my fleece after the race! We got into the longest triathlon food line ever, stayed for the awards, and then headed home! Looking forward to the 2020 season already!
Kyra On The Go 