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What's Up!:

Who is signed up for Ironman 2008?

A great time was had by all who journeyed to Penticton this year to volunteer and helped out at Ironman's 25'th Anniversary. Wow! What an exiting week this was! Thousands and thousands of people descending on this small community of the most enthusiastic voluteers of any town I have ever seen. The whole city embraces and welcome the triathletes with open arms and their is a Carnival atmosphere with tons of stuff going on. There is not a hotel/motel/campsite available as this week is usually reserved almost a year ahead of time with minimum stays allowed for reservations at around 5 to 7 days. A few of us did the ritual thing to do when signing up for Ironman and camp out outside the registration tent all night in order to be the early ones and to make sure we get a spot for the event. Totally exiting and fun thing to do. This event is totally sold out within 24 hours. This year, it was a bit different however as when the registration opened up, you signed a small form with your name and stats after which you got a piece of paper with a special confirmation number on it. From there you could go home and had a two week window to sign up on line with your special number that would be collated with your name and information you gave them. Quite an efficient way to do it really. And one did not have to pay on site or stick around for so long like the old registration process.

On race day, a lot of athletes that are there strictly to sign up for the following year, volunteer their services to the athletes and it's event for the current year. This is also a good way of giving back to the sport for all the help you have been given to you as a participating athlete. That is a good philosophy for everyone to adopt instead of just taking from the sport without giving something back. As a volunteer you got a free t-shirt, a special band that would allow you in the transition area if you happened to volunteer to work that area. This also allowed us to have the best seat in the house to observe the athletes coming in and out of the transitions between each discipline. It is terribly exiting to see  all the top athletes as well close up and personal.  Don't get me wrong. It might be fun but it is also a long and tiring day. But what a feeling as it  is so very gratifying to be able to help them out in this special way. Makes up all the hard work very worthwhile. They even fed us sandwhiches and pizza for lunch and made sure we could stay hydrated by supplying lots of liquid refreshments.  There can be also moments of sadness as we say this middle aged guy doing everything he could to get in from the swim before the cut off time and not making it. The poor guy broke out in tears with his wife arms around him and consoling his vast disappointment. All the people in transition felt compassion for this person and gave him a thundering long applause to show him their support and encouragement to try again. There were many moments like this that you can only appreciate by attending one of these events in person but overall it is such a blast! Congratulations to two local athletes who performed extremely well in Ironman this year, John Tillie a Ceevac member and his friend Ansley O'Caroll, a young and aspiring athlete from Shawnigan Lake. We afre so proud of their acclomplishments.

So....who is signed up for 2008??? Well there is Julie Langelo and her husband Bob who will be attempting his first Ironman, Rob Jackson, a veteran Ironman of many years, Barb and Gerry Dortch.......Barb will be in a new age group of 60 and a phenomenal athlete in her category. Their daughter Chantal from Toronto will also be attempting her first Ironman. Good old Graham Kissass...Oops! I mean Kissack, another veteran Ironman is also signed up for another year now that him, Belinda and family are moved back on the island and will have time to put in all the hours in training. Graham is also thinking of turning Pro this year. I, Gary will also be attempting my second Ironman having learned lessons of what and what not to do from my first one in 2005. These are the ones that I know of who singed up for next year's Ironman Canada. Good luck and Good training to all in this endeavour!

Triathlon Season near it's end.

The Triathlon season is almost over for 2007 and we have had a number of triathletes who have successfully participated in a number of triathlons this year. Check out their results below. It is also time to start thinking about taking a bit of a break for a month or two and  then start a brand new training program for next year's season. If you are serious about becoming a triathlete or improving your skills, one would do well in obtaining a good triathlon coach to guide them through this demanding endurance sport. Choose your coach wisely as the cheapest rate is not always the best one. There are many on line coaches now available that will taylor a structured program to fit your abilities and goals. As well there are a few local island coaches that would fit the bill also and may even be better as programs can be discussed in person or on the phone rather than just following an online program. Be careful of those free or cheap generic programs as most of them are suited for the average Joe Blo which as we all know are all different in their abilities, their work, family life and the amount of hours they can dedicate to a training program. Personally I find that a coach who has been a Triathlete themselves are best suited to train triathletes.  Don't get too wrapped up in certifications. Experience as a successful Triathlete often works just as fine. Check out some of their clients and their satisfaction and success of their coaches.  As with last year, we will again be attempting to reserve a time slot for bike spin classes at Playland located by Serious coffee at the south end of town. Playland had 8 or 9 good quality spin bikes that we have used in the past and the cost has be$10. This year we are attempting to have them on Wednesday nights at 7:00pm. Let us know if you are interested in joining the class. Keep posted with the latest Tri news by visiting this tri page and if there are any corrections or omissions, please contact Gary  at triguy101@gmail.com

2007 Triathlon/Duathlon Results:

Ironman Canada, 24 Aug 07 (First Ironman Performances. Simply Outstanding! ) Full Results
 

Name	Cat	Swim 3.8K	Bike 180K	Run 42.2K	Cat Place	Place OA	Total time
John Tillie	M3034	1:05:12	5:51:57	3:53:41	68/212	377	11:00:47
Aynsley O'Caroll	F2529	1:11:31	5:58:04	4:06:40	10.77	547	11:24:27

Cadboro Bay Duathlon, 08 Aug 07
 

Name	Cat	Run 1	Bike	Run 2	Cat Place	Place OA	Total time
David Schmidt	M4049	20:12	53:12	30:59	2/3	6/19	1:44:23

Self Transcendance Triathlon and Duathlon, 05 Aug 07

 

Triathlon
Name	Cat	Swim 1500M	Bike 40K	Run 10K	Cat Time	Overall	Total time
Rick Gammie	M4549	31:32	1:14:50	47:29	16/29	80/179 M	2:37:14
Julie Langelo	M5059	29:38	1:18:00	54:57	2/9	33/106 F	2:47:02
Gary Vermette	M5559	37:26	1:24:46	45:09	5/11	119/179 M	2:50:20
Mark Sanders	M3539	38:44	1:24:22	53:41	22/26	144/179 M	3:02:51
Danielle Bouchard	F6064	41:54	1:41:21	1:05:34	3/3	94/106 F	3:36:33
Relay Team " The Chick Magnets"
The Langelo Brothers	Relay Masters	Bob	John	Pete	Cat Time	Relay Overall
		24:18	1:18:24	43:36	1/8	9/39	2:28:08

Sooke International Half Ironman and Sprint, Tri 22 Jul 07

Special Mention to Julie and Rick who achieved their first ever GOLD performances in triathlons. Julie's Time Overall time is much faster by approx. 5 minutes due to a timing error in her transition.
 

Half Ironman
Name	Cat	Swim 1.9KM	Bike 86K	Run 21.1K	Cat Time	Men Overall	Total time
Bob Kerr	M5054	27:24	2:38:51	1:46:36	1/4	4/32	4:56:16
Gary Vermette	M5559	39:08	3:03:06	1:46:40	1/2	8/32	5:34:00
Rick Gammie	M4549	40:05	3:03:31	1:51:20	1/6	11/32	5:40:50
Sprint Tri  700M Swim - 27km Bike - 5km Run
Bob Langelo	M4049	11:21	48:58	25:52	5/9	15/26	1:30:05
Julie Langelo	F5059	13:04	46:57	27:17	1/5	11/32	1:37:36

Lake Stevens Half Ironman, Lk. Stevens, Wash, 08 July 07
 

Name	Cat	Swim 1.2 Mi.	Bike 58 Mi.	Run 13.1 Mi.	Cat Time	Total time
Bob Kerr	M5054	29:15	2:40:49	1:48:20	1/45	5:01:08

Desert Half Ironman, Osoyoos, 08 July 07
 

Name	Cat	Swim 2K	Bike 93K	Run 21.1K	Cat Time	Overall	Total time
Jonathan Tillie	M3034	34:47	3:16:28	1:52:40	25/32	128	5:43:54
Aynsley O'Carroll	F2529	40:18	3:14:33	1:52:10	25/124	136	5:47:09
Rob Jackson	M4044	44:21	3:12:55	2:20:14	29/49	231	6:17:29

Coeur D'Alene Triathlon, Idahoe 24 June 07
 

Name	Cat	Swim 2.4Mi	Bike 112Mi	Run 26.2Mi	Cat Time	Overall	Total time
Bruce Bauman	M5054	1:24:29	7:19:54	6:16:46	97/131	1785/2196	15:13:04

Qualicum Triathlon,  24 June 07
 

Name	Cat	Swim 400M	Bike 18K	Run 5K	Cat Time	Overall	Total time
Tammy Lang	F3539	8:48	38:59	22:59	4/19	46	1:10:46
Ivan Lang	M3539	8:05	37:45	25:54	6/11	52	1:11:54
Lauren Sanderson	F2024	7:05	43:10	27:24	2/5	80	1:17:38
Deborah Carruthers	F4049	8:05	49:47	28:36	11/13	137	1:26:27
Laird Carruthers	M5059	8:12	48:16	33:33	10/11	147	1:30:00
Sheryl Carruthers	F3034	11:50	56:54	28:24	14/14	162	1:36:46

New Balance Half Ironman, Victoria, 17 June 07
 

Name	Cat	Swim 2K	Bike 80K	Run 20K	Cat Time	Overall	Total time
James Jordan	M2529	36:14	2:24:57	1:33:15	8/25	82	4:41:22
Trevor Andrews	M4044	36:50	2:29:23	1:32:54	16/70	91	4:43:44
Bob Kerr	M5054	28:06	2:26:47	1:51:22	4/36	118	4:51:02
Gary Vermette	M5559	38:53	2:44:49	1:36:36	3/15	180	5:03:23
Team Pink Janine, Lori, Janine	Relay F	38:04	2:59:59	1:37:35	7/19	251	5:17:19
Julie Langelo	F5054	38:51	2:49:39	2:05:59	4/15	369	5:38:57
Wendy Bowen	F4044	40:41	3:03:19	2:01:57	20/38	424	5:45:57

Oliver Half Ironman, 03 June 07

 

Name	Cat	Swim 2K	Bike 90K	Run 21.1K	Cat Time	Overall	Total time
Gary Vermette	M5559	38:01	3:06:37	1:55:27	4/32	177	5:40:04
Bob Langelo	M4549	31:32	2:59:35	2:23:00	31/72	232	5:54:06
Julie Langelo	F5054	40:00	3:15:17	2:21:26	6/44	328	6:17:21
Bruce Bauman	M5054	33:56	3:03:18	2:58:07	42/60	406	6:35:20
Belinda Kissack	F3539	36:32	3:19:30	2:48:11	31/56	615	6:44:12

Victoria International Half Ironman, Shawnigan Lake, 26 May 07
 

Name	Cat	Swim 1.9K	Bike 88K	Run 21K	Cat Time	Overall	Total time
Jonathan Tillie	M3034	30:06	2:43:32	1:41:37	4/8	25	4:59:01
Rob Jackson	M4044	38:19	2:41:27	1:58:16	4/8	50	5:23:56
Las Chicas Locas Lana, Steph, Jody	Relay F	30:34	2:47:46	1:43:40	2/18	34	5:05:54

Sooke Sprint Triathlon 22 Apr 07
 

Name	Cat	Swim 700M	Bike 20K	Run 5K	Cat Time	Overall	Total time
Jonathan Tillie	M30	11:02	39:14	21:11	2/8	22	1:11:32
Bob Langelo	M45	11:21	43:56	24:50	9/17	66	1:20:06
Gary Vermette	M55	16:54	45:26	22:52	1/5	100	1:25:11
Julie Langelo	F50	13:11	48:10	26:48	3/5	115	1:28:08
Ivan Lang	M35	15:30	46:03	26:43	14/19	116	1:28:16
Tammy Lang	F35	18:20	49:57	25:15	7/16	133	1:33:31

Race Reports (Listed by most recent)

Gary Vermette: Self Transcendance Triathlon  06 Aug 07

Well my triathlon this weekend did not turn out quite as I expected. Sometimes things happen that just aren't directly under your control but we must make the best of it. Such was the case for me this weekend at the Self-Transcendence Olympic distance Triathlon. The day started out fine with gorgeous weather, a good crowd of participants and spectators and I felt relatively good and fairly recovered from my last Tri of two weeks ago. I was seeded in the 3'rd wave of swimmers and once we were off, I knew right away that things were not just quite right. Although my stroke was the same, it seemed like I was just not making any headway like was was used to. Everyone was passing me and I had a hard time trying to keep up with even the slowest swimmers. I had suspected that my new suit that I had bought and was trying on it it's first race just wasn't right for me. I could not figure out why and the only thing that I could think of was that the seal around my neck was very loose and in the swimming position created a big hole which acted like a funnel and was dragging water acting like a drag chute. I was so exhausted trying to swim that most the swimmers in the wave behind me had passed me already. I was never so happy to hit dry land and shed that wet suit off my tired body. My swim time was almost 8-9 minutes longer than what I had expected and was way behind.

I had a fairly fast transition and off my bike I went. It took me a while to get settled in and to lower my heart rate at which time I was able to take my first drink. I knew I could make up some time here and started increasing my speed and picking up quite a few competitors. Around about 15km's to go however, my bike started making unusual sounds in the wheel and Lo and Behold as I looked down, I confirmed my suspicions. I had a flat tire! Almost in the same place of my last flat tire on the same course, same race of two years ago. Hmmm....This course was not being nice to me. By this time I knew that I would not be able to make up my deficiency of lost time on the swim but I said what the heck anyway! I was still going to try my best and see what I could do overall. I changed my tire tube as quickly as I could and would have to try and pass all those people I passed on the bike..... yet again! I managed to do that for the most part and got back into the bike to run transition for another speedy change.

I took off on the run and after about 3 minutes got into a groove where I was again able to maintain a high cadence without over exceeding my racing heart rate of about 170 bpm. It was starting to get hotter now but managed to drink at all the Aid stations manned by all those wonderful, tireless and zealous volunteers and finally hit the finish line with a cold water bottle handed to me and with a smile on my face. I knew by my time that this would not be my best triathlon. My total time was 2:50:20 which was almost 10 minutes behind my last same event of two years ago, 5/11 in my category and 119/179 Overall in the men.

But you know it was very satisfying that without giving up, I had managed to make up quite a bit of time to still get a decent standing. It was all about dealing with the hand that was handed to me on this particular day and I had done the best I could with that hand. Inside my heart, I was still very content and proud of my accomplishment. Sometimes it's not just about placing. It's about how despite the milestones that get in your way you still find a way to navigate around them which determines what kind of character you have. Sometime, it's just about having FUN!!!  Julie did great! picking up a Silver and the Chick Magnets with the Langelo brothers picked up Gold. Mark and Laura, who are in their first year of triathlons is also progressing well for their Newbie year. One more race to go for this season then it's relaxation and a trip to Penticton with a bunch of good friends to watch and help out at Ironman and to sign up for next year. We are going to have a blast!

Gary Vermette: Sooke International Half Ironman 22 Jul 07

My last Half Ironman of this season! I felt I was better rested for this one with 3 to 4 weeks since my last one. Julie, Bob and I decided to check out the course a couple of weeks ahead and a good thing we did. We found out that there was a killer hill in there of which I would have to do 4 times because of the multiple loops of the bike course in this event. This would turn out to be one of the toughest, hilliest courses I have ever done and would have to train specifically for this one. In addition, there were two transition points almost 4 km's apart and the run would partially be over soft sand leading to the end of Wiffen spit in Sooke. Not an easy run either as the footing would not be the greatest. The swim was at a boy scout camp and the lake was small and looked like it was full of leeches which turned me off even though I never laid eyes on one. I would have to do 3 swim loops for the Half Iron course. For the next two weeks I would throw in some long hill repeats from Marine Crescent from Genoa Bay Rd. to the top of the subdivision. About a 7 minute average climb and a bit steeper than Sooke on Otter Point road. The first time it was quite hard, but after multiple sessions up there a couple of times a week, I got stronger and they felt easier. I was ready for Sooke.

Race day arrived and after a not so good sleep, headed down with my training partners, Bob and Julie, who were doing the Sprint event. Luck was already going my way when I scored a new $300 wet suit Running room was trying to unload before the Tri season ended for $149. Bob got one also for the same price. The weather was also starting to improve steadily and was hoping for dry roads for the bike section. After the pre-race announcements, I started the swim with the loudest canon blast I had ever heard except for Ironman. I started near the back of the pack resolved to have a more relaxed but more efficient swim. I managed to draft most of the way and had a good 2km swim of 39 minutes.

I had a quick transition but we had to pack our wet suits in the supplied bag prior to taking off on my "Varmint" Berg bike. I let my heart rate decline and took bountiful gulps of gatorade before taking off. Because of that killer hill half way out which I would have to repeat 4 times, I paced myself accordingly. However, it was a hard climb up there because of my initial high heart rate. I would have to make sure on the next 3 climbs that I was somewhat recovered with a decreased heart rate ahead of the climbs. The roads were now starting to dry up which allowed me to be much more aggressive on the technical sections. As usual on the bike I was passing lots of people, some of whom had to walk their bikes up that hill. On every loop, the hill got easier for me and that made me feel more encouraged and confident. A couple of kilometers from T2, I went into a high cadence to flush out the build up of lactic acid from my hard bike speed.

Finally, I was in transition and had a slight bit of confusion finding my bike because of the two different layouts on the two transitions locations for the bike racks. However I had a quick change and right away got into a high cadence on the run. The course out to the spit was fast but once we got on the soft sand, the pace dropped a bit because of the footing. However I was still passing lots of people and by counting the people behind me from the turnaround, I was able to estimate that I was easily in the first half of the pack going on my last loop. The steady upwards climb from the spit to the finish was hard but I kept my pace up and even increased it on my final home stretch. I finally reached the finish line with my training buddies and other Ceevacs cheering me on and feeling much better than any other race I had done this year. My pacing in all 3 disciplines had been perfect for me and had not suffered too badly in any of the three.

Results indicated that I had finished very well ahead of my only competitor in my age group but even better than I expected in the overall standings. 1 of 2 in my category, 8 of 32 overall in the males. I would even have placed in top 3 in much younger divisions so the personal satisfaction in that made me very very happy and content with my results. Now I would have to recover very quickly as my next race in my Olympic distance at the Self Transcendance was only two weeks away. Woo Hoo! Bring it on!

Bruce Bauman: Coeur D'Alene Ironman 24 Jun 07

June 24, 2007 marked my 9th Ironman as I went Coeur D’Alene Idaho to challenge this distance yet one more time in preparation for my A race at Ironman Florida in November. This is a beautiful town in a beautiful location and this year hosted a new bike course which I enjoyed so much more.My goal was to use this day as a great training day to see where I was at both physically and mentally. It was also to give my Trek Bike, Blue Seventy Wetsuit and Profile by Design components a test which they passed with flying colors. Little did I know that the test I was about to endure would be greater than any other I had faced before.

They say that in an Ironman "Take what the day gives you and make the best of it”. Never were truer words spoken as the day started off with all athletes being given the option for a duathlon as the lake was white capping towards shore. Only about 30 athletes took this option only after trying the first of two loops before calling it quits in favor of this option.
I was feeling great leading up to the race knowing that training was something to be built on but I was confident and calm. The cannon went off and then it happened, about 500 meters into the swim I had swallowed so much water I was sick. This little episode was to repeat itself in a couple different forms throughout the day with a few stops along the way. I finally exited the water after a few unplanned stops only 25 minutes slower than normal. YIKES !!!!!!!!!!! Better get on the bike.

The bike was going well as I was holding back and saving myself for the second loop as the major hills appear at 80 miles and if you go to hard you pay BIG time. I was riding well (except for a stop or two) and then my front tire flatted. After that unplanned stop I rode about another 5 miles before it flatted again and upon inspection I noticed the rim tape had shifted. Time to call tech support. Calling is one thing, having them show up is another as they were very busy on this particular day. After close to an hour they arrived and it was duck tape to the rescue. Off I went again but this only lasted for about 30 miles when, yes you guessed it another flat. Tech support was better this time (about 30 minutes) as I had run out of tubes and they had a spare tube & more duck tape. This time it held for the remainder of the bike although my split was 7:19. I guess not too bad as I was riding fast when I was riding and would have, should have been under 6 hours, but this is Ironman and anything can happen. I just accepted the ride for what it was and was thankful it was over.

Off on the run I went and feeling ok & then sickness started to set in again. If at any point during the day I wanted to quit we were now approaching that point. In the end it is all about finsh. I put together a plan to not eat or drink for the last 2 – 3 hours which was tough and the better of two evils (I think). I finished the race in 15:13 which overall given what I dealt with was a good time.
I learnt many things about my character, mental and physical fitness on this day which I suppose was my goal. I also learnt that as they always say “Anything can happen in an Ironman”. It is your goal in an Ironman to embrace and make the best of the day. It is about the finish and I will not too soon forget this. Look forward to catching up with you at the races.
I know my next Ironman will be better as I think I got everything out of me that could go wrong in this race : )
Bruce “The IronCanuck” Bauman

Tammy Lang: Qualicum Tri written 24 Jun 07

My swim was awesome! I got to pass all 3 people in front of me and got a PB for 400 meters 8:48 not bad for a chick who has just learned to swim. I didn't have to do an extra 50 meters he he....

My transitions were very smooth, can't complain. My bike was just as good as my swim if not better but the slowing on the turns were a bit frustrating. I passed so many people. Oh I do have one complaint and that was my right calf wanted to cramp on the swim and my bike, also on the start of the run but went away, thank goodness!

My run felt so good! It was on a nice trail to do at the end. It was very nice seeing Ivan just after the bike then out on the run. My mind was saying," hey maybe I should run with him", but my competitive side said no wait you have a goal of finishing this in 1:13 so I could place. He was running strong any how, he didn't need me. I finished so very strong, run was 22:59. Happy Gal.

Now I am a bit bummed out with the end result, no wait the good stuff first. I beat my goal time by lot's, I wanted 1:13 and I got 1:10:46 "yea" I got 2 PR's on my swim and bike, and finished strong.
Now the bad news is I was so hoping to be in the top 3 in my age group and it turns out I finished 4th and missed 3rd by 11 seconds.. bummed! but next time she better look out he he..

My stats were: 46/170 over all and 4/19 in my age group, not bad. We also came home with some nice prizes, I won Ivan a nice duffel bag and he won me a singlet :0)

Ivan Lang: Qualicum Tri written 24 Jun 07

Started the swim at 10:00 am.. I started off very well, felt strong right from the beginning no panic attacks through the whole swim but some how missed my signal for the last 50 meters to go and ended up swimming an extra 50 meters, so they ended up deducting the extra time which was great but I was a little frustrated going into T1 knowing that I had wasted some extra energy on that 50 meters "oh well"

My T1 went kind a bumpy, couldn't get my head straight after the swim thing, I went to grab my race belt and one of the buttons popped off leaving my race # hanging by one button. So then I had to fumble through my transition box to find a pin, and so on he he...

My ride started off great! I just stated pecking off rider after rider on most of the ride which got me back into the game. It did rain on us on the last two laps so we all had to slow down on the corners but over all a great ride! 37:45 ride plus transition times.

T2 was much better saw Tam who was on my tail. I put my shoes on and off to the trail I went. Did get some cramping right off the bat so I stretched them out and grabbed a drink and was fine again. I was just half way and then there was that wifey again, breathing very heavy to catch me he he.... which by the way was the only one to answer what ever I had to dish out he he.... My run was a PB for me 5k @ 25:54 as well as my swim 400 meters @ 8:05 so a great Tri today.

My stats:
52/170 over all 6/11 age group finish time was 1:11:44 My goal time was 1:14:36, beat that well ha!
results addy is www.nanaimo.ark.com/~qbtri/2007a.htm

Gary Vermette: New Balance Half Ironman written 24 Jun 07

Let me start off by saying that doing two Half Ironman two weeks apart is somewhat of a risky undertaking for performing well especially in the second one. In 2005 when I did it, the conditions in Oliver were quite different in that we experience very cold weather which was good for me because the heat was not a factor. I therefore also recovered well enough to put on a good performance for the next ½ IM two weeks later in Victoria. This year however the weather in Oliver was at the other extreme, climbing in the high 30's. This caused me to dehydrate quite a lot, where I cramped up and therefore post recovery was not a speedy one. Although I felt good mentally and physically for this race, I felt my body was just not quite there yet. I therefore went into this one confident but a bit apprehensive and cautious as far as pre-racing condition went.

Recovery, build up…..taper! Not too much time in between. I had noticed in the past few months that my back and neck muscles were a bit sore after my longer rides and thought that it was just a matter getting accustomed to the new bike. After Oliver however, I suspected my hips were not properly aligned, especially in the Aero position and decided to adjust the seat by moving it forward quite a bit to get my back flatter and arms and hip better aligned in relation to the pedals. The few training rides I took went better and felt I could generate more power on the up as well as down on my pedal stroke.

After a good start on the swim portion which turned out to be better than previous years on the same course, I went through a speedy transition, jumped on my bike and sped off like a demon possessed on my Varmint(bike). Within one kilometer I passed my old nemesis of previous years and left him in the dust. The new position on the bike was working! I felt I had so much more power going up the hills now and the people passing me were mostly younger elite and relay people. The course this year would be 10K shorter on the bike which I was happy about. I was passing so many people on the bike from being in the next to last swim wave that my confidence was building more by the minute. One age grouper in category, kept playing see-saw with me, but I did not let him get away and by the last loop, saw that he was getting tired on the hills and blew past him in a show of defiance and got quite the lead on him.

With 22k to go however something did not feel quite right on the bike and it seemed slower despite my hard pedaling. It felt like I was getting a flat and sure enough as I looked down at my rear wheel there it was ….half deflated tire and starting to bottom out on my rim. I rode it to the top of the steep hill on McTavish and got off the bike ready to change the tube. As I examined it however I noticed that it was not quite deflated and suspected a slow leaking flat. What do I do???….Just inflate it and hope for the best or change tubes? As I was pondering this over quickly, I saw my competitor passing me again so rather than let him get away, decided to risk it and just inflated the tire to see if it would hold. With a 16 gram CO2 cartridge I inflated it as hard as I could, mounted my bike and hoped like hell that it would hold for the last 20 kilometers. As I passed the last water stop, I did not even refill my empty bottle, I did not want to waste any time because of the air slowly leaking out. I just kept muttering to myself "Hold On There Varmint"! only 20, 18, 16……..k's to go! With 8 more K's to go, I sped past my competitor again and he could not hang on to me. With the last 3 or 4 K to go I suspected I had just enough air to ride it in and was cautious not to mash the pedals to hard as I did not want to damage the carbon wheels by bottoming out on the rim.

I got into transition glad this portion was over. Now onto my strongest discipline, the run. Drinking heavily and taking a gel I took off and passed about 50 men and women in the first 15 minutes. I got into my groove and was running well hydrating at every station. No signs of cramping yet. The salt tabs worked. By this time having seen just a very few persons in my age group, I thought I might be near the front of the pack in my category. However as I was completing my second run loop, I started passing one, two and then a third guy in my age group. I used the same strategy as I did on the bike and decided to pass them really fast and get myself out of their sight in the winding trail to shake them off. It must of worked as no one responded by attacking or trying to hang on. With 2 Kms to go, I could hear the loudspeaker at the finish line and the voice of the announcer, Steve King on the air. I also saw way off in the distance, the mint green attire of my training partner Julie who had started 35 minutes before me in the 1'st swim wave. We had talked about his before and wondered if I could make up such a time deficit and catch up to her. I decided to go for it, increased my pace and slowly began to gain on her. With 400 meters to go I got alongside her, gave her a little slap on the bum and said "Hey Julie! She yelled back " Gary! You Bugger!" I thought I held you off. We chuckled over this and she told me that she had seen only one other guy in my age group ahead of me. As I sped off, I did not know how far he  might be and with 400 meters to go unleashed my hardest finishing kick I could muster hoping to catch him. However I did not see him before crossing the finish line, but still very satisfied and feeling so good about my performance that day.

I felt it was one of my best yet this year. Despite the shortening of the bike course by 10k and everyone getting PB's, I still would have been on my best pace yet for this course. Upon my going back to transition, I noticed the Varmint was completely flat now but I didn't care as I was so darn happy the air had held. At the awards ceremony, I would achieve 3'rd place and in the process, win a pair of badly needed running shoes. My gamble with the flat had paid off in this win and felt very content with my day overall….. 3/15 in Category and 179/600 Overall. 3 Tri's down 3 to go to complete this season. At least I have a month of recovery and prep for the next race, the Sooke ½ Iron on July 22. God how I love this sport!

Triathlon Links

Spinerval Workouts (To be published in the Fall)