Huntsman World Senior Games (posted October 13, 2008) Congratulations to Triathlon Manitoba member Lana Marcine for participating in the Hunstman World Senior Games in St George, Utah.  She won Gold in Cycling, Silver in the Sprint Triathlon, and Bronze in the 400m freestyle swim all in the Women 60-64 age category.  The following is a press release: For Immediate Release - Kenora Athlete Wins Gold Medal at The Huntsman World Senior Games In sports, often times extra effort pays off in dividends. That was true for Lana Marcine from Kenora, who took home a Gold Medal in the Cycling competition at the Huntsman World Senior Games on October 8, 2008. When asked about her experience at the games Marcine said, " It was hot, windy, and hilly - I loved every minute of it. I met lots of great people." The Huntsman World Senior Games is a world-class, Olympic-format, international sporting event for athletes ages 50 years and older. Founded more than 20 years ago, the Games currently hosts over 9,500 athletes annually. Each October, for two weeks, the event is held in colorful St. George, Utah, less than a two-hour drive from Las Vegas, Nevada. At the 2008 Games, athletes will compete in 25 different sports.  "One of the things that makes this event so unique is that it is more than just a collection of sporting events," says Kyle Case, Huntsman World Senior Games CEO. "The Games is a total experience, so much more than just another sports competition." Case says the participants enjoy the Parade of Athletes, Opening Ceremonies, Concert and Celebration, Social Events, Banquets and Free Health Screenings, to name only a few of the additional activities that enhance the athletic experience. The Huntsman World Senior Games is truly a celebration of life after 50! The 2008 Huntsman World Senior Games will host approximately 9,700 participants from all 50 of the United States and 20 foreign countries. The majority of the participants are male about 66% - and the average age is around 64 years "young." While almost all of the athletes' first trip to the Games was prompted by the athletic competition, by their third year, many of the participants list social aspects such as "meeting new friends" and "renewing acquaintances" as their primary reason for attending the Games.  "We'd like to invite athletes of all skill levels, from the elite to the novice, to experience this amazing event," says Case. "Once you experience the Games, we know you'll have a great time and we'll be seeing you for years to come." For additional information on the Games, call 1 (800) 562-1268 or visit the web site at www.seniorgames.net

Triathlon Manitoba members' results from Square Lake Triathlon (posted on September 7, 2008)

Congratulations to the following Triathlon Manitoba members for completing the Square Lake Triathlon held at Square Lake County Park -- White Bear Lake, Minnesota on Saturday September 6th and Sunday September 7th. Chris Graham posted the fastest swim time, and Blake MacKay posted the 4th fastest bike time in the Long Course event. 

Short Course -- 1/2 mile swim / 18 mile bike / 5 mile run.  433 participants

Long Course -- 1.2 mile swim / 56 mile bike / 13.2 mile run. 210 participants

For complete results, please see www.pickleevents.com

Triathlon Manitoba's new Executive Director -- Darren Hemeryck (posted on September 5, 2008)

Triathlon Manitoba's Board of Directors has selected Darren Hemeryck to succeed Jeff Hunt as Executive Director.

Darren has been involved in sport and multi-sport events since 2006. Most recently, he was the Games Coordinator for the 2008 Power Smart Manitoba Summer Games in Carman. He was also involved in the planning and organizing of the Power Smart Manitoba Winter Games held in Beausejour, and he was Team Manitoba's Office Manager for the 2007 Canada Winter Games held in Whitehorse Yukon.

In 2006, Darren graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Recreation Management and Community Development.

Darren commences his full-time employment with Triathlon Manitoba on Wednesday October 1st, but he will be working occasionally throughout September as he orients himself to his new position.

We are very happy to welcome Darren as Triathlon Manitoba's new Executive Director. He joins our dedicated team of staff and volunteers.

Another report from David Markham at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing (posted on August 22, 2008)

Jundu Village Tourist Hotel, Changping, China, Sunday, August 17th  

Today was a preparation day for the competition. It is important that all the details be in place as all these athletes have trained very hard for these two hours of preparation. It is very important that we be ready as well.  

I left Jundu Village at 7:30am. Once checking in, and receiving a radio, I ventured up to the Results/Timing/Scoreboard area where I’d spend much of my time on race day. This is where the Omega Timing & Results group is situated. I asked them many questions about the previously agreed-to plan, and made sure all backup timing systems were in place including video and photo finish. I also met with the team operating the scoreboard in the venue, and made certain Omega was interfaced with them. This is the same information that would be fed to BOB (Beijing Olympic Broadcasting) so people around the World can watch the results in real time. We planned a rehearsal of all systems for 1:30pm when we’d run a “pretend” race with some of the ITU people racing, but all systems operational including media, officials, timing & results, boats, motorcycles, award ceremony etc.  

At 10:00 the athletes arrived on site again for their last familiarization session on the bike course. They’d get their last 2 hours on the course before the race to practice the technical areas, and do some last minute training. The Auzzie coach was on course with Samantha Warriner going through it with a fine tooth comb, planning her approach to the course depending on various circumstances. I rode around on a scooter during this practice session making sure the course remained totally secure. The course is entirely closed to traffic at this time. Some of the Olympic Mountain Bikers got on the course with their accreditation in order to do some training for their event which is still a week away. I had to remove them - should an accident have happened between a triathlete and Mountain Biker, there would have been protest to deal with.  

At 12:00 I was involved with the start team practicing the officials march onto the start pontoon and all start protocols. I will be in charge of identifying any false starters, and will stand off to one side of the start pontoon capturing the start with video.  

At 1:15 I was in position to perform the introduction of officials and march of the officials for our mini test event. On race day there will be many people on site, and watching on TV, watching us march in time. It seems a ridiculous thing to do, but it does build the excitement for the start. Once on the pontoon, the athletes (5 only for the practice) get introduced and take their position on the pontoon. A minute before the start, some ominous drumming comes through the speakers and stops 15 seconds before the start at which point the starter takes over. Today we practiced a mass false start so we had to blow the horns continually after the start to call all the athletes back. We will, of course, hope this doesn’t happen on race day. TV depends on us to operate within the allotted timeline. Once the race started, the starting team met to discuss any problems, and then we moved to our positions – me in results/timing. Everything worked well in the practice until the bike lap times stopped registering for some of the athletes during the race. Anyone that was in Vancouver for the World Championships knows what an issue the results became, well….this was the same group I worked with there. I was hugely worried about their ability to do this job even though they promised me they had tested all their systems. Because we were missing times, none of the information was feeding into the ORIS (Olympic Results and Information System) which is viewed by all the international media in order to broadcast and call the event; the scoreboard was not updated etc. I was a little freaked out to say the least.  

During the officials de-brief after the mini race I raised these concerns. I would have to spend the next ?? hours re-testing and re-testing the system until I was certain it worked. After a while we figured out the results software had an override on it, so times which appeared shorter than they should, did not register on the results, and since we were using a shorter course for the practice, this became an issue for some of the faster people that were racing. Anyway, I kept the team late that day in order to run another test. During that test I threw as many variables at them as I could – lost transponders; timing zone stopped working etc, etc. We had people on the course as well as video to manually collect data in case it was needed.  

After this test I felt more confident and went to help with the athlete bike check-in. The coaches/managers brought the bikes in to be checked between 6:00 and 7:30pm. Not only must the bike meet all the ITU guidelines, but all equipment must meet Rule#52 of the Olympic Games which states that no advertising is allowed on the field of play. This means that bicycles, for example, are only allowed to have one manufacturer logo on each side, and must be no larger the a certain size. All other logos, sponsor sticker etc, had to be covered with tape. This rule applies to all equipment including sunglasses, helmets, uniforms etc and applies to all persons including the officials. That is why you no longer see sponsor banners in the background at Olympic Games. There are small sponsor boards as you walk into the venue, but you can not see them anywhere on the course.   

One thing missing from the venues is food for the technical officials. All they have is cookies and drinks. That’s great if you’re a kid, but one is very hungry by days end. Today we didn’t get back to the hotel until late. Because the hotel meals are very overpriced we caught a cab into downtown Changping and enjoyed a wonderful Peking Duck meal with some gracious hosts who kept their restaurant open when we arrived just to serve us. We left around 11:00. I’m quite tired and need to rest for the early breakfast (6:00am) and bus to the venue (6:30am) for the women’s race.  

Jundu Village Tourist Hotel, Changping, China, Monday, August 18th  

I heard last night at dinner that the water level rose over one meter in the water reservoir in a matter of a few hours. It flooded the VIP area at the swim start, and put the swim starter positions underwater. We’ll have to get to the venue as early as possible to determine what needs to be done to be race ready.  

Later:  The water level had gone back down, and things were able to be dried out and ready for the swim start. The pontoon the athletes start on floats so it wasn’t affected by the rising water level.  

The women’s race was today. 55 starters which is a small race compared to some World Cups. Many of the women looked quite nervous going down to the pontoon. Sam Warriner looked positively freaked out to me. We didn’t have any Canadians expected to podium. Lauren Groves crashed on the bike and broke her arm. She was right at the back of the field on the last section of the bike with two other athletes. They were likely quite fatigued. Kathy Tremblay had a great swim and bike, but isn’t really a runner, otherwise she could have been in the game. Carolyn Murray worked hard for her position on the team, but was a middle of the pack elite racer on race day. Kirsten Sweetland was on site in order to gain experience and as an alternate – it would have been nice to see her race as her results could have put us close to a podium.  

During the women’s race a radio call came to me that #4 was retiring from the race and that her chip had been collected. I confirmed the call and then made a incident report for the international broadcast and Olympic info system. After another lap of the bike we noticed she was still in the race. This was quite confusing for both me and the TV audience. The person who made the call denied doing so afterward even though quite a few of the officials had taken #4 from their list. Anyway, the TV guys were a little upset because of the inaccurate information they were given, and the fact they provide the information the TV to a world wide audience. I felt bad, but I and the person working with me, both wrote down the same message and other officials concurred with the call. C’est la vie. I was able to update with a new occurrence report.  

After the women’s race I caught a cab into Beijing with Patty Petty (official from Bermuda ) and went to the Olympic Green where we visited the Superstore of souvenirs and walked through exhibitions, pavilions etc. The green is a massive area that takes about 45 minutes to walk from on end to the other. Many of the venues are located somewhere along the green. The Athletes Village is located adjacent to the green as well. The green is quite beautiful at night. I have lots of pictures which I’m putting into a show. If anyone is interested we could do a night somewhere in Winnipeg and show it. I’m sure Kelly has a lot to contribute too.

The National Stadium, the Cube, and the Pagoda are the most striking buildings to see. One must stop and look at them in awe.  

We found a cab with some difficulty and made the 50km trek back to Changping stopping at a Pizza Hut to get something to eat. I ran into some of the ITU-TV guys at Pizza Hut who live in Vancouver . The international tri community is a friendly group – just like in Manitoba ! Patty and I took our pizza back to one of the Villas on the hotel site where the ITU power people are staying, and watched some Olympic coverage in Chinese. Had a great chat with Sheila O’Kelly who organizes all the World Cup events and talked about the future.  

By the way, cab rides in this city are crazy fast and dangerous. Vehicles never seem to stop. They are always pushing forward. Apparently there is an extra lane (or two) between the regular lanes. Pedestrians have no rights on the street. Crosswalks mean nothing. People must run across, but stop on the lines between lanes to let vehicles pass. People ride scooters with no helmets and sometimes entire families travel on the same bike (the record I saw was four). When a light turns green apparently if you want to turn left you should quickly cut off the oncoming traffic. We’ve seen quite a few accident scenes, but thankfully, we haven’t been involved. Time to get some rest before the men’s race.  

Jundu Village Tourist Hotel, Changping, China, Tuesday, August 19th  

I felt a little tired today until the race started and I saw how well our Canadian men were doing. They all were in the front group of the swim and bike. The team approach really worked for this crew. Paul Tichlaar and Colin Jenkins worked hard to help Simon through the race.  

Before the race I spoke with Simon. He was happy to have some “Canuck officials” on hand. He gave me a bicep flex for a picture before heading to transition to set up his bike. As he walked onto the pontoon (after introductions) at the start of the race I was standing in position informing each athlete about how much time was left before the race start. When I told Simon he had 5 minutes, and to just relax, he said “yes…time for some last minute training!” – he’s always the joker and lightens the mood for many.  

The race as you know was quite exciting. My picks before the race were Javier Gomez (ESP), Simon Whitfield (CAN), Bevan Docherty (NZL), Ivan Rana (ESP) and Brad Kal (AUS). I think Gomez was pretty flustered to have so many runners around him. He’s so used to running alone and getting way out in front early. He has no kick for the end and can usually just cruise in. Simon had an amazing finish when it looked like he was dropping off, making it a three man foot race. Even though I would have liked to see Simon pick up another Gold, it great to see a new face on the podium, and a new hero for Germany .  

I heard after the race that the CBC had it highest ratings ever (except for the hockey gold medal game at the last winter Olympics) during the triathlon. Bigger than any Stanley Cup play-off, Grey Cup etc. They had 2.65 million viewers across Canada . As a result the CBC has signed on to carry triathlon World Cups in its line up for next year. Yippee! The BBC is doing the same.  

We had an ITU reception after the race – can you say “free meal”? I love meeting new and interesting people from around the world. I met a Jamaican who is interested in sharing technical resources for officials training. We’ll be in touch later.  

After getting back to the hotel for a shower and 15 minutes of shut eye I went to a reception hosted by the British Triathlon Association who will play a major role in hosting the event for the 2012 Games in London . I had my first beer, ever. I still don’t like the stuff, and actually only drank half.  

I chilled in the hotel for the rest of the day as most everybody else went into Beijing . I didn’t feel like another late night with little sleep. I did go out with Stuart Fuller (AUS) and his fiancé Emma, Terry Sheldrake (NZL) and his wife Cathy, to the Auspicious Hotel for dinner. It is sort of like a dinner theatre. The food is excellent & affordable, the building is incredible inside (surreal), and the entertainment was interesting (Chinese dance, history in picture scrolls etc).  

Jundu Village Tourist Hotel, Changping, China, Wednesday, August 20th  

The ITU had tickets and a bus booked for all the technical officials to attend Athletics. We got to see Usain Bolt (JAM) break the 200m World Record, his second of the Games (100m too). He is an amazing runner – let’s hope he isn’t on the drugs.  

I went with Kelly Mahoney and Patty Petty to the Great Wall which is about 20km from the hotel. This was my second time there. This time was much hotter (32C today). I walked in the opposite direction I did last time to see some different views. I was rewarded with a look at a local farm community which seemed to live in squalor. Much of this is hidden from tourists.  

After this we went to the Pearl Market. Like all the markets here, there are some incredible buys to be had if you are good at bartering. You must be prepared to be hounded continually by salespeople pushing their wares. They will type their price into a calculator and you can counter offer. If you stick to your original price and walk away, they’ll come running after you and you’ll usually get some unbelievable prices. We walked away with some good stuff at great prices – wish I had more space in my suitcases.  

Prices for many things, however, is up because of the Games. The local economy is really taking advantage of the international community being here, but the prices are still quite reasonable by Canadian standards. Three of us rented a taxi and kept it for the better part of a day and a few hundred kms – it cost us about $75CDN in total. Not bad, however, I am told that before the Games you could rent a car with a driver for the day for 8yuan which is about $1.15CDN. Gas is now $1.00/L here so I don’t know how they make profit. When I was here in September the gas was about 43cents CDN.  

In 2010 the World Triathlon Championships are going to be held in Budapest , Hungary . I have been there for the pre-site visit and think visiting Eastern Europe will be an interesting experience for the triathletes. Since the Soviets have left, the people there are getting their feet on the ground and exercising their culture freely. The city is full of history and is incredibly beautiful as it’s one of a few European cities left intact after WW2.  

In 2011 the World Triathlon Championships are here in Changping , China . This will equally be a great experience. The Chinese people work so hard to make things perfect. They are very helpful and proud to host the international community. There is a local sports and convention complex that will be able to accommodate every single athlete attending Worlds within a relatively short distance to an incredible venue. It is also very inexpensive once you’re here.  

Jundu Village Tourist Hotel, Changping, China, Thursday, August 21st  

Today Kelly and I got an upgrade pass to visit any venue we wanted to, so we gabbed a cab and went to Table Tennis (China’s crazy about this sport and VERY good at it – it’s incredible to watch); Modern Pentathlon (200m swim section – some of the times were so slow that I think I could have beaten them, but the athletes collect points over 5 disciplines in the same day – shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian jumping, and running); Water Polo (Hungarian teams are great and their fans are fanatic); Diving (watched Emilie Haymens win the silver medal); and Athletics. With an upgrade pass we could sit in the “Olympic Family” area (translation – best seats) and take advantage of free food and drink (- yah, baby!).  

We also visited the COC (Canadian Olympic Committee) office in Beijing where we were given some swag for being outstanding officials. Nearby was also Canada House which we literally just peeked into since we had a friend from Mexico with us and she wasn’t allowed in. Kelly and I did cut a 30 second video that should be on a related website somewhere. Canada House is a place where you can relax, have some refreshments and food, check out the internet, watch CBC Olympic coverage and enjoy the company of Canadians. Fun (tiring) day. Glad to have gotten a ride back to the Jundu in an Olympic vehicle as finding a cab late at night is quite difficult.  

Jundu Village Tourist Hotel, Changping, China, Friday, August 22nd  

Short version – spent lots of time in a cab inching our way to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City . Kelly and I went with Anastasia (GRE now living in Vancouver and working for VANOC). Crowds of people. The square and city take up huge amounts of space and are incredible to see. We also visited the hangtongs (sp?), traditional Chinese communities which are disappearing, but are characterized by narrow alley ways and small one story homes.  

We took the subway for the first time. It is brand new and free to travel on with our Olympic accreditation. Wish it went all the way to Jundu where we are staying. We went to watch more Water Polo.  

We got home at a decent hour (8:30pm) despite having some difficulty trying to persuade a cab to take us back to Changping. Kelly and I both had a foot massage (45 minutes for 80yuan or $13. Best thing I purchased all trip.  

Two days to go. We have plans to visit more venues tomorrow – diving, volleyball, athletics etc. Sunday we’re going to the Summer Palace and the closing ceremony. Monday we’re flying home. I look forward to seeing my family again.  

See you soon.  

Dave Markham

Report from David Markham at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing (posted on August 18, 2008)

Hi fellow Manitobans -

I was just checking the Manitoba Games results via the internet in China and was glad to see that my former student Shayna Staerk won a Gold medal. Congratulations to Shayna and all the medal winners and qualifying participants.

I arrived in Beijing with Kelly Mahoney on Friday the 15th of August. Kelly and I make up the delegation of Canadian Triathlon Officials selected to represent our country at the Olympics and we're both from Manitoba! I think that's a testament to Triathlon Manitoba and it's outstanding programs. This is my second experience at an Olympic Games (Athens in 2004) and am always intrigued with the extreme level of organization that goes into most aspects of hosting a Games.

We had our first official meeting on Friday night which actually turned out to be a nice reception for all the international officials and friends of the International Triathlon Union. I've been fortunate enough to have acted as a Technical Delegate to enough international events that I've made friends from all over the world. Though most have never heard of Winnipeg and will likely never visit, we speak the same language of triathlon and we're all very impassioned about delivering the best events we can. I feel at home in any city where these people are.

When we arrived in Beijing yesterday the first thing I noticed was bright blue skies - quite a difference from last September when I was here for the Beijing World Cup (test event for the Olympics). It was a welcome sight. The city looks beautiful. It's all prettied up with flowers and gardens along the sides of all the roads. Beijing has a brand new airport which is incredibly large, but welcoming all the same. Kelly and I were whisked away in an official Olympic vehicle that took us along the dedicated Olympic fast lane to our hotel which is situated in a hilly area called Changping. I noticed that the roadways were fairly sparse in Beijing compared to the horrendous driving conditions which existed last September.

Today many of us were up at the crack of dawn as we're trying to deal with the jet lag and time zone difference. Beijing is 13 hours ahead of Winnipeg. We caught a bus to the triathlon venue where we had a meeting with all the technical officials involved in the race. We were given our assignments and then got busy preparing for them. Kelly is in transition and helping in the finish area. I'm the Chief Technology Official which means many things, but mainly I oversee the riming and results process, ensure accurate data, and feed information into the Games info system which supplies it to all the international media and national federations. Watch for both of us on TV, though we do try to stay out of camera shots. You have the best chance of seeing Kelly in transition and at the finish. I will be close to the finish retrieving finish times to cross-check with the chip times and sorting athlete order as chip timing doesn't always give you a true picture of finish order. When many athletes are crossing the line within tenths of a second from each other (which seems to be happening more and more) and the fact that athletes have their timing chip on only one foot, their chip record may be inaccurate if a person next to them crosses the mat with their chip foot leading while they cross with their chip foot trailing. Sometimes we have to use video and photo finish technology to break ties as it's the first person whose chest crosses the front edge of the finish line that counts, not the chip leg.

I'm also in charge of calling false starts on the swim start pontoon. You can look for me on the side with a video camera in my hands. Basically if I witness an early start by an athletes, I review the tape to assess whether a penalty should be assessed (did they get an unfair advantage?). If an athlete false starts, the race continues, however the violating athlete will be held in transition (perhaps by Kelly) for 15 seconds before they can continue their race. During that time they must stand still and can make no transition progress. This essentially takes them out of the lead. 

I spent an hour on a scooter driving around the bike course during a familiarization session for the athletes today. You wouldn't believe how many people, coaches and media are on site just to watch this practice session. We manage the course like we would if a race was on. It gives the athletes an opportunity to practice the technical portions of the course.

We were fitted with uniforms today. The clothing is very nice - mine won't make it to Value Village like my Pan Am Games stuff! I had to bring an extra suitcase to bring things home, but some of the uniform pieces will definitely stay here in China as I probably will never wear white pants and a baby blue blazer unless I start hosting cruises. For a uniform we receive a suit jacket, 2 dress shirts, two pair of dress pants, a belt, a tie, 3 casual shirts, 3 casual shorts/zip off pants, 3 pairs of socks, casual jacket, water bottle, baseball cap, formal hat, and butt bag. 

The athlete briefing was held this afternoon. This is like a pre-race meeting where all the athletes must be in attendance. I said hi to Simon Whitfield there. He was tired and actually caught a few zzzzzzzzz's during the presentation. This is his third Olympics so he already knows what's going on. The briefing was followed by the pontoon position draw. This process only takes place at Olympic Games and the athletes, based on their ITU ranking, get to select their position on the start line in advance of the race. This gives the media time to plan where to aim their cameras.

It's 10:20PM on Saturday right now, 9:20am in Winnipeg. I've got to hit the sack (the beds are like lying on plywood here), to prepare for tomorrow. We're running a practice race with a few local people. We'll be using our full systems to rehearse and make sure we don't make any mistakes on Monday and Tuesday (races start at 10:00am both days - 9:00pm Sunday and Monday Winnipeg time). I'm not sure how much or when CBC will broadcast the race, but they're here.

Hopefully I can send you more messages when I get the time. Thanks to the triathlon community in Manitoba and Canada for supporting officials and providing us with this great experience (though we are missing the CBC coverage as there isn't one English Olympic coverage TV station to be found).

Cheers,

Dave Markham

Executive Director resigns (posted on August 7, 2008)

Triathlon Manitoba's Board of Directors has accepted the resignation of Jeff Hunt, our Executive Director.  Jeff's last day will be on Friday August 22nd.  We would like to thank him for the great job he's done during the past 9 months, and wish him all the best in his new job with Revenue Canada. 

Pedal recall (posted on August 7, 2008)

LOOK Cycle USA, in cooperation with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, has initiated a voluntary recall and upgrade program isolated to KEO chromoly axle models manufactured prior to January 2006.  See http://www.lookcycle-usa.com/keoupgrade/ for more information. 

For whom the Bell toils Selkirk Journal, by Brian Bowman, published June 27th (posted on July 4, 2008)

Former Royal preparing for world triathlon championships

Willie Bell will be visiting Turkey for the first time at the end of the month. Once there, he plans on going for a bike ride, taking a swim and then running a few miles. But this won’t be any ordinary vacation.
Bell is one of six male athletes who will represent Canada at the 2008 Federation of University Sport Triathlon World Championships June 27-29 in Erdek, Turkey. That swim will be 1,500 metres long while the bike ride is 40 km and the run is 10 km.

“This (opportunity) came out of the blue,” said Bell, who left for Turkey on Monday. “My coach told me about it. It’s an end of the season goal and I was actually an alternate until someone else dropped out.”

Bell, a Lockport native who now lives in Winnipeg, will be joined on the Canadian men’s squad by Alexis Ascah (University of Montreal), Paul Bregin (University of Toronto), Grant Burwash (University of Calgary), David Clinkard (Queen’s University) and Steven Hewick (Laval University).

“There are going to be a wide range of abilities, there’ll be some top-end (triathletes) so it should be a good race,” said the 6-foot-2, 165-pound Bell. “It is a fantastic opportunity to compete against those athletes from around the world who share with me the dual commitment to triathlon and academics.”

Bell first took up the sport in 2003 and quickly made his presence felt. He was a member of Canada’s 2006 Junior Triathlon National team, and later that season was honoured as its athlete of the year.
The triathlete star also placed third at the Junior Duathlon (Run-Bike-Run) Nationals in 2005, was second at the Junior Duathlon Nationals in 2006 and was sixth at the Junior Duathlon Worlds that same year.

Bell was also on the University of Manitoba Bisons’ swim team this past season and is a three-time Academic all-Canadian in track and field. But Bell was recently accepted into medical school, which will obviously cut into his future training time. Gary Pallett, a veteran coach in triathlon, said Bell possesses several qualities which make him a great athlete.

“He’s very, very strong on the bike and he’s developed into a very good runner and swimmer, but his bike is his strongest event of the three,” said Pallett, Bell’s personal coach. “He’s a very talented kid...he’s been a pleasure to coach. Willie’s just one of those kids, whatever he decides he wants to do well in, he takes it to the top level. I think he’ll represent Canada well.”

Outstanding Achievement Award (posted on July 2, 2008) Sarah-Anne Brault was one of three athletes that were presented with Outstanding Achievement and Sport Excellence awards by city councilor Gord Steeves on Thursday June 26th.  Sarah-Anne was the winner of the Patco Triathlon Pan-American Championship held in Mazatlan, Mexico.  Congratulations Sarah-Anne!

Braun excited to take on the world The Winnipeg Free Press, by Ashley Prest, published June 27th (posted on June 30, 2008)

"I'm pretty excited, it's going to be a whole different experience, in a country that isn't as often a travel destination," said Braun, a recent University of Manitoba graduate in agriculture. "I'm looking forward to it, I feel ready and I just hope to do well."

Braun, who competed on the U of M cross-country and track and field teams last season, is the only member of the female team who is returning to the World University Triathlon Championships. She represented Canada in Lausanne, Switzerland in August of 2006 and came away happy with the experience but unhappy with her result (30th).

"It's grown since then. There was just over 30 women and just over 40 men and now this time, it's doubled for each side," she said, noting Canada sent a team of four females and four males in 2006. This year Canada is sending a team of six females and six males.

Braun, a member of Manitoba National Triathlon Centre in 2000-07, won a bronze medal at the 2004 Pan American Junior Triathlon Championships.

Also representing Canada is Willie Bell, 20, of the U of M swimming team, who has been a member of MNTC since 2003. It is expected this will be Bell's final major triathlon event for some time. He has been accepted into the Faculty of Medicine and will begin his studies this fall.

Speedster Brault on the fast track in triathlon The Winnipeg Free Press, by Allan Besson, published June 25th (posted on June 30, 2008)

Sarah-Anne Brault is no stranger to the fast track, holding down three provincial records: the AAAA high school junior varsity 3,000 metres (10:12.05) and the Athletics Manitoba provincial junior and juvenile 5,000 metres, both at 17:23.28.

However, the 18-year-old Manitoba Half Marathon winner (one hour, 20.16 minutes) was absent at the recent high school provincials, but with good reason.

The Grade 12 student from College Louis Riel was in Vancouver competing at the world junior triathlon championships. "I did all right," said the Triathlon Canada developmental team member. "In junior we are allowed to draft in the (20-kilometre) cycle event, but I came out of the (750-metre) swim 10 seconds behind the pack and finished 26th after the (five-kilometre) run."

Setting track aside for this year, Brault is now focusing on two events before heading out to West Virginia University, where she will compete in cross-country as well as track (1,500, 3,000 and 5,000 metres).

"I'll be in Geneva, New York, July 12-13 to for the Continental Cup, which will be double the junior triathlon distances," said the Canadian junior champion, adding that next year she will have to compete at those distances (1,500-metre swim, 40-km cycle and 10-km run) anyway. "This is just to check out what I can do and get the experience. I can do the distances, but that is a completely different style of racing."

In August, she will defend her Canadian title at the junior nationals in Kelowna, B.C.

Brault was the first junior to complete the 2007 nationals and the 2007 Gatineau junior series, placing second overall in both races. She also won gold in the USA junior nationals and won silver in the 3000 metres at the 2007 track and field junior nationals.

U of M Bison named to triathlon team  The Winnipeg Free Press, published June 20th (posted on June 20, 2008)

Lockport's Willie Bell of the University of Manitoba Bisons has been named to Canada's 2008 World University Games five-man triathlon team that will compete June 27-28 in Erdek, Turkey.

Bell, 20, competed for the Bisons' swim team this past university season as a free-styler and was also part of the school's medley relay squad. He's a two-time academic All-Canadian who's been a triathlete since 2003.

Bell placed third at the junior duathlon (Run-Bike-Run) national championships in 2005, second at the junior duathlon nationals in 2006, third at the junior triathlon nationals in 2006 and was named Triathlon Canada's junior duathlon athlete of the year in 2006.

Triathlon Manitoba members results from Liberty Triathlon (posted on June 16, 2008)

Congratulations to the following Triathlon Manitoba members for completing the Liberty Triathlon Half Ironman consisting of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile cycle, and 13.1 mile run, on Saturday June 14th in Maple Plain, Minnesota.

For complete results, please click here.

New Triathlon Manitoba staff  (posted on May 26, 2008)

Triathlon Manitoba would like to welcome Kailin Webb who will be working as the Summer Program Coordinator from now until the end of August.  She is completing a BSc in Kinesiology, with certificates both in Applied Human Nutrition and Health and Fitness Studies, and has one semester left at Simon Fraser University. Kailin is new to Winnipeg, and was first introduced to triathlon by participating in Kids of Steel® races in Saskatchewan. She may be reached at the Triathlon Manitoba office Tuesdays through Fridays at 926-8359 or email. 

We would also like to welcome Joshua Drad to our Tri MB team.  Joshua will be working as our Equipment Manager this summer.  

Triathlon Canada Announces 2007 National Award Winners  (posted on May 26, 2008)

Triathlon Canada has announced the award recipients for the 2007 season. The 2007 Awards will be presented in Kelowna, BC as part of the festivities surrounding the 2008 Triathlon National Championships August 16th to 17th. Congratulations to Edie Fisher for winning the National Award in Long Distance Triathlon in the Age Group 40 to 59 category.  For a full list of the award winners please click here.

Congratulations to Sarah-Anne Brault and Patrick Peacock for being nominated for an award also.

Sport Manitoba Sport Awards (posted on February 21, 2008)

Sport Manitoba celebrates youth and volunteer excellence and achievement in amateur sport with a number of special awards that are presented annually. All nominees will be recognized in conjunction with the presentation of the 35th Canadian Sport Awards, Wednesday, March 19th at the Garrick Theatre.

Congratulations to Mark Okany for being a nominee for Male Jr Athlete of the Year, Sarah-Anne Brault for being a nominee for Female Jr Athlete of the Year, and Debb Brethauer for being a nominee for Official of the Year. To see the complete list of Sport Manitoba Sport Award Nominees, click here.

Brandon / Turtle Crossing Multisport Day cancelled for 2008 (posted on January 12, 2008)

Perry Bergson, Race Director for Brandon / Turtle Crossing Multisport Day -- Kids of Steel and Westman Triumphs Try-a-Tri, has informed Triathlon Manitoba that the race will be cancelled for 2008.  The pool at Turtle Crossing Park will not be operating this year.  Westman Triumphs have considered moving the race to another location, but are unable to find a course that would be safe.

Triathlon Magazine Canada's Age Group Athlete of the Year by Michael Krauss, President, Tribalistic Triathlon Team (posted on January 12, 2008)

Congratulations to Patrick Peacock, Triathlon Manitoba member and Head Coach of the Tribalistic Triathlon Team. Triathlon Magazine Canada named Patrick as the Age Group Athlete of 2007. Patrick's first place finish at the Canadian Olympic Distance Age Group Championships held August 5th in Drummonville QC in a time of 1:59:24, cinched this designation. Patrick also won the Triathlon Manitoba 2007 Grand Prix Race Series by placing first in every race in which he competed, including the Triple Threat, the Free Spirit, and Lac du Bonnet triathlons. In July 2007, he also placed third in his age group at the National Long Distance Triathlon Championship in Osoyoos BC.

FISU Triathlon World Championships Team Announcement (posted on January 12, 2008)

Congratulations to Erin Braun for being one of the 12 athletes selected to compete for Canada in the 2008 Federation of University Sport (FISU) Triathlon World Championships which will be held  June 27th to 29th in Erdek, Turkey.  This draft-legal Olympic distance race is the 9th World University Triathlon Championship.  To view the list of selected team members, click here.

Manatee River Run results (posted on January 10, 2008)

Congratulations to Sarah Ann Brault and Mark Okany for competing in the 7th annual Manatee River Run 5 mile RRCA State Championship in Emerson Point Park, Palmetto Florida on December 29th.  Sarah and Mark were in Florida at a training camp with other MNTC members over the Christmas holidays.  Mark placed 12th overall in a time of 28:58, and was 3rd in the Junior Male category.  Sarah Ann won the female road race with a time of 29:31, and now holds the female course record for this event.  She finished 14th overall (men and women).  For complete results, click here. 

TriFactor Triathlon Club AGM and welcome to new members (posted on October 31, 2007)

• Info poster (Adobe PDF)
• TriFactor website

Good-Bye to Jaclyn Pauls by Debb Brethauer, President, Triathlon Manitoba (presented at the Annual Awards Evening, October 20th) (posted on October 23, 2007)

It is my great honour to be the one to say good-bye to Jaclyn Pauls.  Since beginning in her position of Executive Director in November 2000, she has taken our sport of triathlon to higher levels.  From 2005 Sport Administrator of the Year, to her involvement with KidSport, and the administration of many of the Kids of Steel program projects for Triathlon Canada, this quiet mannered woman has demonstrated her depth and strength as an administrator.

Jaclyn has played a vital role in Triathlon Canada's bid for triathlon to be part of the 2009 Canada Summer Games.  She has initiated our current Youth Development Program which now has 25 members! Jaclyn has raced, and is a Level 1 Official.

I have worked with Jaclyn since October 2001.  She has been professional, efficient, diplomatic, and a great friend.

People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.  Jaclyn's season with Triathlon Manitoba is completed as of the evening.  I have thoroughly enjoyed both my business and personal relationship with her.

We wish her the very best.  Perhaps one day we will see Jaclyn and Greg at a Kids of Steel race waiting for their own child to cross the finish line.

Selection of a new Triathlon Manitoba Executive Director by Debb Brethauer, President, Triathlon Manitoba (posted on October 17, 2007)

The successful candidate for the position of Executive Director of Triathlon Manitoba is Jeff Hunt.

Jeff brings with him a wide variety of sport leadership experience, and a solid knowledge of sport in Manitoba.  He recently completed a 1 year term as the General Manager for Coaching Manitoba, and prior to that spent 6 years as the Regional Manager for Sport Manitoba -- Westman Region.

It is apparent from his skills and experience that he is very well suited to this position, and is well respected within Sport Manitoba.  He will be officially commencing his full time employment on Monday December 3rd.  For the 6 week lapse, phone and e-mail messages will be monitored, but no one will be available in the office.

We are very excited to welcome Jeff as our new Executive Director for Triathlon Manitoba, and to our great team of staff and volunteers.

75 going on 25! Super senior Mickey Stokotelny travels the world to compete in triathlons, and he's not planning to slow down any time soon  by Shamona Harnett / Healthy Living, The Winnipeg Free Press, published September 24th (posted on September 29, 2007)

EIGHT-year-old Mickey Stokotelny had one thing on his mind as he gathered eggs, weeded the garden and helped his mother with laundry. All he could think about was playtime. 

"From Day 1, I wanted to run, I wanted to cycle -- almost anything other than farm work," says the Winnipegger, who with a smile, recalls diving into the water-filled ditch near his parents' Dauphin farm every spring.

"Other kids thought I was crazy... I wasn't able to swim at the time... but I went in with very little on -- probably nothing. If there was a car coming you scrambled quickly into your clothing."

Jump ahead six decades and Stokotelny, now age 75, still loves to play. But rather than wading in a ditch, cycling down a country road or running to a nearby friend's house -- as he did as a child -- Stokotelny has amped up his play. Today, he swims, cycles and runs in triathlons around the world, including places such as Hawaii, Mexico and New Zealand.

Nursing a bottle of water at a Corydon Avenue coffee spot, the retired physical education teacher and competitive swimmer/cyclist/runner pulls a bronze medal out of his jacket pocket and proudly places it on the table. He won it at the World Triathlon Championships in Hamburg, Germany four weeks ago, where he placed third in his age category. It's his latest medal -- one of hundreds he's collected since he started competing in triathlons in 1995. For the determined Stokotelny, the bronze is not quite was he was aiming for. 

"I really this time wanted to win gold. I wanted to come home and say that I'm the best in the world. I can't say that," says the retiree, whose gleaming blue eyes and bright, sun-kissed complexion don't quite reveal his age. 

He notes that he didn't train as well as he could have this summer and would like to eventually win gold and earn a sponsor. "I'm going to go for it next time." 

That's the spunky attitude that has made Stokotelny famous among fellow recreational athletes in Winnipeg -- those who see him on the street or at the gym. The St. Vital resident is used to people he's never met calling out his name. "Everyone says, 'Hi Mickey, hi Mickey.' I don't know who these people are. But somehow I have developed something with them... where they know me," he explains. "I'm
always waving but I don't know who I'm waving at." 

Greg Giesbrecht, 60, heard about Stokotelny even before he became his swimming partner. Giesbrecht's physician, who knows the triathlete, had advice. "He said, 'Once you can keep up with Mickey you'll be doing OK,'" recalls Giesbrecht. The high school math and science teacher understands the awe that Stokotelny inspires. 

"You see somebody decked out in cycling clothes... riding up and down the streets... and then you take a little closer look and you see not only is he of advancing age, but he's fast. He's good!" 

Stokotelny, the youngest and most active of 10 siblings, says he's always had a need to be on the go. Back when he was a kid, his lack of athletic equipment didn't stop him. 

"The bikes we had on the farm were for adults. I learned to ride by putting one foot under the frame... it was adapting to whatever we had. If there wasn't a bat, you used a stick. And if there wasn't a ball to kick you would find something (else) to kick." 

Stokotelny retired in 1991 after spending most of his career teaching gym, math and science in inner-city Winnipeg schools. Running and cycling became his favourite pastimes. Four years later, he took up swimming so he could enter triathlons. He's competed in five triathlons every year since 1995. Sport Manitoba often funds a portion of each trip, though Stokotelny pays for most out of his own pocket. To prepare for each event, he exercises for at least an-hour-and-a-half daily -- riding his bike, working his legs in the weight room at Dakota Community Centre, running or swimming at the University of Manitoba. In the winter, he rides a stationary bike at home -- usually while watching The Price Is Right. 

The triple threat is still reeling from his action-packed Hamburg race in which there was no time to dawdle between his 1,500 metre swim in the cold lake, his 30 km cycle and his 20 km run. 

"You get out of the water and you run to the bicycle. 

"There is no place to change -- no tents like what you would see in some of the elite competitions. 

"You strip off the wet suit, cycle in what you have. You change your shoes, you put on your helmet and you go. 

"You take the helmet off you put on a different pair of (running) shoes, put on your sunglasses and you go." 

It's a rough ride that he absolutely loves. 

"You're on a high... a runner's high... (like) you've... had too much champagne... It's amazing," says Stokotelny, who is floating on clouds after a race. "The day after, I'm ready to go again." 

Jaclyn's resignation letter (posted on September 14, 2007)

To the Triathlon Manitoba Community:

It is with mixed emotions that I let you know that I have resigned from Triathlon Manitoba, as of October 20, 2007. My last official duties will be with the Annual Awards Evening, so I hope to see many of you there. I have been offered, and accepted a position at Sport Manitoba as a Finance Officer. This position provides a lot of opportunity and growth for me and was one I just couldn’t turn down.

This was a difficult decision and not one I expected to make so soon after being married. I have worked with Triathlon since November 2000 as the Executive Director and four years prior to that as a student. I have grown to love and respect both the individuals that I am involved with as well as the sport. I feel truly blessed to have had the pleasure to work for such an amazing organization.

I would like to thank the boards (present and past) who have worked countless hours, with dedication not seen in very many other sports. I can’t thank you enough for the support and friendship that I have received from every member of the Board (and their families), as well as the staff. I will miss working with each and everyone one of you.

To the clubs and race directors thank you for all your contributions to the sport and the enthusiasm which you bring. It was such a pleasure to work with each group as you strive to deliver great programs and high quality events. The interaction with everyone was such a rewarding part of this position.

I know that I am leaving a strong, growing sport, that has been led to this level by the hard work and dedication of the Board of Directors, staff, clubs, race directors, officials, coaches, and the membership at large, both past and present. I hope to still see many of you next summer when I’ll hopefully be out as a volunteer or perhaps even racing.

All the best,

Jaclyn Pauls

Triathlon Manitoba Member's results from Square Lake 1/2 Ironman (posted on September 11, 2007)

Congratulations to the following Triathlon Manitoba members who competed at the Square Lake 1/2 Ironman in Square Lake MN on Sunday September 9th.  For complete results, click here.

Place   Time  Name              Category Place
  6  4:29:39  Laird Lidster     M3034    2/25
  9  4:33:10  Blake MacKay      M0119    1/1
 21  4:50:27  Rich Dreger       M2529    2/22
 25  4:53:58  Martin Krowina    M4549    3/18
 49  5:06:53  Trevor Funk       M3034    9/25
 51  5:07:06  David Ferguson    M4549    7/18
 60  5:15:29  Sean McKiernan    M3539    7/31
 92  5:29:09  Tim Hawkins       M5054    4/12
 94  5:29:38  Darren Scherbain  M3034   17/25
104  5:38:42  Colin Blanchette  M2529   12/22
107  5:39:51  Dawn Huck         F4044    2/10
110  5:40:42  Perry Bergson     M4044   13/20
126  5:53:29  Danielle Barkman  F3034    5/13
152  6:07:48  Ariane McCormack  F3539    4/9
158  6:11:09  Dan Chafe         M4549   15/18
159  6:11:56  Jan Hawkins       F4549    2/2
194  6:49:21  Shannon Mann      F3034    9/13

Triathlon Manitoba Member's results from Lake Geneva Triathlon (posted on September 11, 2007)

Congratulations to David Matiece, of the Westman Triumphs, who participated in the Lake Geneva Olympic Triathlon in Lake Geneva WI on Saturday September 8th.  David placed 10th out of 356 participants with a time of 2:11:55. For complete results, click here.

Manitoba In Motion Champions and Grants promote physical activity (posted on September 7, 2007)

Province will provide $118,000 in Community Grants

Healthy Living Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross today announced that 17 Manitobans will champion the Manitoba in motion program throughout the province and encourage Manitobans to get active every day.

"Even 30 minutes of physical activity a day can really benefit our overall health by increasing energy levels, reducing stress and strengthening our bodies," said Irvin-Ross. "We are thrilled that so many accomplished Manitobans have joined us to support Manitoba in motion and promote the importance of physical activity across the province."

The 17 new Manitoba in motion champions represent a number of different sports and activities and include representatives from around the province.

Irvin-Ross also announced the province will provide $118,000 to fund 46 new community grants to assist communities across the province support and promote physical activity. To date, more than $515,000 has been provided toward 204 Manitoba in motion grants. "It's important for communities to develop and expand services that encourage their residents to get active and try something new," said Irvin-Ross. "These new Manitoba in motion grants will help promote and provide more access to physical activity."

The minister also invited Manitobans to celebrate the second anniversary of Manitoba in motion by taking part in the Canada-wide World Record Walk that encourages every Canadian to walk a kilometre at precisely the same moment everywhere in the country. The walk will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 3. "We want Manitobans to celebrate some of the long-term positive changes in healthy behaviour that we've been making here in Manitoba," she added. "I want to encourage all Manitobans to take part and help Manitoba lead the way to good health."

In addition, since the launch of Moving Around Manitoba this spring, more than 4,000 Manitobans have gotten in motion and are tracking their physical activity online. Together they have covered 146,000 kilometres which would take them around Manitoba more than 36 times.

More information on Manitoba in motion and a full list of the most recent grants is available at www.manitobainmotion.ca .

Massage Therapy College of Manitoba Sports Outreach program  (posted on September 7, 2007)

The Massage Therapy College of Manitoba offers a Sports Outreach program that allows our students to assess and treat athletes on any and all sports related injuries. The athletes that attend include elite performers in sports such as football, soccer, bodybuilding, marathon, and boxing. Our session will be one hour in length, and will include a specific assessment and treatment for each athlete. If you are interested, please contact me anytime.

Cost: $10 per 1 hour massage
Time: 9:45, 11:00 AM Fridays. Please arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled massage.

Thanks!

Mark Klassen, Sports Outreach Supervisor, Adv. RMT
Massage Therapy College of Manitoba
2-691 Wolseley Avenue (across from the Misrecordia Hospital)
www.massagetherapycollege.com
Email: REMOVE_THISmcollege@mts.net
Cell: 470-3250

Masters swim training opportunities by Paul Boulding, Hons. B Sc Specialized Physiology and Biomechanics  (posted on August 29, 2007)

Selkirk Masters will be starting up September 17th at the Selkirk High School on Mercy St. in Selkirk. We will be offering up to 5 workouts per week. Three mornings Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and two evenings Tuesday and Thursday. We might be able to help some out of town athletes so they do not have as far to travel, for example, to Pan Am Pool. We provide very flexible workouts, and would be willing to work with a current coach. We offer free try outs.

For information please call Paul Boulding at 444-3072.

Manitoba results from The Great Colorado Triathlon (posted on August 13, 2007)

Congratulations to Sarah-Anne Brault and Mark Okany for completing the Great Colorado Triathlon in Longmont, Colorado on Sunday August 12th.  This event consisted of a 750m swim, 20K bike, and 5K run.  Sarah-Anne placed 1st out of 27 in the F16-19 category with a time of 1:05:14.  Mark placed 24th out of 55 in the M16-19 category with a time of 1:03:19.  For complete results, please click here.

Triathlon Manitoba member results from Spirit of Racine Triathlon (posted on July 27, 2007)

Congratulations to the three Kenora Borealis Multisport Club members who completed the Spirit of Racine Half Ironman in Racine, Wisconsin on July 22nd. Dan Morwood finished with a time of 4:19:59 -- 16th overall.  Edie Fisher's time was 4:56:33 -- 186th overall, and Barb Griffith's time was 6:00:40 -- 879th overall.  For complete results, please click here.

Manitoba results from Triathlon de Gatineau -- a Quebec Junior Series race (posted July 21, 2007)

The Triathlon de Gatineau (a Quebec Junior Series race) was held on Saturday July 21st in Gatineau Quebec. Gary Pallet writes: "Sarah Anne won the Junior Girls race , and was the 2nd overall female behind Kathy Trembley (1:00:41) who was in the Senior  race. The races ran together." Here are Manitoba's results:

Junior Women (16 competitors) -- 750m swim + 20K draft-legal bike + 5K run

Place  Name                  Time   Swim       Bike        Run
 1     Sarah-Anne Brault  1:01:28  10:47(3)   33:40(1)   17:01(1)

Complete results are at www.sportstats.ca/res2007/gatineauj.htm

Age 14&15 Boys (26 competitors) -- ???m swim +??K bike + ?K run

Place  Name                  Time   Swim       Bike        Run
 6     Charles Brault       54:43   8:20(7)   30:29(21)  15:56(4) 

Complete results are at www.sportstats.ca/res2007/gatineau15.htm

Manitoba results from the Peach Classic Triathlon (posted on July 20, 2007)

Congratulations to Shaun Humphries for completing the Peach Classic Triathlon in Penticton, BC on Sunday July 15th.  Shaun placed 55th out of 416 finishers, 1st in the M45-49 age group with a time of 2:23:20.  He says, "This year the Peach Classic was also the BC Provincial age group championship. I managed to win the 45 - 49 age group on the toughest Olympic distance course I have ever been on. The bike was very challenging and the 10K run was a major uphill run for 5K and then the turn around. The race had 426 competitors and it was the 25th Anniversary of the race. It was a beautiful Okanogan day, and overall an awesome experience! I had a chance to connect with Jenny Ayers and Brian Schroeder at the race, and talked to Bruce Young who was in town training! FYI - I believe Jenny won her age group and Brian won his age group!"  

For complete results, please click here.

Having summer off is no holiday
Iron deficiency sidelines top junior triathlete  by Chad Scarsbrook, The Winnipeg Sun, published July 8th (posted on July 9, 2007)

Blair Peters didn't think having the summer off would be so painful.

The Winnipegger was supposed to be competing in the Canadian junior triathlon championships in Edmonton last week as the defending champion. But instead of swimming, biking and running, the 18-year-old has been trapped at home unable to work out or train.

Everything seemed fine for Peters entering the triathlon season. He had been one of four named to the Triathlon Canada national development team. In addition to winning the national junior championship, he also won the national junior series last year.

But when he began training in the winter, his results were way down. His track workout times, in fact, kept getting worse each week. It got to the point he could barely run.

"At first we thought I had been over-training back in January," said Peters, noting it's not uncommon for high endurance athletes to train more than their body can handle. "I took a month off in February to try and rest, which is the only thing you can do."

But after the rest, the results hadn't changed. Ruling over-training out, the recent Vincent Massey grad, who's competed in triathlon since he was in Grade 9, consulted a doctor. That's when he was diagnosed with an iron deficiency. Peters is now taking supplements and undergoing regular blood tests. He'll miss the entire racing season to get healthy.

"It's pretty tough," said Peters, who has also committed to the University of Manitoba swim team next year. "The break was nice when school ended but after a couple of weeks, I didn't know what to do with myself. But the worst is over now. I've accepted the facts that I'm not racing. For awhile, it was a crummy few months. We tried to salvage the season and tried to figure out what was wrong. It's a relief now that we know."

Now, Peters can focus on rehabbing, building up his strength and getting back out on the track. It's not the first time he's faced adversity. Two years ago he was cycling in a pack during a race when a rider ahead of him fell, causing Peters to flip over top of him. It took about eight weeks for Peters to recover from a broken shoulder blade. He hopes for another triumphant return next year like last year when he came back from injury to win at nationals.

NUTRITIONIST

He's seeing a nutritionist who has Peters on a high-iron diet including steak, pumpkin seeds and spinach. He says it will be a challenge when he returns to the gym after taking much of the summer off. Training twice a day, 30 hours a week, Peters can't wait to get back into a pool.

He'll typically swim every morning and cycle and run in the early evening with some weight training at night. It's mostly about cardio for triathletes as strength is secondary. But when it comes to weights, Peters likes lower body squats to increase cycling power and chin-ups to help in the pool.

"I'm pretty confident I'll get back to where I was," said Peters whose long-term goal is to compete in the 2016 Olympics. "I think it will be OK. It will just be a little bit of a process."

Manitoba results from the Great White North Triathlon (posted on July 6, 2007)

Congratulations to Chantal Denholm for completing the Great White North Half Ironman in Stoney Plain, AB on Sunday July 1st.  Chantal finished with a time of 5:27:27, 196th of 612 finishers overall, 8th of 33 in the Female 18-29 category. For complete results, please click here.

Central Region E-News (posted on July 5, 2007)

Central Region intends to increase the awareness and accessibility of regional and provincial programs and activities of its sport partners with a newsletter.  To view the Spring Issue/June 2007 and read about the upcoming Power Smart Manitoba Games, please click here (Adobe PDF).

Borealis Triathlon set for third installment (posted on July 4, 2007)

By Neil MacKinnon, Kenora Miner and News -- Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Greg Cederwall might be a rookie race director, but he’s hoping youthful vigour, and a lot of help, will more than make up for his lack of experience. “This will be my first time organizing a race of this scale but I’m in regular touch with everyone in the club, things are going well and I’m confident it’s going to be a good one,” Cederwall said of the third annual Kenora Borealis Triathlon/Duathlon slated for July 29 at Garrow Park. “I’ve had a lot of help from our club so far and they’ve done a great job of getting me accustomed to what it takes to make this event a successful one.”

The Borealis event, part of Manitoba’s Grand Prix circuit, offers something for everyone -- from the seasoned veteran to the virtual rookie in the world of high endurance racing. While both the Sprint and Olympic distances are for the more seasoned racer, Borealis also makes room for newcomers with a Try-a-Tri event -- a shortened race of a 300-metre swim, a 10-kilometre bike and a three-km run. And although the Try-a-Tri is designed to welcome newcomers to the sport, Cederwall still cautions that it’s not for the light of heart. “It is for beginners to get a taste of what it’s all about,” he said. “But it still takes a large amount of physical endurance, and those interested should make sure they’re in good enough shape to handle it.”

The Borealis Triathlon/Duathlon has experienced a steady growth in participation numbers over the past two years and it’s a tendency Cederwall said is driven by the uniqueness of the course. “I think that helps drive the popularity of our event and will continue to,” Cederwall said. “It’s a different kind of course compared to a lot of what you see in Manitoba. “There are a lot more hills, it’s a different type of typography and we were considering changing the routes around, but after the feedback we received last year, we’ve decided to leave it as it is. “People like the course we have, they’re excited to come back every year and I think it’s going to be a really good time.”

The major sponsors are in place, the race has been sanctioned by Triathlon Manitoba, and many of the necessary volunteers have stepped forward. All that’s left, Cederwall said, is for people to start filling up the race roster. “We’re looking forward to a safe and successful event,” he said.

Anyone interested in registering or in search of more information can contact Cederwall at g_cederwall@hotmail.com  or check out the Borealis Triathlon link on Triathlon Manitoba’s website - www.triathlon.mb.ca .

Manitoba Foundation for Sports Scholarships (posted on June 29, 2007)

The Manitoba Foundation for Sports, through Sport Manitoba, has announced 23 student athletes from 11 high schools, three universities, and nine sports will receive scholarships totaling $17,500 for the 2007-2008 academic year. Congratulations to Blair Peters for receiving a $500 scholarship, and to Willie Bell for receiving a $1000 scholarship. For complete details, please click here.

Hy-Vee Triathlon (posted on June 19, 2007)

Congratulations to Jeff Morier who placed 1st out of 154 competitors in the 35-39 Age Group and 14th Overall at the 2007 Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines Iowa on June 17th. Jeff’s next international event is the Life Time Fitness Triathlon in Minneapolis on July 14th. For complete results, click here.

Muskoka Triathlon & Duathlon and Long Course Triathlon & Duathlon (posted on June 17, 2007)

Congratulations to Colin Blanchette for completing the Muskoka Sprint Triathlon in Ontario on Saturday June 16th.  He placed 80th out of 436 participants with a time of 1:20:00.  He was 7th out of 26 in the M25-29 age category.

Congratulations to Dave Lipchen for completing the Mukoka Long Course Triathlon on Sunday June 17th.  He placed 151st out of 792 participants with a time of 3:21:29.  He was 28th out of 84 in the M30-34 age category.

For complete results, click here.

Manitoba results from the Vancouver BG World Cup on June 10th (updated on June 30, 2007)

Junior Women -- 750m swim + 20K bike (draft legal) + 5K run
Sarah-Anne Brault: 8th of 9, 1:28:02
Click here for complete results.

Junior Men -- 750m swim + 20K bike (draft legal) + 5K run
Mark Okany: 14th of 20, 1:16:40 
Click here for complete results.

Age Group -- 1500m swim + 40K bike + 10K run
Edie Fisher: 57th of 155, 1st of 2 in Female 50-54, 2:41:18
Norman Barmeier: 63rd of 155, 6th of 8 in Male 30-34, 2:42:23  
Click here for complete results.

Sprint -- 750m swim + 20K bike + 5K run
Lana Marcine: 18th of 20, 1st of 1 in Female 55-59, 2:02:31  
Click here for complete results

Birds Hill Du Series thank you  (posted on May 24, 2007)

Special and very deserving thanks to David and Ralph Markham for their many years of hosting the Birds Hill Du Series. I've only been a participant over the last 3 years although have found this series to be extremely well coordinated and executed. The race results are usually available the next morning which for the racers is a great boost ... We love to see the results no matter where we stand. The course is a great mix of trail, rolling terrain and loops which work great for the numbers attending. Congratulations on the record setting number of participants this past month and even for the determination to facilitate a safe race this past Tuesday in the rain. All the best as you pass the torch to Tri Force, and hopefully you'll look forward to May as a race participant next year and beyond. I've had experiences in running-only venues in the past, and nothing truly compares to the camaraderie and welcome atmosphere of a Tri/Du event. I also want to state my appreciation to Tri MB for having such a complete Duathlon series along side of the Triathlon events over the course of the season and pre-season (May). 

Best wishes,
Hans Epp, Steinbach MB 

Triathlon Canada Announces 2006 National Award Winners  (posted on May 22, 2007)

Triathlon Canada has announced the award recipients for the 2006 season. The awards will be presented in Drummondville, Quebec, later this summer at the 2007 National Championships.

Congratulations to Willie Bell and Dan Morwood for being recognized in the Duathlon categories. For a full list of the award winners please click here.

Tribalistic Triathlon Team News by Jared Spier, President, Tribalistic Triathlon Team (posted on April 11, 2007)

It might not be an ideal start, but the outdoor season has finally begun. The Tribalistic Triathlon Team understands that battling the elements is much easier when you've got plenty of friends at your side. So, to allow as many people as possible to take advantage of our strength in numbers, we've lowered our membership fees by $50 for the remainder of the 2007 season.

That means that for as little as $70 (which includes a $30 TriMB membership that's required for racing), you can join one of the six workouts we offer each week. $150 is all that's required to attend three workouts a week (which still includes the $30 TriMB membership), and all of our workouts are led by a team of fully certified coaches, following a detailed annual training plan based on the Triathlon Manitoba Calendar. If you're planning to race this season - whatever distance you're planning to race - this type of regular, focused training will help you reach your goals and increase your enjoyment of the sport.

Best of all there's no risk, as we invite any interested athletes to join us for their first week of workouts at no cost and with no commitment required. Our complete workout schedule and more information can be found on our web site - www.tribalistic.ca  We hope to see you soon.

Sport Manitoba Awards Nominees Announced by Barry Moroz, Sport Manitoba Communications (posted on February 20, 2007)

Sport Manitoba today announced the 57 nominees for its seven award categories recognizing achievement and excellence in amateur sport in 2006. The Awards will be presented in conjunction with
Winnipeg's hosting of the 34th Canadian Sport Awards on Friday, March 23rd at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.  Click here for more information.

Congratulations to Blair Peters for being nominated for Male Youth Athlete of the Year, Sarah-Anne Brault nominated for Female Youth Athlete of the Year, David Markham nominated for Official of the Year, and Darlene Cole nominated for Volunteer of the Year.

Tri, tri, tri and Peters will succeed  by James Turner, The Lance, published February 8th (posted on February 12, 2007) He may be recovering from a nasty cold, but Blair Peters still says he hopes to freeze out the competition in the water, on the track and from the seat of a racing bike. The 17-year-old Charleswood athlete has been named as a junior on the Triathlon Canada team, meaning he’ll be in good shape to dominate the sport when he turns pro in a year or two. Peters says he’s not concerned about the increase in training he’ll have to do to get to that level. Junior triathletes exert themselves with a 750-metre swim, a 20-km bike, capped by a 5-km run, says Peters – this doubles after climbing the ladder to the senior level. Peters says he gets a charge out of the variety involved in the sport. “It’s different than a normal sport,” he says. “The swim is extremely rough…people are all jam-packed together – it’s a free for all,” Peters says.  His love for the sport began a few summers ago when he was approached by his current coach, Gary Pallett, who says he called Peters up because he saw the potential for greatness. “I’m usually looking for people who can swim and run – he’s got the perfect build and swimming background,” says Pallett. Pallett is no stranger to what it takes to succeed in the sport – he has 23 years experience coaching and is a former top triathlete himself. Now Pallett says it’s Peters who will come on strong in the future – not just because he’s a “gifted” athlete (as Pallett puts it) but because he thinks Peters has the values needed to keep putting in the work. “He’s motivated and goal-oriented – he wants to be the best and will do anything to be there,” says Pallett. Being a long-distance runner for many years, Peters says he jumped at the chance to work with Pallett and switch up his routine, which at the time was all about running. “I got bored of doing the same thing all the time,” the plain-spoken athlete says. Peters says he trains for no less than 30 hours a week, which involves an icy swim at the University of Manitoba each morning. Winter naturally limits his outdoor cycling, so he makes up for it by riding a trainer bike kept in his family’s basement, and taking the occasional trip to the U.S. “I’ve been down to Arizona two or three times this year, and it’s like five hours on the bike every day,” he says. Peters says all the time he spends training leaves very little time for a social life and is forced to limit his attention to athletics, one or two close friends and his family. As for finishing high school, the Vincent Massey Collegiate student says a special athletics program offered by the school will still allow him to graduate this spring. “They schedule all my classes around my training – it’s how I get through school,” Peters says with a laugh. Peters says one of his most memorable moments as a triathlete came on a junket to Switzerland where he had the chance to train alongside Simon Whitfield. Whitfield made history at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, where he became the first Canadian male triathlete to win a gold medal. “He’s really positive – you really learn a lot from him…it brings your training up to a whole new level,” Peters says.

Princess Royal Pan Am Scholarship recipient  (posted on February 8, 2007)

Congratulations to Willie Bell for being selected as one of this year's recipients of the Princess Royal Pan Am Scholarship. Willie was a member of the Canadian Junior National Triathlon and Duathlon Teams in 2006, and placed 6th at Junior World Duathlon Championships. He was also a CIS Academic All-Canadian in Track and Field. Willie is in his 2nd year in the Faculty of Science at the University of Manitoba where he is an Honours student pursuing pre-med studies with a GPA of 4.36. For more information on the scholarship visit www.sportmanitoba.ca

Children's Fitness Tax Credit by Barry Moroz, Sport Manitoba Communications (posted on January 25, 2007)

Please click here to read a fact sheet on the recently announced Children’s Fitness Tax Credit. The fact sheet was compiled using information from the Finance Canada and Canada Revenue Agency web sites. It is important to note that eligibility for the tax credit is based on the nature of the program and not the type of organization. For example, not all of the programs of a specific sport may be eligible for the tax credit, just those that meet the tax credit criteria. 

Responsibility for administering the tax credit lies with the Canada Revenue Agency. Should you have any questions about the Children's Fitness Tax Credit, you should contact the Canada Revenue
Agency at 1-800-959-5525. 

Get Moving Manitoba by Candice J Masters, Get Moving Manitoba Community Outreach Coordinator (posted on December 13, 2006)

Sport Manitoba, as an active member of the Physical Activity Coalition of Manitoba or PACM, is trying to spread the word about their January 2007 Get Moving Manitoba initiative with CBC Manitoba. 
Their goal is to get all Manitobans more active, especially during the winter months.

For further information, please visit CBC Get Moving's website at www.cbc.ca/manitoba/features/getmoving/ , or contact Candice J. Masters, candice_masters@cbc.ca or phone 204-788-3824.

Motivators in Motion by Barry Moroz, Sport Manitoba Communications, (posted on October 20, 2006)

Motivators in motion, a new initiative that recognizes Manitobans who promote regular physical activity within their community, was recently announced by Healthy Living Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross and Culture, Heritage and Tourism Eric Robinson as part of the Manitoba in motion one year anniversary.

Motivators in motion are people in your community who believe in and promote the in motion message of regular physical activity for health and enjoyment. They are role models who build physical activity into their everyday lives. They inspire others to be active too! 

Motivators can be children, youth, adults, seniors, families or groups. A motivator may be one person, a classroom, an entire school or another type of organization.
 
Motivators in motion will be: 

• featured on the in motion website and in other publications
• invited to in motion events as participants
• recognized with in motion gift items

For a Motivator in motion nomination form, visit www.manitobainmotion.ca 

Winnipeg Iron Cops complete another successful fundraising drive by Nick Paulet, Iron Cops Team Captain, (posted on September 6, 2006)

In 2002, the first contingent of Winnipeg Iron Cops attended Ironman Canada with 7 members. Iron Cops is a group of Police Officers and friends who raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society while training for the Ironman.

In 2002, the 7 members raised over $21,000. Then in 2004, 18 members returned to Ironman Canada raising over $75,000. This August 27th, 21 members of Winnipeg Iron Cops started at Ironman Canada, and raised over $175,000. We joined a total of 165 Iron Cops members at Ironman Canada 2006.

The team was started by forever amateur triathletes Jean Roch and Nick Paulet in 2001, and now has grown to a large group of individuals who wish to take on Ironman Canada, and others who take pride in the great efforts and the cause of the team.

Winnipeg Iron Cops would like to thank the Triathlon Manitoba community for the ongoing support of our efforts over the last few years. The Halloween social, Winnipeg Police Service Half Marathon, and most recently the Morden Half Ironman are proving to be exciting races with incredible potential for growth.

We look forward to another year of fundraising, and invite you all to the 2007 WPS Half Marathon on April 29, 2007 and join the expected 1800 runners to enjoy the day. The Morden Half Ironman is something we model after the success of the Half Marathon! We invite your participation in that event as volunteer Race Director Craig Wilcock and his team design the event around the needs of our athletes.

1/4 million dollars and going strong, thanks to everyone!

Interested in joining Iron Cops for 2008 Ironman? Contact Nick at nickpaulet@hotmail.com ASAP.

Thank you to many Kids of Steel^® parents (posted on August 21, 2006)

Triathlon Manitoba would like to thank the many Kids of Steel^® parents who have volunteered their time on very short notice at a few of the events this year (Pinawa, and especially Morden and Riding Mountain) to help us overcome some difficult circumstances. Their help has ensured that all Kids of Steel^® Series events have been successful.

K-Town Triathlon (posted on August 8, 2006)

Congratulations to Chris Graham for completing the K-Town Triathlon held on August 6th at Confederation Park, Kingston Ontario.  The race consisted of a 2K swim, 56.5K cycle, and 15K run.  Chris placed 6th overall, and first in his age group, with a time of 3:08:28.  To view complete results, click here.

Manitoba Triathletes in Minneapolis (posted on July 21, 2006)

Congratulations to the five Triathlon Manitoba members who competed at the Life Time Fitness Triathlon at Lake Nokomis, Minneapolis on Saturday July 15th.  Jeff Morier completed the Olympic distance race in the Elite Men category finishing 2nd overall with a time of 2:06:31.  Mark Lehmann completed the Olympic distance race in the Elite Master Men category finishing 22nd overall with a time of 2:31:08. Jim, Greg, and Carolyn Wernham completed the Short Course (.4 mile swim / 15 mile bike / 3 mile run).  Jim placed 26th in his age group with a time of 1:41:45, Greg placed 1st in his age group with a time of 1:23:23, and Carolyn placed 1st in her age group with a time of 1:31:18.

To view complete results, click here.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Hank Unrau (updated on July 17, 2006)

Hank Unrau, a longtime leader of the triathlon community in Morden, suffered a heart ailment during the Morden Half Ironman on Saturday. Initial tests indicated it was a mild heart attack, but thankfully a subsequent angiogram shows no heart damage, although the cause of the problem hasn't been determined. Triathlon Manitoba's thoughts are with Hank and his wife Sally as they deal with this situation. In addition to forming the 3rd Wave Triathlon Club a number of years ago and organizing the Morden International Triathlon from 1995 to 2002, Hank has organized the Morden Kids of Steel® for the last many years. Obviously Hank wasn't available on Sunday to direct the race. Sally writes: "Hank and I thank everyone who jumped in to assist with the KoS and Try-a-Tri . We appreciate how everyone "rose to the occasion" and we thank you. We understand from friends that the weekend was a success."

Congratulations to Manitoba athletes in Edmonton (posted on July 11, 2006)

Congratulations to Kate Okany, Mark Okany, and Joshua Drad who competed in the 2006 Edmonton ITU Triathlon Festival on Sunday July 9th.  

Kate completed the Olympic Triathlon in a time of 2:38:21.  She placed 8th out of 15 in the Female 45 to 49 age category.

Mark and Joshua completed the Kids of Steel Triathlon in the Male 14&15 age category.  Mark finished with a time of 37:00 which put him 4th out of 8 competitors. Joshua finished with a time of 40:24.  He placed 7th out of 8.

To view complete results, click here.

Manitoba Foundation for Sports Scholarships (posted on June 30, 2006)

Congratulations to Willie Bell for receiving a Manitoba Foundation for Sports Scholarship.  Twenty student athletes in Manitoba continuing with post-secondary studies in 2006/07 have been awarded scholarships totaling $15,000.  For the complete story, click here.

Farewell to Brian Schroeder & Jenny Ayers (posted on June 13, 2006)

Long-time Manitoba triathletes Brian Schroeder and Jenny Ayers are moving to Penticton at the end of June -- the end of the school year (they're both teachers). Brian has been a fixture on the Manitoba triathlon scene since 1987. He's a 12-time Provincial Age-Group Team member (he competed for Manitoba at the Canadian Triathlon Championships), and a 3-time National Age-Group Team member (he competed for Canada at the World Triathlon Championships). He was National Age-Group Champion in 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2005, and 2nd or 3rd many other times. Brian also served on Triathlon Manitoba's Board of Directors from 2002 to 2003. Jenny has achieved major success in triathlon since her first year in 1996. She's been a Provincial Age-Group Team member in each of the 10 years, a National Age-Group Team member in 1996 and 2002, and on the podium at the Canadian Triathlon Championships in 1998 (1st), 2000 (1st), 2002 (3rd), and 2005 (3rd). At the Canadian Duathlon Championships, she was an age-group champion in 1997 and runner-up in 1998. Jenny received the Triathlon Manitoba Scholarship in 2000. Both Brian and Jenny are Ironman Canada finishers. On behalf of the hundreds of people who have met Brian and Jenny through triathlon, Triathlon Manitoba wishes them all the best in their new home, and we thank them for their huge contributions to our sport over the years.

Brian and Jenny have written a farewell letter to the Triathlon Manitoba community. Here it is:

As we come closer to our long-term goal of moving out to the triathlon mecca of the Okanagan Valley, we are also very cognizant of the positive qualities which we will leave behind. These, of course, include our many good friends of long standing, some of our family members and of course the triathlon community of Manitoba. From what we have observed in all the other provinces (and having raced in every one except New Brunswick) no other place can boast more of the richness of dedication, commitment and professionalism shown by the leaders in their sport than the province of Manitoba.

From its beginnings, triathlon in Manitoba has known many enthusiastic pioneers in our sport. From Warren McKennitt who built up the longest standing continuously held race in Morden, and then handed it off to Hank and Sally Unrau. From Laurie Penton who initiated the race in Riding Mountain, and to Scott and Michelle Brown who established the Lac du Bonnet event. To Marc and Cherrie Fournier who started up the Tribalistic club and the St Malo race. We are grateful for the selfless and tireless work that Dave Markham (along with all his family) has demonstrated in establishing all the Duathlon races, the Pinawa race, and the charter membership of our sport as a Provincial Sport Organization with Sport Manitoba. We are sure that this dedication very much inspired other people such as our Executive Directors Laurel Read and Jaclyn Vallis to put in their share and more to improve things for us, the competitors. We have enjoyed excellent coaching from people like Pat Peacock, Philippe Chabot, and Gary Pallett, and monetary support from Triathlon Manitoba to enable us to travel to larger competitions. We have seen rain-soaked shivering super-volunteers like Kevin, Anita, Brent, and Amber Miller. We have administrators like Saul Simmonds, Marc Fournier, and Tom Patrick who go on to represent our province with Triathlon Canada. We have the officials like Dave Markham and Kelly Mahoney who spend uncountable hours in meetings and negotiations at the national and international level.

In short, any accomplishments that our local athletes bring home are only made possible by the many many unthanked and unpaid hours of groundwork by our support workers. Both of us would like to express our deep gratitude and appreciation for all that Triathlon Manitoba and Manitoba triathletes have done for us. We hope to bring the same sense of community and professionalism and butt-kicking excellence to our new home in Penticton.

Consider yourselves welcome to see us at Ironman Canada.

Brian Schroeder & Jenny Ayers

New Triathlon Manitoba staff (posted on May 1, 2006)

Triathlon Manitoba now has a summer Program Coordinator in place. We welcome Aman Hussain to our Tri MB team. Aman has experience as a NCCP learning facilitator, has been involved with the Manitoba Alpine Ski Association as a coach and volunteer, and is completing his bachelor of Arts degree in Kineseology and Applied Health. During the month of May, you can reach him at the Triathlon Manitoba office (in the afternoons) at 925-5636 or email.

Hello from the Commonwealth Games (posted on March 28, 2006)

Hi all,

I’m sitting in an internet café in Mooloolaba, Australia right now. This weekend is the Mooloolaba World Cup triathlon of which I am the Technical Delegate. Mooloolaba is on the east coast of Australia, the Sunshine Coast located just north of Brisbane. The sunshine has eluded us here after Cyclone Larry hit a few hundred kilometers north a couple days ago, leaving a swath of destruction in its wake. It decimated the banana plantations here, and I’ve watched the price of bananas climb to $5.98/Kg from $3.98/Kg. 

Cyclone Wati is the next concern. It is causing weather problems all along the coast. The surf is high here which gets me concerned about the swim for Sunday. I’ll meet with the event organizers today at 11:00 to plan for contingencies.

Yesterday I drove down to the Gold Coast to do a site inspection of the 2009 World Championship bid. It’s a nice area us Canadians will appreciate (especially weather wise). I met with a city councilor and state representatives whose mandates are to attract and service major sporting events. Collectively they’re investing $1.9 million into triathlon knowing that the financial impact of 3000+ visitors will go far . What a proactive approach to economic development!

Last week was my first experience in the land down under was when I landed in Melbourne to join the competition management team in delivering the triathlon at the Commonwealth Games. The hospitality was tremendous and the overall experience outstanding. Melbourne is an awesome city worth a visit. The triathlon attracted 120,000 spectators, more than the Olympic Games in Athens. The Aussies love their sports passionately and triathlon is one of the favoured sports along with swimming, rugby and cricket. The Aussies won both Gold medals in the triathlon. It was mentioned that the Canadians let them win after allowing Simon to win Gold in Sydney (ha). I had the opportunity to go to Rugby 7’s (much more exciting than the CFL) and boxing (free tickets). The opening ceremonies were also a sight to see. 

Its been a long time since I was involved in organizing my first event at Winnipeg Beach (Rubberman Triathlon) and at times like these I feel so fortunate to have been involved in this sport from it’s embryonic stages. I have grown with the sport and learned a lot about many things along the way. I appreciate the support many of you have given me along this journey.

I’ve been working as a volunteer for Triathlon Canada for the last 4 years, but have recently been hired to oversee their Technical portfolio. This involves working with all the organizing committees of National Championships: managing the National Technical Officials Program; developing concept plan for the Canada Games; updating Event Organizing materials and Competition Rules; etc. This comes on the heals of working on the ITU team at the Athens Olympics.

Even though I’m involved in these outstanding opportunities in sport, the thing I look forward to most is the Manitoba triathlon season. We have such a good thing
happening in Manitoba and I take these good things to other events I travel to. Look forward to seeing you all at the first Birds Hill Park Duathlon on May 2, 6:30pm. 

Cheers

David Markham
Technical Director - Triathlon Canada
http://REMOVE_THISdmarkham@shaw.ca/

Triathlon Canada's 2005 award winners (posted on March 25, 2006)

Triathlon Canada has announced their award recipients for the 2005 season. The awards will be presented at the Canadian Triathlon Championships in Brampton Ontario on June 30th.

Congratulations to Erin Braun for winning U23 Female Duathlete of the Year, and Blair Peters for being named Junior Male Duathlete of the Year. For complete details, click here.

Commercial Sponsorship - Participant Survey (posted on March 1)

Thank you to all of the Triathlon Manitoba members who recently completed our survey. The results of the survey will assist the Triathlon Manitoba Sponsorship Committee with targeting the appropriate potential sponsor(s) for our organization.

As well, congratulations to Anita Bedard, whose name was drawn as the winner of the $50 gift card!

Congratulations Tom Patrick! (posted on February 28)

Congratulations to Tom Patrick for being named the new High Performance Director for Triathlon Canada.  To read the whole story, please click here.

Winnipeg IronCops are the new organizers for the Morden International Triathlon (posted on February 1)

Triathlon Manitoba is extremely pleased to announce that the Winnipeg IronCops have committed to organize the 2006 Morden International Triathlon. The event was in need of new organizers after Deanna McMullen stepped down after three successful years of organizing the event.

The triathlon community in Manitoba is ecstatic that the Morden International Triathlon will continue for its 26th year in the town. The Triathlon Manitoba race calendar would not be the same without the Half Ironman event, which has become a cornerstone of our race calendar and draws many competitors from outside our province.

Winnipeg IronCops member Craig Wilcock will serve as their race director. IronCops raises money for Cops for Cancer, and proceeds raised at the event will contribute to the cause.

The Morden International Triathlon is a qualifying event for the 2006 Ironman Canada Triathlon.

Triathlon Manitoba is looking forward to working with IronCops over the coming months to ensure the Morden International
Triathlon continues to flourish. For any event questions, please contact morden_tri@yahoo.ca

CTV's Sport Stars of the Week (posted on January 18)

Congratulations to MNTC athletes Willie Bell, Jacques Marcoux, and Blair Peters, who are CTV's Sport Stars of the Week. A story featuring the three athletes appeared on the both the evening and late evening news on Tuesday January 17th.

Sports & Arts program at Vincent Massey Collegiate (posted on January 17)

The Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba (CSCM) and the Pembina Trails School Division established the Sports & Arts Program, located at Vincent Massey Collegiate in Winnipeg, to enable high performance student athletes to pursue their sport goals without forfeiting their academic development. Students in the program have access to top-rate teachers, a teacher advisor, and a flexible school schedule that allows them to continue to train and compete. The program, entering its fifth year, has made a real difference in the lives of student athletes. The poster features Junior Elite triathlete Blair Peters.

Info poster

Triathlon Canada's Provincial Governing Body Representative (posted on November 6, 2005)

Congratulations to Marc Fournier on his election to Triathlon Canada's Board of Directors as Provincial Governing Body Representative.

Marc Fournier's retirement as President of Triathlon Manitoba (posted on September 26, 2005)

After four years as President of Triathlon Manitoba, Marc Fournier retired at our Annual General Meeting on September 26, 2005. (The Triathlon Manitoba constitution limits the president to 2 two-year terms.) Marc completed his first triathlon in 1988 in Swift Current Saskatchewan, riding a hand-me-down Peugeot, and employing a few risqué clothing changes. A heavy water polo training schedule kept him away from triathlon until 1993.

Marc was an active triathlete until 2002 when a knee ailment stopped him from running. He competed at the World Triathlon Championships in Cancun Mexico in 1995, he completed Ironman Canada in 1997, and he represented Manitoba at the Canadian Triathlon Championships numerous times -- the highlight was a silver medal finish in the 30 to 34 age category in 1998 at Birds Hill Park on the course used for the 1999 Pan Am Games triathlon. Marc is now finding success in bicycle racing -- he was road cycling's Provincial Cat 4/5 champion in 2003, and their Elite champion in 2004.

Triathlon is truly a family affair for Marc. His wife Cherrie has been a triathlete since 1992, and she has been a consistent high performance athlete, having recently placed 4th in the 35 to 39 age category at the 2005 Canadian Triathlon Championships in Kelowna. His son Luc, who has been competing in triathlon since he was 2 years old, is a regular Kids of Steel participant in the 6&7 year-old category. Jeff Morier, Marc's brother in-law, has been a high performance Manitoba triathlete for many years, and was the fastest Age Group athlete at the 2005 Canadian Triathlon Championships. Jeff's wife Kelly Mahoney is highly involved in the officiating side of Triathlon Manitoba, and recently served as the technical delegate at Kelowna, as well as being a Triathlon Manitoba swim coach for a number of years.

Marc is a founding member of the Tribalistic Triathlon Team, and served as their president from 1995 to 2000. He has been an important contributor to the St Malo Multisport triathlon, which celebrated its 10th year in 2005 -- as the run course coordinator in 2004 and 2005, and the announcer, bike course coordinator, and a general gopher in previous years.

It's been within Triathlon Manitoba that Marc has made his most significant contributions. He coordinated and coached Triathlon Manitoba's swim program from 1996 to 2000. After joining the Board of Directors as Coaching Director in 1996, Marc has chaired the High Performance Committee for many years. In 1999, Marc became Vice President, a position he held for two years, while he continued his coaching and high performance work.

Marc was elected as the President of Triathlon Manitoba at our 2001 Annual General Meeting. During the past four years, he has provided our organization with outstanding guidance, leadership, and stability. Marc has provided invaluable support and feedback to our Executive Director Jaclyn Vallis as she has grown from a rookie Executive Director to one of the highest performing EDs within Sport Manitoba. Our Board and its Committees have been effective, and Board meetings are enjoyable and well-run. It's obvious that all Directors enjoy serving under Marc. He is also highly respected within Triathlon Canada and the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba, and has contributed to their success.

Triathlon Manitoba will miss Marc's leadership, but we're happy that he'll have a bit more time to spend with his young family, and we know we'll see him at our events while supporting Cherrie and Luc (and Natalie some day).

Thanks for everything you've done for triathlon Marc, and best wishes in all your future endeavors.

Jill Dobrinsky is among seven other female athletes and one female coach receiving the latest Women to Watch grants (for her cycling involvement) from Sport Manitoba and Coaching Manitoba. Information about the December 2004 to March 2005 recipients is available on the Sport Manitoba website at www.sportmanitoba.ca/women_grants.pdf. (Adobe PDF)

Women to Watch is a monthly grant program designed to assist young girls and women to further their involvement in sport. Each month a $500 sport grant is awarded to a female athlete, female team, female official, female volunteer, or female coach who meets the criteria. The funds for this grant are split equally between the Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) and Sport Manitoba / Coaching Manitoba. Therefore, each applicant must get an endorsement from their PSO ( Triathlon Manitoba).

Applications can be obtained from the downloads section of the Sport Manitoba website at www.sportmanitoba.ca.

Please also see Sport Manitoba's Women In Sport page.

Triathlon Manitoba has been successful in finding a Program Administrator.  Mandy Johnson will be starting on Monday March 21st, and will be working with us (in the mornings) until September 2nd. During her term, she will also be working with Lacrosse (in the afternoons) for the next six months. You can reach Mandy in the Triathlon Manitoba office at 925-5636 or email. 

Triathlon Canada has announced the award recipients for the 2004 season.  The awards will be presented at Triathlon Canada's Awards reception in Calgary, AB on April 2, 2005.

Congratulations to Erin Braun, Jeff Morier, and David Markham for winning awards.  For complete details, click here.

Congratulations to the following Triathlon Manitoba members who were named to the Inside Triathlon All American Team for 2004 in the January 2005 edition of the magazine.

Amy Briscoe - Junior Elite Triathlon
Erin Braun - Junior Elite Triathlon
Edie Fisher - 45 to 49 Triathlon
Jacques Marcoux - Junior Elite Duathlon
Jenna Wilson - Junior Elite Duathlon

These are the most Triathlon Manitoba Athletes ever to receive this honour in a single year. 

Sport Manitoba has announced the names of 47 nominees for its annual Sport Awards, recognizing achievement and excellence in amateur sport in 2004....details can be seen at http://www.sportmanitoba.ca/mediacentre/newsrelease_award_nominees.php 

Interlake Region Volunteer of the Year (posted February 9, 2005) This weekend the 2004 Sport Manitoba Interlake Volunteer and Youth Volunteer of the Year presentation was held at the Interlake Sport Conference in Arborg. Congratulations to Nancy Drad for receiving the 2004 Sport Manitoba - Interlake Region Volunteer of the Year award. For the complete story, see the Media Centre page. Nancy was also nominated for Volunteer of the Year at Sport Manitoba's A Night of Champions held on April 15, 2005.

2008 Manitoba Summer Games (posted on January 21, 2005)

November 12, 2004

Sharon Donnelly visits Opaskwayak Cree Nation and Town of The Pas

Click here (Adobe PDF) for the one-page story with three photos.

November 4, 2004

Triathlon will be included in the 2009 Canada Summer Games

See www.triathloncanada.com/switch.php?action=displayNewsItem&section_name=news&id=299&lang=en .

Triathlon Manitoba's Executive Director Jaclyn Vallis was the head of the Triathlon Canada committee that worked on the presentation to the Canada Games Council.

October 27, 2004

Winnipeg Police triathlon club by Nick Paulet

The Winnipeg Police Iron-Cops is heading into its 5th year and 3rd fundraising drive. We are a group of Police Officers and civilians who have been training together for triathlon, in particular, Ironman while raising money as a group for the Canadian Cancer Society as part of Cops for Cancer.

This year our fundraising team is set to grow drastically. We have decided not only to open up Iron-Cops to all interested for Ironman but also start a separate triathlon club that will be open to anyone who wants to join us regardless of goals (try - a- tri or Ironman!). This club does not require you to take part in any fundraising, although, most of our fundraisers are a blast and you will be welcome to help out!

The club will be set to begin group workouts in mid-January and our goal is to cater to those who love the sport of triathlon but also love to have fun and just see how well they can do while having a laugh or 2! We welcome those who think they are too slow and inexperienced for multi-sport, as well as those who want to make it to Hawaii!

Our workouts will be offered in a group as well as the workouts will be emailed out to group members (on a monthly basis) to do on their own time, as we recognize that families and work can make it difficult to attend all pre-set workouts! Our volunteer coaches will be available to help with all goals and questions!

We don't have a name yet, but we will be launching our registration for anyone else who is interested in mid-December! Fees will be in line on the basics of covering Tri-MB fees, some team clothing and facility fees, that is it; we are expecting between $90-$120. (For further info on the club and/or on Iron-Cops itself email nickpaulet@hotmail.com before Oct 31, 2004)

So, pass the word around! A new style of Triathlon club is emerging. We hope we can make the sport as fun for you as it has been for us!

October 22, 2004

Week of the Coach - October 25th to 31st in Manitoba

Winnipeg - October 25th to 31st has been proclaimed Week of the Coach in Manitoba by the province in recognition of the essential and influential role coaches at all levels play in the development of sport and athletes in Manitoba.

"More than anyone, coaches have the greatest impact on athletes in terms of teaching, providing advice and counsel and advancing their goals and development," said Liz Vieweg, General Manager of Coaching Manitoba. "During Week of the Coach we encourage everyone who has a coach or knows a coach to say thanks for their commitment and contribution ".

Week of the Coach activities include a number of seminars and development opportunities for coaches. Communities and schools throughout the province are also encouraged to plan their own special events to recognize and celebrate the achievements of their local coaches.

The week will conclude with the Petro Canada Sport Leadership Conference at the Fairmont on October 29th and 30th. The conference, being co-hosted by Coaching Manitoba, Sport Manitoba and the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba in conjunction with the Coaching Association of Canada, will bring together over 350 athletes, coaches, coach educators and other sport leaders from across Canada.

For more information about Coaching Manitoba's developmental and recognition programs and activities, visit the web site at www.coachingmanitoba.ca or call 925-5913.

October 17, 2004

Manitoba High School Cross Country Run Championships - great results for TriMB juniors/youth

Four of our Triathlon Manitoba Youth and Junior athletes did great at the Manitoba High School Cross Country Championships yesterday in Killarney.

• Blair Peters placed 3rd in the Junior Varsity Boys category.
• Sarah Anne Brault won the Junior Varsity Girls race.
• Willie Bell placed 2nd in the Varsity Boys category.
• Teresa Samek was 2nd in the Varsity Girls category.

September 14, 2004

Queen City Marathon in Regina, SK by Kimberly Norrie

Dale Kirk dominated the field at the Queen City Marathon, on September 12th, for the second year in a row. With his finishing time of 2:43:38, he not only won the race, but set a new course record. Race results are available at www.runqcm.com 

September 13, 2004

Triathlon Manitoba members' results from the Square Lake Half Ironman near Minneapolis on September 11th

Dan Morwood 1st, Allan Scott 4th, Sean Cheop 5th, David Matiece 8th, Brad Jarema 50th, Trevor Funk 89th, of 133 participants. Results are at www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=1617 , but you'll have to find the Manitobans by finish placing or eyeball scan because there are many Name and City spelling mistakes.

Trevor Funk reports:

Great event and a great course. Dan ripped it up,  and a bunch of Canucks dominated the Top 10 placings -- of course
Manitobans.

The swim was brutally short, but the run and bike courses were beautiful.

August 23, 2004

David Markham's reports from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens

David Markham, Triathlon Canada's Technical Director, is in Athens Greece for the 2004 Olympic Games. David was a pioneer of triathlon in Manitoba in 1983, a founder of Triathlon Manitoba in 1989, and a Race Director and our Development Coordinator until 2002. Here are his reports:

Saturday August 21st

I think any athletes traveling from other continents should all get a Gold Medal just for surviving the trip. Officials should get a free massage. 12 hours is a long time to sit in a seat in economy class.

I arrived in Athens yesterday evening, and after eventually arranging transportation to the triathlon venue and the apartments I would be staying in, I was brought into a small room to stay which already had four suitcases in it. After some deliberation and hand gesturing with the Greek owner, I was presented with suitable accommodations. My room overlooks the swim venue.

The driver from the airport spoke no English, and it's all Greek to me, so we had fun trying to understand one another. I was surprised to see numerous partly finished buildings that seemed to have been abandoned. As it turns out, there has not been a process in Greece until recently where you could get a mortgage or borrow money, so people build till they run out of money. Then they will save some more and continue later.

I met many of the athletes this morning during the practice session at the venue. No Canadian athletes are on site yet.

The practice session was highly secure with armed guards and special security. Two helicopters were constantly overhead. The venue is beautiful and located south of Athens in a beach resort area on the Mediterranean. I have numerous responsibilities during the lead up to competition on the 25 & 26th.

Talk later.

Monday August 23rd

Hi all!

I've got to get used to the fact the plumbing is exposed here. Nothing is hidden in the walls. I keep burning my hand on the hot water pipe in the shower when I grab it for support.

I've been moved to a new room in the Elektra apartments, and am now sharing with Bob and Nancy Burden from Edmonton and Barrie Shepley who is dong the CBC commentary for the Triathlon.

Two days ago, the ITU executive director upgraded my pass and gave me her driver for the day. Bela Vargus (HUN), another official, and I headed into Athens proper to visit venues and such. As part of our upgraded passes we were able to eat for free at the venues and gain free entry:

1. Canada House - located in the Plaka (ancient city and tourist area). It was both hard to find and somewhat not what I expected. Basically people using computers to write home and watching the CBC feed. I was able to scoff a free Tee, some water and snack bars. Bela was not allowed to join me because he doesn't have a Canadian passport. What gives with that?

2. Uniform Distribution Center - a very efficient operation. When I left there I was carrying three casual shirts, three dress shirts, two zip off pants/shorts, two dress pants, one suit jacket, one tie, one pair a shoes, a casual hat, and a formal hat. Good thing we had a car!

3. Olympic Stadium Park - huge area. Visited the souvenir "palace" (sorry Pat - no shot glasses). Stuff is very expensive. Euros are worth about 1.40CDN. Went to the Stadium, but no athletics events were scheduled until evening (too hot). Went to Trampoline (gymnastics venue), Tennis, Track Cycling (very exciting), and Swimming (they have 5 pools here!)

4. Bela wanted to watch his Hungary team play at Handball, so our driver took us the the Olympic Pavilion. The game was scheduled for later in the evening (9:30), so we took in some of the outdoor party going on and walked over the Beach Volleyball venue (now there's a marketable sport). I was able to see the Canadians beat the Argentineans.

On Sunday a group of officials headed into Athens for a historical tour led by one of the officials who has a history degree. We saw many things including the changing of the guard, Zeus' Palace, the original Olympic Stadium and the Acropolis. This stuff was built in BC (not British Columbia), and is still standing!

Sunday afternoon the real business started with reviews of the Run Sheet and responsibilities. My position has changed and expanded. I originally thought I was in transition -- thank God I'm not as they have to wear a black suit!. I am now the Chief Swim Official (look for me in a boat), and then situated at the entrance to the transition area where I have to pull lapped athletes from the cycle or send lapped runners around the back of the venue so as not to obstruct the leaders finishing camera shots.

For the most part, the officials try to remain out of camera sight, but you may catch a glimpse. Can someone tape it for me?

Sunday evening was the elite athlete briefing and pontoon position draw. I finally saw the Canadian Olympic team and spoke with them all. We have Simon Whitfield, Brent McMahon, Carol Montgomery, Jill Savege and Samantha McClone representing us. We were happy to see the Canadians win two Gold medals today to take the pressure off them.

After the briefing we went to a reception hosted by Triathlon Canada in a beautiful location overlooking the venue and the Mediterranean. Free eats and schmoozing with the Olympians and their families.

Till later.

August 17, 2004 The birth of Natalie Anne Fournier Cherrie, Marc, and Luc Fournier are happy to announce the birth of a beautiful baby girl. Natalie Anne Fournier was born on Monday, August 16th 2004 at 2:08 AM after a speedy delivery. She weighed 8 lbs 1 oz, and was 21.5 inches long. Everyone is doing fine. Marc has been the President of Triathlon Manitoba for the past three years, he's been on the Board for the past 8 years, he was a founding member of the Tribalistic Triathlon Team (serving as its President for many years).  He's an ex Provincial Team member (1994 to 1998).  In fact, he's an ex triathlete because a knee ailment has precluded running for the past 2+ years.  Marc is the 2003 and 2004 Provincial Road Bike Champion (elite/overall). Cherrie is also a founding member of Tribalistic. She's a six-time Provincial Team member (1994 to 1997, 2002, 2003), a two-time National Team member (1994 and 1995), and she directed the St Malo Multisport Weekend in 2002 and 2003. Luc is an almost-6 year-old Kids of Steel® triathlete -- a veteran of 7 races since September 2001. On behalf of the entire triathlon community in Manitoba and Canada, Triathlon Manitoba extends best wishes to the Fournier family.

Click to enlarge

August 16, 2004

"Osso comes out of cold to win triathlon gold" -- Free Press Manitoba Games Triathlon story

This story appeared on page C4 of the Friday August 13th Free Press.  Click here to read it.

July 29, 2004 (updated on August 3rd)

Jenny Ayers and Brian Schroeder are vacationing and racing in BC

Jenny writes:
_________________________

On July 18th, I raced in Penticton at the awesome Peach Classic Triathlon. It was a hot and fun day. The results are at www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2004/multi/peach.htm. I placed 60th overall.

Last Sunday (July 25th), Brian and I both entered a sprint tri in Peachland which is 20 minutes down the road from Penticton. It was a fun race. Brian placed 3rd and I placed 1st in our 40-49 age group. There were 124 entrants with lots of folks from around the Okanagan coming in for the community centre-sponsored event. The results are up on their website at www.peachland.ca/recreation/triathlon/triathlon_2004.htm, but there were some glitches and they weren't as organized as you folks with wrist bands and fancy stop watches. They started the women 5 minutes after the men and my run time should be 20:23, and my final time 1:11:43. Brian was somehow missed altogether. His finishing time was 1:13:08.

We're having a blast here and the Ironman training is going well. We've joined a Yoga For Triathletes class! We hope all is well in Winnipeg and with the Tri Manitoba scene. Greetings to all. See you in September.
__________________________

Brian's next race is the Canadian Triathlon Championships in Kelowna on August 21st/22nd, while Jenny's is Ironman Canada in Penticton on August 29th

June 2, 2004

Mothers in Motion

Click here to view a new website for women who want to lead healthy lifestyles and mentor their children to do the same.

May 6, 2004

Summer Program Coordinator

Triathlon Manitoba welcomes Patricia Tomczyk as our Summer Program Coordinator. Patricia is pursuing her Education Degree at the University of Winnipeg. Patricia starts in the position on Monday May 10th. She can be reached at the office at 925-5636 or by e-mail.

April 19, 2004

The birth of Joshua Brook Nikamoon Wilson

Jamie Wilson and Kristin Erickson, long-time Triathlon Manitoba members who live in The Pas, are celebrating their new addition to their family. Joshua Brook Nikamoon Wilson was born on Friday April 16th, and weighed-in at 10 pounds 4 ounces.

Joshua (Biblical warrior style name, so Jamie was all for it)
Brook (Jamie's middle name)
Nikamoon (Cree for 'song')
Wilson (assigned treaty name)

Triathlon Manitoba and the Tri-North Triathlon Team extend their best wishes to Kristin, Jamie, and their family.

April 19, 2004

Sport Manitoba's new website by Barry Moroz, Sport Manitoba Communications

Sport Manitoba today announced the launch of its new web site – with a new address: www.sportmanitoba.ca 

The new site enhances Sport Manitoba’s position as the first point of contact for Manitobans seeking information on amateur sport in the province.

New and improved site features include:

· Expanded information on programs and services available to the sport community through Sport Manitoba

· Downloadable grant applications and resource materials either through program pages or a convenient download area

· Promotion of upcoming sport events in the province

· Direct access to sport partner web sites for individuals seeking sport specific information on the programs and services available from Provincial Sport Organizations

· A secure area for Provincial Sport Organizations enabling Sport Manitoba to share news and information related to programs and organizational development

· Highlighting of major achievements through a news and athlete profile section

· A word/phrase search feature

· A site outline to facilitate navigation

For more information, contact:

Barry Moroz
Sport Manitoba Communications
925-5903
moroz@sport.mb.ca

April 14, 2004

Triathlon In Manitoba -- promotional video

Triathlon In Manitoba is a promotional video that was completed last summer. It was produced (written, filmed, edited) by Brent Miller as part of his 2003 Summer Development Coordinator work. It features training and race footage from our 2002 and 2003 seasons, and the narration of a handful of young Manitoba triathletes. The video was used at development clinics around the province that Brent led in 2003, and will be used again this year. It is ~6 minutes long.

Brent has compressed the video from full-screen high-resolution to small-image low-resolution, and we've uploaded it to our website, so it is now available for viewing with Windows Media Player or equivalent software. It is an extremely large file that will take a while to download.

Triathlon In Manitoba  (WMV file -- 10,726K = 10.7 megabytes)

April 8, 2004

2003 A Night of Champions

Sport Manitoba's A Night of Champions (formerly the Annual Sport Awards) takes place on Friday, April 16, 2004 at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.  The best in amateur sport are honoured in the following categories:

Male Youth Athlete of the Year
Female Youth Athlete of the Year
Junior Team of the Year
Volunteer of the Year
Youth Volunteer of the Year
Official of the Year
Sport Administrator of the Year

Triathlon Manitoba is pleased to have nominated

• Jenna Wilson for Female Youth Athlete of the Year.  Read about her 2003 achievements on our 2003 Junior Athletes, Duathlon, 2003 High Performance Athletes, and Local News pages.

• Michelle Barnet for Volunteer of the Year. Read the Triathlon Manitoba Awards Evening presentation speech about her on our Volunteers page.

• Jaclyn Vallis for Sport Administrator of the Year.  Click here (Adobe PDF) to read her nomination.

April 7, 2004

Triathlon Manitoba is currently in the process of completing a privacy policy so that we comply with the new Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) that came into effect on January 1^st.

The policy will inform our members and event/program participants about what personal information we collect, the uses of this information, and how we protect it. Watch for the policy to be posted on our website (www.triathlon.mb.ca) in the coming weeks.

Jaclyn Vallis, our Executive Director, will be Triathlon Manitoba’s Privacy Officer, so if you have any questions or concerns please contact her.

March 20, 2004

Tyler Paulet's birth

Congratulations to Nick and Leslie Paulet on the recent birth of their son Tyler.

Tyler is the 4th new infant member for the Tribalistic Triathlon Team in the past 5 months.

March 4, 2004 Brendan Cole Kirk has arrived Carina and Dale are thrilled to announce the arrival of their first child, Brendan Cole Kirk at 4:26pm on March 3, 2004. He weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 20 1/4 inches. Brendan enjoys sleeping, eating, talking and frequent changes! Baby and Mom are doing just fine.  Carina and Dale are both members of the Tribalistic Triathlon Team.  The Triathlon Manitoba community wish them and Brendan all the best.

Click to enlarge

March 1, 2004

Triathlon Manitoba members place first at the Hypothermic Half Marathon

At the Hypothermic Half Marathon at the Fort Whyte Centre on Sunday February 29th, Triathlon Manitoba members Darcey Harder and Jenny Ayers were the top male and female finishers of 183 participants.  Actually, on the men's side, Triathlon Manitoba members Allan Scott and Luc Guillette placed third and fourth.  It was a very good showing by our members.

February 22, 2004

Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba Athlete of the Month -- Jacques Marcoux

From page 2 of http://www.cscmb.mb.ca/e/communications/communique2002/february2004.pdf 

(Note that their editor confuses duathlon with biathlon)

Jacques Marcoux, who trains with the Manitoba National Triathlon Centre (MNTC), has been competing in the sport of triathlon and biathlon for the past four years. He has already had many accomplishments in his early career including being undefeated provincially in both the 2002 and 2003 racing season in the junior age category (biathlon), placing 12th at the Canadian Junior Triathlon 2003, placing 1st at the Canadian Junior Duathlon 2003, and finishing 32nd out of 51junior male athletes at the ITU World Duathlon Championships in Switzerland in 2003. In high school, Jacques was selected to the MHSAA Graduating All-Stars Provincial Team for basketball and was named the 2001Youth Male Triathlete of the Year in Manitoba. Jacques is also a member of the Esteem Team, which is a youth-centered role model program that connects Canadian athletes with Canadian kids. His first presentation was last month at Ecole Dieppe in front of 150 children in grades 2-6. Jacques really got the kids attention when he stripped down from his wetsuit to his Speedo. You should have seen the kids faces!!! Jacques’ latest accomplishment is being named to Inside Triathlon’s 2003 All American List in the Junior 16-19 Duathlon category. Congratulations Jacques!!!

Volume 5, Issue 1 CSCM Comminiqué

February 12, 2004

Newsletter Editor -- thanks to Carina Kirk

Carina Kirk will be stepping down from the position of Newsletter Editor after four years, as she is expecting her 1st child very soon. Thanks to Carina for all her work/ideas over the past few newsletters, and all the best with motherhood.

January 29, 2004

Melanie Leclair's ITU Triathlon World Championships - New Zealand 2003 story
Luc Guillette's Ironman Canada & Ironman Hawaii 2003 story

Click here.

January 18, 2004

"Triathlete races to the top" -- Free Press story on January 17th

Triathlete races to the top

Two years after first competition Wilson among continent's elite

Saturday, January 17th, 2004

by Chris Cariou

Only three summers ago, Jenna Wilson was a young cross-country runner with Winnipeg Optimist Athletics who finished 69th out of some 200 competitors at the youth national championships in Moncton, N.B. 

Today, after being convinced by her friend Amy Briscoe to give triathlon a try, she's considered one of the top junior-aged triathletes in all of North America. 

"That first summer, in 2002, at my first race, I didn't even know the order of events," Wilson, 18, laughed this week after she and fellow Winnipegger Jacques Marcoux both were included in the prestigious list of young up-and-comers in the sport in North America in Inside Triathlon magazine. 

"I'm impressed with myself because I just started this in 2002," she said. "It's all about how seriously you take the sport. This is three different sports (the order, by the way, for triathlon is swim, bike and run; duathlon is run, bike, run) and if I have a decent swim, I can usually stay close in the bike and then the running plays to my strength." 

Wilson, a Grade 12 student in Vincent Massey Collegiate's sports school program, burst onto the national triathlon/duathlon scene out of nowhere in 2002. She finished fourth at the duathlon nationals and, after the third-place qualifier bowed out of the world junior duathlon championship in Georgia, she came in seventh there. 

This past summer she consistently finished in the top one or two in the province in her age group -- battling her buddy, Briscoe, and other more experienced triathletes such as Erin Braun -- for Manitoba supremacy. Then she won gold in the national duathlon championship and finished fifth in triathlon. 

She gained more experience by competing in the world junior triathlon and duathlon championships. Triathlon Manitoba named her its most improved female athlete for 2003 in a year where she shaved a full 18 minutes off her time in one event. 

Marcoux, meanwhile, was undefeated provincially the past two summers and won gold at the male duathlon junior national championship and came in 12th in triathlon. He was the top Canadian at the World Duathlon Championship this past summer, finishing 32nd out of 51 competitors. 

Gary Pallett, who coaches both Wilson and Marcoux at the Manitoba National Triathlon Centre, said both are special athletes who are shining examples of the junior program at the centre, the only one of its kind outside Victoria, where Olympic gold medallist Simon Whitfield trains. 

Pallet, who will coach Canada's junior-aged triathletes (including Braun) at the World Championships in Portugal in May, said both Wilson and Marcoux need to improve on their swimming, and they are. Wilson qualified for the Worlds but isn't going because of cost and other factors. 

"Jenna's doing an excellent job," Pallett said. "It's amazing that she's come this far in only two years. But being successful at this age doesn't necessarily mean success at an older age. It's all about holistic development, in a sense. You can get away with weak links (like swimming) at the junior level, but not at the senior level." 

Wilson seems to know that, and says she has always focused on one goal at a time. 

She wants to take things in "baby steps," she says. For now, she wants to repeat as national junior duathlon champion again in 2004 and finish in the top three in triathlon, an improvement over her fifth spot in 2003. 

Having her name and Marcoux's in Inside Triathlon gives a sense of pride and possibly and the kind of exposure that could lead to sponsorship deals in the future, she said. At this point, competing in an Olympic Games is something she thinks about but doesn't focus on. 

"It's a dream right now, but that's all it is." 

© 2004 Winnipeg Free Press. All Rights Reserved.

January 10, 2004 Charmaine Shannon has gone back to Namiba ... for now  by Kevin Miller As most of you know, the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba (CSCM) partnered with the International Olympic Committee's Solidarity Program to bring Namibian triathlete Charmaine Shannon to Winnipeg last January.  Charmaine, the current Namibian Women's Triathlon Champion, trained with the Manitoba National Triathlon Centre (MNTC) to prepare for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens in September.  Many of us had the pleasure of getting to know her this past season. Yesterday Charmaine temporarily returned to Namiba; she's coming back to Winnipeg in April. She has five races in Namibia and South Africa from January to March, including the African Olympic Qualifier in late March. We wish Charmaine a good trip home (and back), and best wishes for successful races in Africa.

January 1, 2004

Jenna Wilson and Jacques Marcoux are named to Inside Triathlon's All American Teams by Gary Pallett

Jenna Wilson was named to Inside Triathlon's All American Triathlon Team.

Jenna Wilson and Jacques Marcoux were named to Inside Triathlon's All American Duathlon Team.

Congratulations to both Jenna and Jacques!

December 2, 2003

ITU  Aquathlon World Championships

Congratulations to Jenna Wilson for placing 25th out of 52 women (4th in her age group) competing at the ITU Aquathlon World Championships at Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown, New Zealand today. To view the full results see http://www.poprunresults.co.nz/ 

November 30, 2003 Lillian (Lily) Maya Harder is here Linda Harrison and Darcey Harder are pleased to announce the birth of their first child. Lillian (Lily) Maya Harder was born on November 28th at 5:40 AM. She weighed in at 9lbs 1oz, and was 20.5 inches long. Mom, baby, and Dad are healthy. Both Linda and Darcey are veteran members of the Tribalistic Triathlon Team, and they are well known throughout the Triathlon Manitoba community, and also the running and cycling communities. Triathlon Manitoba and Linda & Darcey's many friends wish them and their daughter all the best.

Click to enlarge

October 30, 2003

Jenna Wilson receives a Women to Watch Grant from Sport Manitoba

Jenna Wilson - Triathlon

Jenna has been competing in Triathlon/Duathlon for just over a year and is training with the Manitoba National Triathlon Centre and a performance enhancement team. Nationally she won the Duathlon Championships in Calgary in July and then one week later was the top Manitoba junior female at the Canadian Junior Triathlon Championship where she placed 5th. Both her performances earned her a spot on the Triathlon Canada's triathlon and duathlon junior teams for the 2003 world events. Jenna trains 6 days/week, 28-32 hours and maintains an 80% average. She will use the grant money for training, equipment and travel to reach her goal of becoming an Olympian.

October 26, 2003 2003 Awards Evening program cover Here is the full-color version of our 2003 Awards Evening program cover.  It was created by Brent Miller.

Click to enlarge it to 360x576 pixels / 275K.

October 15, 2003

Kimberly Norrie's Ironman Canada story

Click here.

October 10, 2003 Joshua Cohen Peacock was born on October 7th Triathlon Manitoba is pleased to congratulate Patrick Peacock and Cara Brown on the birth of their first child. Joshua Cohen Peacock was born on October 7th at 3:44 PM.  He weighed 4211g (9lbs,7oz). Both Patrick and Cara are very well known throughout the Triathlon Manitoba community. Patrick is a five-time Male Triathlete of the Year, and he's been a High Performance Athlete since he began his triathlon career in 1995. Cara is a lifestyle-fitness triathlete who was the St Malo Multisport Weekend's Registration Coordinator in 2003, her first non-racing year in some time. We wish them and their son all the best.

Click to enlarge

October 8, 2003

"Duathlon race an experience to remember" -- Free Press story on October 8th

Duathlon race an experience to remember

Wednesday, October 8th, 2003

By Martin Zeilig

Jenna Wilson and Jacques Marcoux had quite an experience at the 2003 Duathlon World Championships in Affoltern, Switzerland. 

The event, which is sponsored by the International Triathlon Union, consists of a five-kilometre run, a 20-K bike ride and another run of 2.5-K. Those are the distances for junior (19 and under) competitors. The senior athletes must compete slightly longer distances. 

Marcoux, 19, was first among the three Canadian men who took part in the event. He finished in a time of one hour, 12 minutes and 33 seconds. Wilson, 17, came second among the three Canadian women in a time of 1:32:43. Neither Wilson or Marcoux placed in the top 10 overall in their categories at the event, which was held Aug. 30. 

"I had a difficult time with the course. It was very hilly and raining and slippery during the women's race. The roads and parts of the course are very narrow and we had to cycle up a sidewalk (at one point)," says Wilson, a Grade 12 student in the "sports school" program at Vincent Massey Collegiate. 

Marcoux maintains that he'd go back to race in Europe anytime. 

"They love every sport there, especially cycling and running," says the second-year business student at the University of Manitoba. 

"People lined up along the side of the road and wrote encouraging signs on the road with paint. They were cheering on any competitor regardless of nationality. It was awesome." 

Gary Pallet, head coach at the National Triathlon Centre in Winnipeg, is pleased with his athletes' results in Switzerland. 

"They did really well. The course was very technically difficult. The many steep hills were also challenging. They're great kids," he says, confirming that the weather was uncooperative during the event. 

Wilson only began competing in triathlons (swimming, cycling and running) in June of 2002. 

"My friend and I were debating which sport, track or triathlon, is better," says Wilson, who used to be a middle distance runner on the provincial track team. "I went out and raced a triathlon and I just got hooked on it." 

She notes that the NTC offers many things for athletes, including a sports psychologist, a nutritionist and a strength and conditioning coach. 

Marcoux also started out as a long distance runner. 

"I had a teacher who encouraged me to do a duathlon in Grade 10. I went out and won my first race at Birds Hill Park. After that I kept on and tried my first triathlon. I couldn't swim well, but I made up for it in the cycle and run," says the graduate of College Louis Riel. 

He qualified for the national junior duathlon team by winning a meet in Calgary in July. 

"That was my third national competition. My focus is triathlon. This whole next year is devoted to improving my swimming," says Marcoux, who also runs cross-country for the U of M Bisons. 

Wilson remarks that she likes duathlon and triathlon equally. 

"I like the feeling of happiness you have at the end of a race," she says. 

© 2003 Winnipeg Free Press. All Rights Reserved.

September 22, 2003

Mike Klatt's "retirement" by Kevin Miller, Triathlon Manitoba Information Director

The new Board of Directors of Triathlon Manitoba was elected today, and for the first time since the 1994-1995 Board, Mike Klatt is not on the Executive.  After eight years of service, Mike has decided to lighten his volunteer workload by not seeking re-election.

Mike was elected Treasurer in September 1995. (He's a Certified General Accountant.)  He served in that position for six years, and he has been Vice President for the past two years.  Mike has also been responsible for the Manitoba National Triathlon Centre during its first three years (the past three years). In 2000, Mike was named as Triathlon Manitoba's Volunteer of the Year.

Mike's list of other volunteer positions over the past few years is long and impressive:

• He was a member of Triathlon Canada's Board of Directors from 1996 to 2002.  During that time, he chaired the Nomination Committee and the Award Committee, and he was also a member of the Finance Committee.
• From 1996 to 1999, Mike served on the Pan Am Games Society's Finance Committee, and was the Finance Rep on the Triathlon Venue Team.
• He served as Finance Chair on Sport Manitoba's Board of Directors from 2001 to 2003, and he was also a member of their Categorization Task Force and Space Allocation Committee.
• From 2001 to 2003, he was the Finance Chair of Sport Manitoba's Sport Legacy Trust.
• Mike was on the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba Board of Directors from 2001 to 2003 as Finance Chair.

Mike's initial involvement with triathlon was as a race organizer with Prairie Events Group from 1989 to 1991.  Along with his brother Andrew Klatt and David Markham, he organized events such as the Birds Hill Park Tuesday Night Events, Prestige Duathlon Series, and Prairie Sun International Triathlon Series.  In 1994, Andrew and Mike organized the Morden International Triathlon which was the Canadian Long Course Triathlon Championships that year.

Mike also competed in triathlon and duathlon from 1992 to 2002.  He participated in many Manitoba and North American races including 

• Ironman USA in Lake Placid in 1999,
• the Powerman Duathlon in Chicago in 1995,
• the Hard Rock Competition in San Diego in 1997,
• the Diamond Head Biathlon in Waikiki Hawaii and the Bud Light Triathlon Series Championship & ITU World Cup in Maui Hawaii in 1993, and
• the Canadian Triathlon Championships at Birds Hill Park in 1998 and in Edmonton in 1999.

In 1996, Mike achieved High Performance "A" status in Manitoba, so he was funded to compete as part of the Manitoba Provincial Team at the Canadian Triathlon Championships in Welland Ontario.

In 2002, Mike finished either first or second overall at four of our "Olympic Distance" duathlons, and he was our Male Provincial Duathlon Champion.

He has been a member of the Triple Threat Triathlon Club for many years.

Triathlon Manitoba thanks Mike for his immense contributions to our sport during the past 15 years, and we wish him success and happiness in all of his current and future pursuits.

August 11, 2003

Online Registration -- your feedback please by Kevin Miller, Triathlon Manitoba Information Director

This past spring, Triathlon Manitoba announced the endorsement of EventsOnline.CA as our supported online registration provider.  Since then, ~40 TriMB memberships have been purchased online, and online registration has been offered for 7 of our races.  Hundreds of participants have registered online.

In preparation for our Annual General Meeting on September 22nd, I'm putting together an evaluation of our online registration experience -- the successes, strengths, and weaknesses of online registration for our race directors, EventsOnline.CA, Triathlon Manitoba, and most important, the people who used online registration. Therefore, I'd appreciate receiving your feedback:

1. Did you use online registration?  Why or why not?

2. What did you like about our online registration?

3. What did you not like about our online registration?

4. What changes or improvements would you like to see us make to online registration for 2004?

5. Do you have any other comments?

Please send your feedback to Kevin Miller .  Thanks. (PS: Sorry for not offering you an online survey form.)

August 3, 2003

Manitoba results at the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon in Minneapolis

Female (1210m swim / 34.3K bike / 7.6K run)

Place/Name/Age            Finish  Swim       T1    Bike   Swim+Bike       T2   Run
18 Charmaine Shannon 25 2:00:13 21:12(30) 1:35   59:46(22) 1:22:33(15) 1:55 35:46(40)
19 Amy Briscoe       17 2:00:40 19:13(13) 1:57 1:02:17(46) 1:23:26(18) 1:06 36:09(45)
22 Carolyn Wernham   16 2:01:27 19:15(14) 1:49 1:02:42(51) 1:23:45(19) 1:14 36:29(51)
25 Jenna Wilson      17 2:02:02 21:10(29) 1:36 1:05:09(79) 1:27:54(35) 1:09 33:00(13)

of 281 finishers. The winning time was 1:47:22. Click here for complete results.

Male (1210m swim / 34.3K bike / 7.6K run)

Place/Name/Age            Finish  Swim       T1    Bike   Swim+Bike       T2   Run
07 Jeff Morier       33 1:40:27 16:49(5)  1:21   50:55(8)  1:09:05(4)  1:12 30:11(48)
59 Mark Lehmann      40 1:52:58 22:17(123)1:41   54:26(46) 1:18:22(54) 1:31 33:06(103) 

of 619 finishers. The winning time was 1:35:30. Click here for complete results.

Female (640m swim / 15.1K bike / 3.4K run)

Place/Name/Age            Finish  Swim       T1    Bike   Swim+Bike       T2   Run
07 Teresa Samek      15 1:05:40 11:06(11) 1:38   33:02(11)   45:46(3)  1:13  18:42(49)

of 364 finishers.  The winning time was 1:00:45.  Click here for complete results.

Male (640m swim / 15.1K bike / 3.4K run)

Place/Name/Age            Finish  Swim       T1    Bike   Swim+Bike       T2   Run
37 Jim Wernham       41 1:07:57  4:09(71) 1:41   32:32(51)   48:21(33) 1:11 18:26(84) 

of 286 finishers.  The winning time was 59:47.  Click here for complete results.

Click here for the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon website.

July 14, 2003

"How I Became Fluidly Immersed"

Click here (Adobe PDF) for Glenn Romaniuk's story of how he learned to swim and then complete the Half Ironman at the Morden International Triathlon.

Glenn refers to the book Triathlon Swimming Made Easy by Terry Laughlin.  It teaches a program called Total Immersion Swimming.

• Triathlon Swimming Made Easy
• Total Immersion Swimming

July 8, 2003

Age restrictions for Triathlon Manitoba races

This is a reminder that there are age restrictions for athletes entering Triathlon Manitoba races, that are based on Triathlon Canada rules: 

Sprint - must be 16 as of December 31, 2003 
Olympic - must be 18 as of December 31, 2003 
Half-Ironman - must be 18 as of December 31, 2003 
Foilman - must be 18 as of December 31, 2003
Duathlon - must be 18 as of December 31, 2003
Sprint Duathlon - must be 16 as of December 31, 2003

June 24, 2003

Running Room Triathlon Clinic graduates race at St Malo

From early April to late June, Triathlon Manitoba and the Running Room store on Kenaston co-hosted a 10 week Triathlon Clinic that prepared new triathletes for a Try-a-Tri or Sprint race.  13 graduates of the clinic plus clinic leader Michelle Barnet participated in one of those events at the St Malo Multisport Weekend.

Pictured here are 10 of the 11 Sprint triathletes: Lesley Romanyshyn, Sara Yanke, Peter Glowacki, Michelle Barnet, Jane Ransom, Paul Unruh, Bonnie Vansteelandt, Christine Buchel, Dianne Pettitt, and Kelly Waite (missing Kathryn Gompf).

Roz Russell Turk, Darlene Van Deynze and Jaclyn Vallis participated in the Try-a-Tri on the previous day.

April 21, 2003

James Craig Finlay was born on April 19th

Distinguished Triathlon Manitoba members Craig & Laura Finlay are now parents.  On April 19th at 5:23 PM, 6 lb 5 oz James Craig Finlay was born.  Mother and son are reportedly doing well.

Craig and Laura have contributed a lot to Triathlon Manitoba over the past 10 years as athletes and volunteers, first in Winnipeg, and for the past few years in The Pas.  In the mid 1990s, they helped form the Hammerheads club.  After they moved to The Pas, they formed the Tri-North Triathlon Club.

Laura is the race director for The Pas Kids of Steel event each May, and also the Trappers' Triathlon in August.  Since last October, Laura has served on Triathlon Manitoba's Board of Directors.

Craig & Laura's many friends in the Triathlon Manitoba community wish them and their son all the best.

April 15, 2003

Sport Manitoba's 18th Annual Sport Awards

The 18th Annual Sport Awards Evening was held on Friday April 11th.

Congratulations to Jacques Marcoux and Amy Briscoe for being nominated for Manitoba's Youth Athletes of the Year. Click here to read more about their achievements.

Congratulations to Kevin Miller for being nominated for Volunteer of the Year.  Click here to read more about Kevin's nomination. Triathlon, being a volunteer-based organization, is very grateful for our volunteers.

Congratulations to Jaclyn Vallis, Triathlon Manitoba's Executive Director, for being nominated for Sport Administrator of the Year.  Click here to read more about Jaclyn's nomination.  We all know that Triathlon Manitoba has the best Executive Director at Sport Manitoba!

March 26, 2003

Fraser Drad is awarded the 2002 Spirit of Sport Inspired Youth Award

Kids of Steel Provincial Champion Fraser Drad was awarded the 2002 Spirit of Sport Inspired Youth Award at the 30^th Annual Canadian Sport Awards last night in Toronto. Congratulations Fraser!

Click here (and scroll way down) for the details.
Click here for the Spirit of Sport Foundation Canadian Sport Awards website.

March 18, 2003

Registering online for Triathlon Manitoba events  by Kevin Miller, Triathlon Manitoba Information Director

Triathlon Manitoba has completed a long and thorough process of evaluating online registration companies, and the Board of Directors has endorsed EventsOnline.CA as our supported online registration provider.

Any of our events that require or encourage pre-registration will now have the option of offering online registration, in addition to the traditional "paper application and cheque" method. If a race director decides to offer online registration, a link to the event's online registration page will appear on our Race Entry Forms page, right under the link to the paper leaflet.

Triathlon Manitoba memberships can also be purchased online.

EventsOnline.CA accepts VISA and Mastercard in CN or US dollars. Bank-to-bank EFT (electronic funds transfer) is not yet available, but I expect it to be an option for online transactions within a few years. A confirmation e-mail is sent out to the registering participant immediately following a successful transaction. The transaction fee is $1.00 + ($1 for every $24 of the total event fee). So, if the total event fee is $24 or less, the processing fee is $2 ... $24 to $48 --> $3 ... $48 to $72 --> $4, etc. Some races may require the participant to pay the transaction fee, while others may absorb it. Refunds are handled by the race director, not EventsOnline.CA .

Based on the positive feedback that the Morden International Triathlon received from participants in 2001 and 2002 when they offered online registration through Active.com, and St Malo MultiSport's very positive experience with EventsOnline.CA last year, I expect Triathlon Manitoba's relationship with EventsOnline.CA in 2003 to be successful and beneficial for many people.

February 17, 2003

Lindsay Gauld's diary of the 2003 Ukatak Adventure Race

Click here.

January 22, 2003

Namibian triathlete Charmaine Shannon has arrived

As announced in November, the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba (CSCM) has partnered with the International Olympic Committee's Solidarity Program to bring Namibian triathlete Charmaine Shannon to Winnipeg.  Charmaine will train with the Manitoba National Triathlon Centre (MNTC) in her preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Charmaine is the current National Namibian Triathlon Champion, and won the silver medal at the 2002 South African Long Distance Duathlon Championships.  Training in Winnipeg will allow Charmaine to access Sport Science, Sport Medicine, dedicated coaching, and competitive opportunities against other female triathletes.  Charmaine will live and train in Winnipeg until her Olympic qualification in Namibia in April of 2004.

We're please to announce that Charmaine is now in town, staying in the short-term with a triathlon family, and has begun to train.

January 20, 2003

Edie Fisher in the Ukatak Adventure Race

Edie Fisher along with Lindsay Gauld, Paul Lapointe, and Philip Roadley have formed Team Olympia, the only Manitoba team entered in the Ukatak Adventure Race which started yesterday.  The race began in Quai de Pointe-au-Pic in La Malbaie, Quebec and finishes in Mont Grands Fonds, Quebec in 5 to 6 days. Total distance covered:  410km.  It involves mountain biking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, dog-sledding, rope sections, orienteering, and some surprise events like para-skiing and ski-scooting.  Teams compete unassisted.  You can track Team Olympia daily at www.ukatak.com

January 16, 2003

Jenna Wilson and Edie Fisher are 2002 National Award Winners

Triathlon Canada has announced their 2002 National Award Winners.  Two Triathlon Manitoba members have won awards: 

• Jenna Wilson is Junior Elite Female Duathlete of the Year. At the 2002 Duathlon World Championships, Jenna finished 7th of 15 competitors in Junior Elite Female, and was the top Canadian. Amy Briscoe was Junior Elite Female Duathlete of the Year in 2001.
• Edie Fisher is Masters Female Olympic Distance Triathlete of the Year.  Edie struck gold in her age group at the 2002 Canadian Age Group Championships in Edmonton, and silver at the 2002 ITU World Championships in Cancun Mexico. (details)   Edie's previous Triathlon Canada National Awards include Masters Female Olympic Distance Triathlete of the Year in 1997 and 1999, 1996 Age Group Female Triathlete of the Year, and 2000 Masters Female Long Course Triathlete of the Year. 

Congratulations to Jenna and Edie!

For the complete list of Triathlon Canada 2002 National Award Winners, click here.

January 2, 2003

Edie Fisher is on Inside Triathlon magazine's All North American List for 2002

The January / February issue of Inside Triathlon magazine has named Edie Fisher to their All North American List for the 2002 season.  Click here for the story on Inside Triathlon's website.  Click here (Adobe PDF -- 148K) for the listing of Canadians on the All North American List on Triathlon Canada's website.

Also on the list in the elite U23 category is Mexican Aline Garza who trained with the MNTC for 4 months last winter.

December 5, 2002

Carol Anne Letheren Leadership and Sport Scholarship by Barry Moroz, Sport Manitoba Communications

The Carol Anne Letheren Leadership and Sport Scholarship is a national, three-year, $1,500 per year, university scholarship, founded to honour the memory of Carol Anne Letheren (1942-2001). As Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and an International Olympic Committee member for Canada, Carol Anne was an avid believer and promoter of the Canadian Olympic values.  For information on eligibility and how to apply, please click here (Adobe PDF).

December 3, 2002

Triathlon Manitoba Committee Members Wanted

Triathlon Manitoba members are encouraged to contribute to Triathlon Manitoba by volunteering to sit on various committees.  Click here (Adobe PDF) for a description of the 2002-2003 committees.  If you are interested in joining any of these committees, please contact the Triathlon Manitoba office (925-5636).

November 9, 2002

Faces of 2002

Faces of 2002 was our Awards Evening program center-fold.  It was created by Brent Miller.

Click to enlarge it to 750x565 pixels / 550K.

October 28, 2002

A full day of Triathlon activities 

As many of you know, this past Saturday was a day full of triathlon activities for the membership.  The race directors had a meeting to review the season and start planning for 2003.  Our Annual General Meeting was held where we elected the 2002/2003 Board of Directors.

The Annual Awards Night took place on Saturday and was very well attended.  Thanks to all volunteers who helped with the planning, set-up and clean up of the evening. Kudos to the organizing committee – Sandy Klassen, Anita Miller, Brenda Boughton and Marc Fournier for all their efforts. Special thanks also to Philippe Chabot who compiled pictures from throughout the summer to capture the 2002 Race Season for “The Year in Review Show”, and Brent Miller who assembled the Program. 

We would also like to thank all the businesses that donated prizes for the evening.

Congratulations to all athletes recognized for their achievements this past year.  For a recap of the winners, please see the High Performance Awards and Race Series Awards.

If you’d like to get involved with the association over the off-season, we are always looking for new committee members. Check out the Board page to see the different committees available. We hope to see everyone out again during the 2003 season.

October 3, 2002 

Manitoba Foundation for Sports Scholarships by Barry Moroz, Sport Manitoba Communications

[Click here (Adobe PDF) to see the recipient list which includes Brent Miller -- Triathlon.]

The Manitoba Foundation for Sports through Sport Manitoba has announced that 43 student athletes will receive scholarships totaling $33,000 for the 2002/03 academic year. The Manitoba Foundation for Sports Scholarship Program supports young athletes of Sport Manitoba partners who participate in amateur sport while pursuing a post secondary education on a full time basis.

"Sport Manitoba congratulates each of this year's students for their athletic and academic achievements which have made them deserving of a scholarship," said Sport Manitoba President and CEO Jeff Hnatiuk. "It also provides us with an opportunity to recognize the contribution these young Manitobans have made to their communities and amateur sport through coaching, officiating and other volunteer activities."

20 student athletes entering the first year of a post secondary program will receive $500 scholarships. 23 student athletes entering the second or subsequent year of a post secondary program will receive $1,000 scholarships.

14 recipients are from rural Manitoba. 23 of students are attending the University of Manitoba with 17 at the University of Winnipeg and one each at Brandon University, St. Boniface College and Minot State.

The program's emphasis is placed on athletes who have competed at the provincial level or higher in the previous year and who have maintained a high level of academic standing. Applicants must also demonstrate a commitment to amateur sport through their involvement in coaching, officiating and volunteer activities. The number of scholarships awarded annually varies based on the number of applicants and the funds available for distribution.

The Manitoba Foundation for Sports Scholarship Program was established in 1992. The Foundation has since awarded 700 scholarships totalling $548,417.

A complete list of recipients, their home town, the school they are attending and the sports they participate in is attached. (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

September 18, 2002 (updated from September 12th)

Cycling on St Mary's Road (to St Adolphe): warning

A number of cyclists have had incidents with motorists on St Mary's Road this summer and in past years.  Dave Lipchen sent a few Triathlon Manitoba staff & Directors a colorfull e-mail a month ago about his harrowing experience.

The homepage of the Manitoba Cycling Association (MCA) recently had an item about another nasty encounter.  It included a description of the car and motorist, and the fact that police are now involved. It then said:
"In light of some recent incidents, south of the city involving a motorist and cyclists. RCMP have been receiving complaints about riders traveling 2-3-4 abreast. RCMP have been directed to ticket any cyclists that are not riding in single file. The fine for this offence is $150."

Although dealing with a motorist who hates cyclists is difficult, the majority of problems on the open road (and in the city) can be minimized by cyclist action and education.  The MCA website homepage also has some pages under the Recreation & Transportation menu that may help you.

Best wishes for safe rides.

September 12, 2002

Carolyn Wernham is named CSCM Athlete of the Week

Carolyn Wernham has been named Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba (CSCM) Athlete of the Week for September 9th. Click here for the story.

September 12, 2002

Our Junior Girls Provincial Team has received a Women to Watch Grant from Sport Manitoba

The specific item from www.sport.mb.ca/women.htm is

Manitoba Junior Girls Provincial Triathlon Team
(Erin Braun, Amy Briscoe, Jill Dobrinsky, and Carolyn Wernham)

These four young talented triathlon athletes are using their grant money for costs to attend the 2002 Canadian Triathlon Championships in Wasaga Beach, Ontario. At this competition they will be trying to qualify for a spot on the Canadian Team traveling to the 2002 Worlds in Cancun. All four girls are members of the Triple Threat Triathlon Club and three of them train with the Manitoba National Triathlon Centre. These girls have been motivated all year long to improve their results from last year’s Nationals. To compete at Nationals all girls must achieve a time standard and meet a number of eligibility standards. Attending Nationals also allows the athletes to participate in drafting events which are not currently run in Manitoba. Participation in drafting events is key for these girls to improve their bike handling skills for competitions at the National and International level.

July 26, 2002

Red River Valley Echo (Altona) newspaper story about Darcey Harder

Morris native runner-up in Manitoba Triathlon    by Barbara Shewchuk, July 23, 2002

He didn’t even take up running till he was in his 20s, but Morris native Darcey Harder has become a triple threat in endurance, coming a close second in the Half Ironman at the Morden International Triathlon in mid-July. Now, he’s on his way to compete for a national title in Penticton and a shot at qualifying for the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii in October.

The Half Ironman is the most gruelling in Manitoba,” says Harder, now living in Winnipeg, who’s been doing triathlons “off and on for about five years now. I’ve done about 10,” most of them shorter distance ones. “Most are the Olympic distance, a 1,5K swim, 40K bike ride and a 10K run.”  But the Half Ironman at Morden is more demanding: a 1.9K swim, a 90K bike ride and a 21.1K run. Finishing with a time of 4:55:31, Harder was only 11 minutes behind winner Dan Morwood (4:44:37), whom Harder calls “a phenomenal athlete. He did Ironman Canada two years ago and set the Manitoba record there.”

And this year, he notes, the times were about 20 minutes slower than they would have been, due to the excessive heat and humidity on July 13th. The 22nd Morden International Triathlon (July 13 and 14) also included a women’s event, won by Edie Fisher (5:08:38) who then won her category at the Canadian Championship in Edmonton and qualified for the Worlds. Morden also hosted, for both genders, Foilman and Duathlon; and for the younger set, Kids of Steel and Tri-A-Tri.  The last part of the Half Ironman, the 21.1K run, is practically a marathon in itself. But that’s not the hard part for a guy who’s competed in 10 full marathons. “Last September I won the Regina marathon, my first real big win. I ran 2:49.” This June he placed fifth in the half marathon in the Manitoba Marathon.

But right now, triathlon is his goal. Coming in second at Morden qualified him (as part of a group of five men) to go to Ironman Canada in Penticton, August 25. He’s one of 20 or 25 Manitobans going. A competitor “can also show up in Penticton this year and pay the fee and register for next year. But I didn’t want to do it that way, I wanted to earn it. “In Ironman Canada, there are 2,200 competing, grouped into Pros, who earn money, and age-groupers like myself, who are in it for personal accomplishment and/or to qualify for Hawaii. Not everyone can go that distance. You have to train for years to be able to.”  

At Ironman Canada, Harder, who just turned 30, will compete in the 30 to 35 year age group, which takes him a notch up from the 20-somethings he’s been competing against. “30 to 35’ers are faster in triathlon than guys in their 20s. The body takes a while to be able to handle the volume of training.” It seems the longer the race, the relatively better the older competitors do. The best marathoners are in their 30s and well into their mid-40s.

Of course running is just part of the package, notes Harder, who’s cycling time “is good. I’m pretty competitive on the bike.” He rides a $2,000 Cannondale Multisport 700, a triathlon specific bike that’s “like a road bike, but has a little different shape to it. “So it’s an expensive sport,” not to mention the $500 entry fee for Ironman Canada. And as an amateur, he won’t be winning any prize money. “I must love the sport or something.”

Running is his strong suit, and he enjoys cycling (at which he can ‘train’ even when going to and from work at Revenue Canada.). But “swimming is my nemesis. There’s something about swimming that doesn’t turn my crank.” And on top of that, swimming may be the one aspect of triathlon that’s tougher on the older competitors. Harder admits he hardly trains for swimming; he just does the best he can in the pool and tries to make up for lost time on the running and cycling track. He cycles five or six times a week, training at night plus his rides to work; and he runs five or six miles, a couple of times a week. “Lately,” preparing for the triathlon, “I’ve been focusing on doing one long run every week, 20 miles or so, for two weeks, then backing off to 10 miles” to prevent fatigue.

Born and raised in Morris, Harder played minor hockey and in his teens, in the late 1980s, he played for the Pembina Valley Hawks. Running didn’t cross his radar screen till he was a 20-year-old at the University of Manitoba. “I ran some cross country and track from the U of Manitoba. I’ve got kind of an athletic mindset; I used to play hockey a lot. I needed something to do, to occupy my time; it’s kind of a hobby. I saw all the runners at the U of M, took it up and soon I was running cross country, track.”

Harder is a serious athlete whose major vocation, right now, is as a marathoner and triathlete. Married to Linda Harrison, a fellow triathlete, he is the leading participant and head coach of the Winnipeg triathlon club, Tribalistic, which does 80 per cent of its training in Birds Hill Park, and in winter, trains at the U of M.

“For me,” says Harder, “sports are very important. I’ve made my life fit around sports.” But he doesn’t aspire to join the Olympic-level elite. He wouldn’t want to train that hard – eight hours a day, year-round; he ‘just’ wants to be able to compete at the national level. “The pros who’ll be in the winner’s circle will do the Ironman in 8-1/2 hours. That’s phenomenal. For me, my goal is to do it in 10 hours, which is pretty fast.”

Harder feels he could win his category. “People are saying I have a shot at Hawaii. But it’s a huge expense.” And the cost, for registration, transportation and accommodation, will be all out of his own pocket, unless he can come up with some sponsorships. The Running Room is providing shoes and clothes, and he hopes Edmond Financial may be coming on board as a financial sponsor.

For more information on Triathlon Manitoba, call 925-5636 or go to www.triathlon.mb.ca

July 24, 2002

Triathlon Manitoba High Performance history info is needed

Triathlon Manitoba is trying to compile a historical list of Provincial Team and National Team athletes, and also National and International medal winners.  Our website currently only lists Provincial Team and National Team athletes from 1998 to 2002. 

If you have won any medals at Nationals or Worlds, have any info about medal winners, or about Provincial/National Teams prior to 1998, please contact Triathlon Manitoba . (Gary, David, and Laurel -- we're especially counting on your memories. :-)

July 22, 2002

Manitoba results at the Investor's Group Peach Classic Triathlon 

Jenny Ayers and Brian Schroeder raced Sunday July 21st in Penticton BC, in the Investors Group Peach Classic Triathlon. There were 460 competitors in the event, which served as the BC Provincial Championships.

Jenny placed 1st in the F40-44 age group in 2:31:03. Brian was 3rd in the M45-49 category, finishing in 2:16:31.

July 21, 2002

Manitoba results at the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon in Minneapolis

Edie Fisher and Chris Jamieson were in the Amateur Elite heat.  Edie was 2nd of 5 in Female Master, and Chris was 13th of 16 in Male Open.

Amy Briscoe, Philippe Chabot, and Mark Lehmann were in the Age Group heats.  Amy was 1st of 6 in Female 16to19, and 3rd of 216 females overall.  In Male 35to39, Philippe was 2nd and Mark was 13th of 109 athletes in that category.

In the Sprint race, Teresa Samek was 1st and Carolyn Wernham was 2nd in the Female 0to15 category. They placed 2nd and 4th of 377 females overall.  Jim Wernham placed 4th of 41 in the Male 40to44.

Click here for edited results (the Manitobans are highlighted in blue).

Click here for the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon website.

July 11, 2002

8 years as Race Director of the Morden International Triathlon  by Hank Unrau

As the third Race Director for one of Canada's longest running triathlons (22 years), Sally and I have decided it is time to pass on the torch. After 8 years of race directing the Morden International Triathlon, 2002 will be the last year for us. 

We would like to thank all the athletes for supporting the Morden International Triathlon during our years of involvement with this event. We anticipate a smooth transition for future organizers.

Editor's note: The Triathlon Manitoba Board appreciates the great work that Hank and Sally have done to make the Morden International Triathlon a cornerstone of Triathlon Manitoba's Event Calendar.  We will help find a new Race Director or Organizing Committee for 2003 to ensure that MIT continues to prosper. 

July 2, 2002

Manitoba results from the Arbour Lake Triathlon (Alberta Provincial Championships) in Calgary on June 30th 

1   2:11:21  Tony Smith       Calgary   1/38 Men 35-39 
2   2:11:44  Gary Newell      Red Deer  1/26 Men 25-29 
3   2:13:49  Philippe Chabot  Winnipeg  2/38 Men 35-39 
4   2:14:10  Seth Bitting     Calgary   1/29 Men 30-34 

Complete age group Olympic distance results (male and female together) with splits are at http://www.multisportscanada.com/Results/02ArbourRESOLYM.TXT (278 participants)

22  1:19:15  Teresa Samek     Winnipeg  3/5 Women 16-19 

Complete Sprint distance results (male and female together) with splits are at http://www.multisportscanada.com/Results/02ArbourRESSPRNT.TXT  (130 participants)

Gary Pallett comments:
"In the Sprint race there are a lot of errors. (I can't believe they would publish the results with this many mistakes.) The five fastest swim times and six fastest run times are clearly wrong. To make matters worse, they let some Junior Elites draft, and then put their results with the age-groupers. I believe places 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 16, 17, 19, and 26 have mistakes."

June 28, 2002

An impressed participant from the St Malo Multisport weekend writes by Tracy Munn

I just want to let the organizers of the St Malo Multisport Weekend know that it was my first triathlon, and I was impressed with the organization. All of the volunteers did a great job, the free stuff in the race packages was very exciting, and the food at the finish line was great.  I never expected any of that, and was impressed with everything.  I enjoyed it, and I hope to do more in the future.

June 17, 2002

Manitoba results from the Victoria International Triathlon (2002 Canadian Elite Triathlon Championships)

Kevin Breiter was 41st overall in the Elite race at yesterday's Victoria International Triathlon (2002 Canadian Elite Triathlon Championships), and 6th of 18 in the Under 23 category.

Jamie Wilson of The Pas finished 26th overall, and 8th of 29 in the M30-34 age category, in the Age Group race with a time of 2:15:00 .

June 13, 2002

Summer Program Coordinator / Equipment Manager hired

Triathlon Manitoba is pleased to announce that Brent Miller has been hired as our Summer Program Coordinator / Equipment Manager. Brent started in the office this week, and will be working for a 10 week term. He will be working with the promotion and delivery of the Kids of Steel program, and assist with development in the rural areas.

June 6, 2002

The Pas Kids of Steel Triathlon  by Renée Lagimodiere, Kelsey Recreation Commission

Over 100 eager athletes gathered at the Winton Pool on Saturday morning as they took part in the annual Kids of Steel Triathlon.  Participants swam, cycled and ran their way to victory.  We had a total of 116 participants - 97 kids (ages 8 to 16) and 19 adults competed and had fun.  41 of our participants competed in the individual category, while the others formed 26 teams and competed in the relay category.  The weather was great for racing - not too ward, not too cold, a slight breeze and no rain.  Everyone enjoyed themselves' as they put forth some friendly competition and worked hard to complete the race.

The success of the Kids of Steel Triathlon is owed to the many dedicated volunteers.  Jim Crockett, Craig Finlay and Dale Bigelow arrived early Saturday morning to mark the course and ensure that the race areas were safe and ready for the energetic competitors.  Eager participants started to arrive at 8:30 and Wanda Dodds, Sharon Coulter and Janet Sulik registered the kids, handed out competitor bags and marked numbers on arms and legs.  Winton Pool Staff, along with adult competitors Krista Cooke and Geoff Sarenchuk ensured that the kids were swimming the required laps.  Margo Kobar directed traffic in the transition zone ensuring that there were no collisions.  Marg Lees, Lois McMurchy, Judy Lagimodiere and Shirley Streit were stationed on the bike course and provided competitors with encouraging words, water and directions as they completed the cycling portion.  Dale Bigelow and Sharon Gamache were great at keeping the transition area clear, ensuring that helmets were fastened and bikes were placed back in the racks.  Jackie Harvey and Joy McDonald handed out water as competitors ran by.  Grant Buchannon and Linda Buchannon ensured that the roads were safe and cheered the adults on as they ran.  Hazel Hyde was stationed at the adult turn-around for the run.  Diane Rusk and Arden Penner were great run directors, cheering competitors on and giving the timers a heads up as runners were racing to the finish line.  A big thank you to the great timers, who marked down finish times and congratulated the kids as they crossed the finish line - Debbie Howell, Darryl Shotton, Don Gamache, Deann MacInnis, Gavin Smith, Cheryl Scott, Kurt Lehmann and Luke Diebert.  Kevin Bates and Rolan Misling were enthusiastic volunteers as they provided water at the finish line.  After the race, hungry competitors headed to the refreshment table where Shannon Yaskiw and Naomi McKnight handed out watermelon, oranges, cookies and iced tea.  Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Friends were also a huge help, encouraging the kids along the routes and helping out where needed.  All of the volunteers' assistance, patience and willingness to help out was greatly appreciated!

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Kids of Steel Triathlon!  Everyone was a winner! Keep on training and we hope to see you all at our Trappers' Triathlon on August 11, 2002.

If you would like to see complete results of the race, click here.

May 25, 2002

Plea for Officials

The race season is underway, and we desperately need to improve the officials coverage for all races.  To do this, we need your help.  There are simply not enough officials registered with Triathlon Manitoba to cover all the races.  Most Grand Prix events need a minimum of four officials present.

We would like everyone to consider becoming a Level 1 Official, and working at two races this summer.  Alternatively, maybe you have family members or friends who come out to the races and can get involved.  Junior athletes could consider working as officials at Kids of Steel races, and would be serving as excellent role models.

Officiating has some great benefits:

• You get to see the race from different parts of the course.

• You have all the benefits of volunteering for the race (i.e. T-shirt or meal when provided).

• You become more informed about the sport.

• And most important, with experience, there are opportunities to officiate at national and international events.

• We are also currently in the process of determining a small honorarium that officials will receive for involvement. More information will follow.

If you are interested in having an officiating clinic held in your region, please contact Jaclyn.  A minimum of 5 interested participants would be required.

April 15, 2002

ITU race

Kevin Breiter participated in the ITU Triathlon in Guatemala on Sunday April 14th.   For more details, click here.

March 13, 2002

New Manitoba Rep for the Triathlon Canada Women's Committee

Kim Booth, of the Westman Triumphs Endurance Club, is now the Manitoba representative for the Triathlon Canada Women's Committee. The primary goal of this group is to promote the sport of triathlon for female athletes. As part of this program, she is registered to provide mentoring and coaching via an on-line system. For anyone looking for assistance with their training programs, they can register at:  On-line Mentoring Program for Triathlon .

February 28, 2002

Adventures in the Snow at the Snowman Triathlon by Mike Abraham

The day got off to a groggy start at 10:30 AM – lots of time on the clock. All of a sudden it was 11:20, and the race starts in 70 minutes!!! Jump out of bed in a state of slight panic – luckily the bike was adjusted last night, however I have no idea what to wear. Gulp and munch OJ, a banana, and half a cinnamon bagel – mmmmm.

Run downstairs, throw the bike in the car, and assemble a mess of gear and clothing (also luckily filled up the camelback last night). Race out to Harbour View just in time for the pre-race briefing – already in progress. Where do I sign in? Where can I leave my skates and pack? Who am I? What's my number? Do I use the Camel or just water bottle? Which layers should I wear?????????

After getting it all sorted out (sort of), I manage to get a full one-minute of stretching in (my body will hate me). The pack of participants heads for the start line, and the gun goes off. Why am I starting 15 feet behind every one else? And why is my Camelback not buckled up properly!? No stress – just go.

The first little hill is a good chance to at least get up from the back of the pack – nice running on brown grass with the 50 km wind at our backs. I pass a few folks having a good social conversation, and think to myself – Ha Ha, time to get ahead. Lots of little twists and turns, ups and downs on the grass, in the snow – a respectable 12 to14 inches deep in some places, but mostly a slight nuisance, not really major or detrimental. Through the fence, and back again around the spruce trees, always keeping an eye out for the little flagged coat hangers – are my sunglasses fogging or am I?? One lap complete and feeling fine, although the Camel is bouncing more than it should. Through the start and on to the second lap. Getting a little hot under the collar now – can't reach the pit zips in my fleece (thankfully I was smart enough to skip the Gore-Tex jacket to start). I'm sure the race marshals were looking at this strange slightly sideways running style of this unknown athlete tugging at his armpits! After much contorted cajoling I manage to get some air to cool my core – ahhhhhhh!

Finish the second lap (5 km) slightly out of breath, but good to go after a respectable 22:21 time. Jump on the bike, fumble with the brain bucket, and walk/run to the curb. "Where do I go? When can I get on the bike??" I yell. "Anytime and over there" is the response. There I go down the hardpack snow valley, feet not in clips, one hand still grasping my gloves (I can't change gears like this!!). I watch the kids slide down the hill  to my right – please don't hit me!! A sharp turn right uphill, and I finally get my gloves on and am in my element, I love my bike. It is a fairly easy ride on hardpack snow, thanks to the previous week’s warm weather. I miss the drop into the creek area as I had started a hard right uphill – whoops my mistake. Back down I go into the creek, where it’s beautifully hardpacked and sheltered from the nasty gale force wind. Up and out of the creek onto a stretch of slightly snow covered gravel road. Had to negotiate the obstacles that included walkers and some very hyper puppies. Left and up the long but shallow graded hill (man if the hill was steeper I could probably catch up and pass someone else). A long rolling descent and a major wrong turn – get rid of the fogged-up glasses dummy!! Luckily the young girl got me back on track albeit a little too late.

Back the way I came, and into the main buildings. Drop off my baby (with a time of under 16 minutes – how did I beat Kevin?), and run to the ice. My last hockey game was a week ago, but I did have a 16 km stint on the Rideau Canal. Put one skate on – good.   Put the other on – ohhh crap, the lace is frayed, and I can't get it into the eyelet. OK, new technique: wrap around the back of my heel and tie extra tight – off to the 5 loops of the 1 km track. Wait a second – what the heck are all these guys doing with clap skates? – oh man, I'll do 3 laps for their 5 – oh well, push on. My little legs are going like pistons pushing my 130 lb featherweight frame into the 50 km per hour gale-force wind – why am I going backwards (almost)!! Work, work, work little legs. Finally I get to the loop, and I'm able to gracefully skate with the wind at my back – I can actually use some technique now. 3 minutes down and 1 minute back – only 4 laps to go. Grunt, groan, watch 6 guys pass me in clap skates, grunt and groan some more. Almost there, wheeeew, and back again. The third and fourth laps are torture (only to be outdone by the subsequent debacle of the swim portion of my Swim/ Run at Sargent Park which will take place in about 16 hours)!!

Muster up all I have and giver for the 5th foray into the wind (No retreat No surrender). I make it look good and graceful as a swan on the way back to cross the finish line with much elation and exhaustion.

After some good treats and a rest, I am surprised by a 3rd place finish (wondering if there is only 3 in my category??) The cute little snowman prize will be my reminder of a really fun great race. I'll be back next year for sure. Congrats to Brent for a job well done – it was very fun and well-organized with some excellent door prize schwag.

Mike Abraham is a 33 year old who is discovering how much fun it is to challenge yourself at a variety of athletic events.  This was his first Snowman Triathlon, and he was one of eight athletes to attempt the inaugural Icebike option.

February 19, 2002

Triathlon Manitoba Swim Program Changes by Marc Fournier, Triathlon Manitoba President

In early January, a number of changes were proposed to the current Triathlon Manitoba swim program. The proposed changes included having a Head Coach coordinate the swimming sessions, introducing a third swim on a Saturday or Friday while reducing the workout durations from 90 to 60 minutes, and finally offering a yearly fee option for members. Thanks to all who provided feedback on the proposed changes. Many of you spent a great deal of time giving us your feedback, and we spent a lot of time reading them and considering which changes to make. In general:

• Everyone supported having a Head Coach coordinate the program.
• Most people supported a Saturday swim over the Friday swim.
• There was not enough feedback on the 60 minute vs. 90 minute workout option to gauge the interest.
• Several people indicated that they would sign up to a yearly fee option, but the majority appreciated the flexibility of the drop-in fees.

One change has already been implemented. Kris Hildebrand has been appointed as the Head Coach. This change, above all else, has caused a significant increase in attendance on Monday and Wednesday nights. Right now, the program is self-sufficient if this level of attendance can be maintained. For the time being, the Saturday session will not be added due to the inconsistent availability of the Pan Am pool as a result of swim meets. Also, the yearly fee option will not be offered at this time. We will be re-evaluating the entire swim program in the fall. Some of these proposed changes may be introduced at this time.

Thanks again for your feedback, and happy swimming.

PS. If you are interested in developing your Swim Coaching skills, Kris Hildebrand is actively looking for Volunteer Swim Coaches on Monday or Wednesday nights to assist in implementing each swim workout. This time can count towards your NCCP Level 1 Practical experience. Volunteer coaches receive free access to the swim program and are given assistance in obtaining lifeguard certifications.

January 8, 2002

David Markham is appointed Technical Director of Triathlon Canada

Triathlon Manitoba would like to congratulate David Markham on his appointment as the Technical Director of Triathlon Canada until the Annual General Meeting of 2002. David has been heavily involved at the Provincial level, was the organizer of the 1998 Canadian Triathlon Championships and the 1999 Pan American Games Triathlon, and has many years of experience in the sport.

The primary responsibilities of the Technical Director are as follows:
(1) Nomination of officials to National events.
(2) Coordination of technical matters with LOC of National events.
(3) Periodic review of technical rules.
(4) Liaison with ITU's technical committee.
(5) Coordination of criteria for Level III official certification.
(6) Co-ordination of Levels I and II minimum program content.

January 7, 2002

Proposed changes to the Triathlon Manitoba Swim Program by Marc Fournier, Triathlon Manitoba President

The Triathlon Manitoba Swim Program at Winnipeg's Pan-Am Pool was started in 1995. A drop-in rate has been charged since the beginning and has never been increased. Unfortunately, over the years, attendance has decreased to the point where the program is not financially self-sufficient. In September of this year, a further increase in the pool rental costs was incurred. The following changes are being proposed to both improve the program and return the program to financial self-sufficiency to ensure its survival:

- Assign a Head Coach to oversee the program and coordinate sessions.
- Switch from 2 x 90 minute to 3 x 60 minute sessions
- Switch from an attendance fee to a yearly fee

The swim program has never been formally coordinated between each session and over the course of the season. To address this, Kris Hildebrand will be assigned as the Head Coach of the program. Kris is a former competitive swimmer, and has held numerous swim coaching positions over the past few years with the Manitoba Marlins, Manitoba Masters, water polo, and has most recently volunteered his time with the triathlon sessions on Monday night. Kris will coordinate the swim program throughout the year and provide input into all workouts. The overall plan will be published to assist our members in planning their training. Kris will be on-deck on Monday, as well as most Wednesday and Saturday swims.

The switch from two 90 minute workouts to three 60 minute workouts is proposed to enable a third session to be offered without increasing costs. The third workout is to be scheduled for Saturday afternoons sometime between 1 and 3 PM. Members will be able to train three times a week under a coordinated swim program.

The last proposed change is to have a yearly payment option, rather than a drop-in fee. The proposed fee is $150 for adult members and $100 for members 19 and under. This will provide 12 months of unlimited attendance at any of the TRI MB swims. The drop-in option will still be available, however, to help cover our costs, the proposed fees would be maintained at $3.00 for adults and $1.50 for 19 and under.

Before these changes are implemented, we would appreciate your feedback. Remember that we are trying to provide a program that meets your needs without having to be financially subsidized by TRI MB. Some of the feedback we would like is:

- Do you support the appointment of a Head Coach to coordinate the swim program?
- Would you attend the third workout if it were held on Saturday afternoon? Would you prefer Friday evening?
- Would you sign up for a yearly membership or would you still pay the drop-in rate?
- Any other comments or suggestions, before January 15th would be appreciated.

Please send your comments to Triathlon Manitoba.

Thank you.

November 26, 2001

Let's inspire the world to ride a bike

Jeff Tilbury, a freelance writer who has been writing the Weekend Warrior column in Pedal Magazine for the past two years, is working on compiling stories for an inspirational book about and for cyclists of all ages and disciplines.
Click here to learn more. (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

    (Download Adobe Reader to read PDF files, if you don't already have it on your computer.)

November 15, 2001

The Road To Kona by Dale Kirk

Click here for a newsletter-quality layout including 6 photos. (Adobe PDF -- 234K)

November 12, 2001

ITU Announces Junior Age Changes - Junior Elite Category now 18 to 23 years

The International Triathlon Union announced today the following changes in the Junior category for the 2002 Triathlon World Championships.

1. Under 23 World Championship: (Olympic Distance -- drafting race) to be known as U/23

• Age as on 31 December in the year of the competition.
• Lower age limit:  If an athlete is 17 years old and turns 18 in the year of the competition, they are eligible to compete.
• Upper age limit:  If an athlete is 22 years old and turns 23 in the year of the competition, they are eligible to compete.
• this category replace the Junior 17 to 19 yrs category.
• Each country will be allowed to qualify a minimum of 3 athletes to a maximum of 5.

2. 16 to 19 Junior Sprint World Championship:  (Sprint Distance -- drafting race)

• Age as on 31 December in the year of the competition.
• Lower age limit:  If an athlete is 15 years old and turns 16 in the year of the competition, they are eligible to compete.
• Upper age limit:  If an athlete is 18 years old and turns 19 in the year of the competition, they are eligible to compete.
• This Category replaces the age group 16 to 19 yrs category.
• Each country will be allowed to qualify a maximum of 3 athletes.

Further information on what, if any, changes this may have on Canadian National qualifying events in 2002 will be make available as soon as possible.

November 4, 2001

Triathlete represented province at Hawaii Ironman race by Martin Zeilig

(Winnipeg Free Press Community Review, Wednesday October 31st, page 7.  A photo of Dale and Carina accompanied the story.)

Two years ago, athlete Dale Kirk underwent an operation to repair a collapsed lung.

Earlier this month, he was the lone Manitoban and one of 1,468 competitors in the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

Kirk, 31, completed the gruelling event (a 3.8-kilometre swim, a 180-K road bike race, and a full 44-K marathon) in a time 12:01:52. That was good enough for 784th place.

Kevin Miller, information director with Triathlon Manitoba, notes that Kirk was only the second person from Manitoba to ever qualify for the Hawaii Ironman.

"He's a tremendous athlete," says Miller, adding that Kirk was "an elite runner" prior to his entry into the world of triathlon competitions. "What's really impressive is to be able to pick up the swimming and cycling skills within two years. It's such a short period of time."

Kirk qualified for the Hawaii meet by his high placing at the Ironman Canada Triathlon in Pentiction, B.C. in August.He finished ninth in the 30 to 34 age class and 44th overall.

"When there's 2,000 people starting and you finish in the top 50 that's quite tremendous, especially when it's your first ever Ironman," says Miller. "It just shows the skill level."

Carina Rondeau, Kirk's wife and coach, emphasizes that she helps Kirk stick to his training plan. The couple were married on September 29, so the trip to Hawaii was also their honeymoon.

"I'm his encourager," says Rondeau, noting that she's competed in the Pentiction Ironman twice before. "I've coached him all year. I told him what to do and how to build his endurance over a period of time. You have to build slowly. Just like any coach, you have a year long goal and monthly training routines and you just start from certain points."

Rondeau, 28, who's been participating in triathlons for the past seven years, mentions something called 'the brick', which is a bike/run workout.

"You do a bike ride," she says, "and then get off your bike and shortly afterwards you go out and run and you build from one hour to 90 minutes to a six-hour workout. You have to teach yourself to eat power bars and power gels (creamy concentrated carbohydrates) while you're training."

Overall there are no dietary restrictions, according to Rondeau, who wasn't able to compete in this summer's event in Pentiction because of a broken arm suffered in a training ride in July when a semi-trailer ran her off the highway near Falcon Lake.

"You eat healthy and look after yourself and try and find time for a social life," she says, adding that she and Kirk are members of the Tribalistic Triathlon Club.

The 5-foot-8, 130-pound Kirk has run a total of 18 full marathons, including the Manitoba Marathon, the Boston Marathon, and one in Berlin, Germany since 1988. In 1998, he placed fourth in the Edmonton Marathon with a time of 2 hours and 43 minutes.

"I started running for fun," says Kirk. "And then I began training year round and getting better and always finishing in the top 10 and even winning some races."

Despite -- or because of -- his success, he began to look for a change. Then he met Carina.

"She introduced me to triathlon in July, 2000. We met at a 10-kilometre race in Assiniboine Park," says Kirk.

She convinced Kirk to enter a "sprint" triathlon (750-metre swim, 20-K bike race, 5-K run) at Lac du Bonnet. To his surprise, Kirk won the event.

"I thought, 'Wow, I've got some natural ability,'" says Kirk. "I did one more triathlon that year and came in the top five. Then we went out to Penticton last year so Carina could sign up for the 2001 Ironman. We were standing in line and I decided that I'd do it just because I saw all the different ages of people who'd done it. I thought if someone in their 70s can do it, I will too."

Kirk and Rondeau began their training, which included swimming lessons for Kirk, in December. Their schedule over the winter included swimming three times a week at the Pan Am Pool, cycling three times a week on a bike machine, and running on the track at the University of Manitoba's Max Bell training facility, as well as outdoor runs.

"We met with our club and trained as a group," says Kirk.

Prior to Penticton, he entered three local Olympic-distance triathlons (1.5-K swim, 40-K bike, and 10-K run).

"I did well," says Kirk. "I improved in each one. I'm not the fastest at the shorter distances, but I'm training for the Ironman, which is an endurance event, so I'm not focusing on speed."

He states that the bike ride in Kona was the most gruelling of the three events.

"It was the hardest I'd ever done in my life because of the heat and wind," says Kirk, adding that the temperature on that part of the course was measured, at one point, at over 50 degrees Celsius. "There were people blown off their bike. Some people dropped out before the end of the bike race because they were injured from being blown off their bikes. I was so happy at the turnaround point because now I figured the wind would be at my back. When I first got on the bike, I thought I'd better pace myself. I wanted to have fun and take in the enjoyment of being in the world championships with so many other elite athletes."

During the marathon portion, Kirk, who won Triathlon Manitoba's High Performance Award for Most Improved Athlete for 2001, notes that he was actually passing other runners.

"I picked up the pace because I knew I'd be able to finish, and it was actually starting to get dark," he says, adding that runners were given 'glow sticks' to carry along the darkened course.

"I felt great at the end. There were lots of pros who dropped out (including last year's champion, Peter Reid of Victoria, B.C.). It just goes to show you that if your determined you can make it."

Photo by Mike Deal, Winnipeg Free Press
Copyright (c) 2001 Winnipeg Free Press

October 17, 2001

The off-season

It's been a busy week for a summer sport like triathlon. The Race Director's Meeting and the Annual Awards Evening were held last Saturday, a series of clinics took place throughout the weekend, and the Annual General Meeting occurred yesterday evening. You'd think that the Staff & Board of Triathlon Manitoba could now take it easy since the 2002 racing season is still over six months away. Not so!

The new Board will immediately begin planning for next season. The biggest job will be determining who is going to do all of the tasks that ex Development Coordinator David Markham has been doing "forever". Then there's ensuring that programs are in place to develop the sport: developing new officials, retaining our ever increasing membership, and reaching out to new athletes and other people who are interested in improving their fitness and achieving athletic goals --- to name just a few of the many tasks that a successful sport must undertake each year.

The staff will soon begin the time-consuming process of assembling our "Game Plan". That's the business plan that a sport must submit to Sport Manitoba each year. The Game Plan must accurately reflect the association's achievements of the past year, while setting attainable goals for next year and the means to achieve them. The better a sport's Game Plan, the more funding the sport receives from Sport Manitoba. Then there's laying all the groundwork for next season: the events, the production of the spring newsletter, and performing all the tasks that the Board's planning process creates.   Some programs operate all year: the Pan Am Pool Swims and support to clubs, to name just two. Also, the fiscal year-end is March 31st, and a handful of events such as the Swim/Runs are staged during the winter.

For any sport, the workload may not be quite as heavy during the off-season as in-season, but every successful sport is a year-round operation with plenty of tasks to do during the off-season to ensure that next season is as successful as the past season.

Best of luck to all athletes in your off-season training.  We look forward to seeing everyone out at one of the winter swim/runs or club training sessions.

October 15, 2001

Our Annual Awards Evening this past weekend by Jaclyn Vallis, Triathlon Manitoba Executive Director

As many of you know, this past weekend was full of triathlon activities for the membership. The Performance Enhancement Team (PET) that works with the athletes at the Manitoba-National Triathlon Centre offered Athlete Development Clinics on 5 different topics open to the membership. I have heard lots of positive feedback on all the sessions. I myself had the opportunity to attend three of the sessions and they were excellent, thanks to the PET. 

The Annual Awards Night took place on Saturday and was very well attended. Thanks to all volunteers who helped with the planning, set-up and clean up of the evening. Kudos to the chefs Lionel Brunel and Hans Schweitzer who prepared a scrumptious meal. Special thanks also to Philippe Chabot who compiled pictures from throughout the summer to capture the 2001 Race Season for The Year in Review show.

We would also like to thank all the businesses that donated prizes for the evening. Water bottles were provided to all in attendance courtesy of a number of Louis Garneau retailers in town. Individuals wishing to place orders for Louis Garneau merchandise get special discounts if orders are placed by October 31^st. The office still has a few catalogues left, if anyone would like one.

Congratulations to all athletes recognized for the achievements this past year.  For a recap of the winners, please see the High Performance Awards and Race Series Awards pages. We hope to see everyone out again next year.

Editor's addition:
On behalf of everyone who attended the Annual Awards Evening, I'd like to thank the event's Organizing Committee (Sandy Klassen, Pauline Breiter, Jaclyn Vallis, and Anita Miller) for all their planning and hard work that made the evening a success.

September 19, 2001

Triathlon Manitoba races are well organized by a Triathlon Manitoba member

I raced at the Square Lake Triathlon, just north of Minneapolis / St Paul, a couple weeks ago. It was a Half Ironman distance and Olympic distance race. I did the Half, and the organization was terrible. Many of the top contenders missed turns, there were not enough racks for the bikes, and there was no aid on the run between miles 3 and 10 --- just to mention a few of the problems. The race was unsanctioned and run "for profit", so I expect that may be why it was so expensive and poorly supplied. With 600 competitors paying $60 to $80 US each, I expect there was lots of profit ... there was little support, aid, food, or prizes.

The reason I mention this is because I want to express my thanks to you for running such a great series of races throughout the year. I raced most of the events, and without exception, they were excellent. I raced two races in the US this summer too, and every Manitoba event was better run than both the races in the US.  I am very appreciative for everyone's hard work, and look forward to next year's season!

September 16, 2001

Winnipeg Free Press: Hawaiian triathlon site of honeymoon -- Love of sport unites couple by Ashley Prest

Call them the Iron Couple.

Neither collapsed lung nor collision with a semi-trailer can stop Carina Rondeau and Dale Kirk from pursuing their love of triathlon.

In fact, the couple, who met during a road race and will marry Sept. 29, are so passionate about triathlon that they'll enjoy their honeymoon in Hawaii where Kirk will compete as Manitoba's only entry in the prestigious World Triathlon Championships on Oct. 6.

It's Kirk's first attempt at conquering the world's most famous triathlon. He qualified for it by finishing in the top five per cent of his age group in the Ironman Canada Triathlon in Penticton, B.C., on Aug. 26. He clocked in a time of nine hours and 56 minutes -- ninth in the 30-34 age group and 44th overall out of 1,985 competitors.

He's just the second Triathlon Manitoba member to complete the race in under 10 hours -- Dan Morwood did so last year.

Kirk said there's such a mystique surrounding the Hawaii Ironman -- it's even held according to the beginning of the full moon -- that once he qualified, he knew he had to go.

"Hawaii is exciting enough to watch on television but to actually compete in it, for a lot of people it's a dream," said Kirk, 31. "All the pros, all the champions, the best 1,200 triathletes from around the world will be there. It'll be exciting to rub shoulders with the big guys in the sport."

Kirk said he and Rondeau decided to honeymoon Oct. 1-13 in Hawaii regardless of whether he would be a participant or spectator. "Either way we were going."

For Kirk, who will set no time goal for himself in Hawaii since the Canadian Championships were only five weeks ago, competing in the world championship is a triumph at the deepest personal level.

In June 1999, he woke up with a "sloshing" feeling and tightness in his chest. When it didn't subside after a couple of days, he sought medical attention and was immediately hospitalized.

"One minute I was training for the Manitoba Marathon and the next thing I found myself in a hospital bed with a collapsed lung," said Kirk, who was diagnosed with spontaneous pneumo-thorax -- an air bubble that burst and collapsed his left lung. The affliction differed slightly from the collapsed lung suffered by NHL star Eric Lindros around the same time.

"I never thought much about it but it is amazing to me that just two years after lung surgery, I'm in the Hawaii Ironman."

Kirk's lung was treated but it collapsed again 10 days later. He saw a specialist but 10 days later it collapsed a third time. This time Kirk underwent surgery, was away from work for six weeks and was ordered not to run for three months. Last April he met Rondeau and two months later, he began triathlon training with her.

\"He has so much natural ability and with his dedication and commitment, I'm not surprised he's come so far in the sport in just one year," said Rondeau, 28, whom Kirk credits as his key adviser and supporter. Rondeau has twice competed in the Ironman Canada.

Rondeau would have been racing right alongside him last month in Penticton if not for the fact that two months ago she was run off the Trans-Canada Highway near Falcon Lake by a semi-trailer, which accidentally veered onto the shoulder where she was cycling.

While the truck kept going, she suffered several breaks in both bones in her left arm and had plates inserted. A nurse at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre, Rondeau is healing well but can't return to work until next month. She is, however, back on her bike.

"A lot of people have said, 'Are you sure you want to continue with this (triathlon)' after what we've been through but that's not going to stop us from doing what we love to do," Rondeau said.

In Hawaii, Kirk will compete in the Ironman distances of a 3.8 kilometre swim, 180 km bike and a 42.2 km run. This differs from the Olympic triathlon distances of 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run, which are used in most local triathlon.

September 4, 2001

A Kids of Steel "thank you"  by Nancy & Brian Drad

Dear Triathlon Manitoba,

This was our family's first experience with Triathlon Manitoba and we want to take a few moments to thank-you and your hard working committee for a job extremely well done. Our boys have always played team sports (hockey and soccer) and outside of being part of the cross-country running club at school, Kids of Steel was their first experience with an individual sport. The organization at these races still amazes us. Every event we attended was well run and went off so smoothly. We can't thank-you enough for the many hours which you extend to make these events possible.

We watched Simon Whitfield win that precious Gold Medal on television. We're not sure when we realized that he was going to win but we called for the boys to come and watch Simon win Canada's first Gold Medal at the Australia Games. Both Fraser and Joshua watched and became interested in what he had done (the swim, the bike, the run). We live in the country and have a huge septic field plus we have an in-ground pool. The boys decided to do a mini-triathlon right then and there. In October, in Manitoba, in the dark. They decided to bike first, then run and end off with the swim (they thought they'd get too cold if they swam first).

After listening to Simon being interviewed we checked out Kids of Steel. Simon had said in the interview that he did Kids of Steel races and that's what got him hooked on triathlons. Thank goodness for the internet because we searched Kids of Steel and found out what we could about the events.

Our boys were hooked and the rest is history.  They're now Tri-Geeks.   They've have had a great experience, tried a new sport and are in the best physical shape ever!!!

Please extend our thanks to your many volunteers. This has truly been a wonderful summer.

August 31, 2001

I am an Ironman!  by Monica Godar

It took me 15 hours, 31 minutes and 41 seconds, but I did it. I became an Ironman on Sunday August 26, 2001 in Penticton BC completing 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike and 42.2 km run. This is the story about how it happened.

I arrived in Penticton on Wednesday afternoon the 22nd of August. The weather was awful, there were huge white caps in the water, it was cold and very windy out. I instantly had a feeling of panic as I stood underneath the shadows of the mountains around me. All the doubts that I was having about my training over the past year were beginning to surface. Was I strong enough, fit enough and tough enough to do the most physically demanding race around? I walked around the athletes village and these fears increased as the pure strength of the people around me was apparent. This small town was now the home to the fittest people in the world. Everyone had muscular shapely calves, could my calves compare??

The athletes village was all ready in a frenzy of the latest products and gear around. Not to mention a million t-shirts that you could also buy to remember this occasion. "It doesn't happen unless you have a t-shirt" I figure should be my motto. There was a huge jumbo screen television set in the middle of the village that was playing videos of last years Ironman race. I watched it for some time and the realization that in only a few short days I was to be a part of that race.

The registration process began and the volunteers that make this event such a success were working their magic. Each one gave their unique style of encouragement and hope along the way. I received my number 1734. I hoped that this number was lucky because if the stars were aligned just right, and I thanked my lucky horse shoe maybe I could have a great race. Well they were!

Friday evening we had a carbo loading dinner where all of the athletes gathered together. Ironman this year was to be the largest race ever. There were 1985 starters in the water, the biggest in the world. A huge feat for this race but a tension point for the athletes. I was going to swim with nearly 2000 people, the biggest swim start I had was 200 people and I thought that was crowded.

Saturday marked the parade of athletes. This is a big tradition of Ironman Canada where the athletes walk the last 2 km of the race. Superstition has it if you do not walk in the parade then you suffer the wrath of the Ogopogo come race day. Talking to some people after the race that had problems and did not participate in the parade, there may be a connection after all. My family all gathered for the parade and continued to cheer me on for the rest of the weekend. I could not of done all this without their help and support. After the parade my little cousin Logan mentioned to me that the parade would have been better if there were less people, more floats and next time I did the parade I should throw candy. You can't please everyone.

Race morning started at 4:30 as I shot out of bed, this was the day that I have been waiting and training for over a year now. Nervousness I had was replaced by excitement and more nervousness. The walk to the beach was somber as we passed people with the same wide eyed expression of terror and anticipation. The checking in process went smoothly and all that was left was to wait.

Later in the water with a few words of encouragement from friends and strangers the cannon went off -- the day had begun. For a swim with so many people, I found it remarkably peaceful. It was a great day, clear, no clouds or wind. As I began swimming I could hear the loud speakers playing in the background "Beautiful Day" by U2, a perfectly fitting song. I swam and swam and felt great, no sore muscles, no cramps, relaxed breathing, perfect. I exited the water in 1:17, about 5 minutes faster than I was planning and felt great! The wet suit strippers grabbed me and I was well on my way to racing Ironman. One down two more to go!

The beginning of the bike was beautiful, rolling hills along the water and throughout all the fruit orchards. I tried to look around as much as I could to mentally take in as much of the natural beauty as I could. I entered the race never seeing exactly what the course was going to be like. Had I known how big the mountains were going to be and how hard they were going to be to climb I think I would have been even more nervous than I was. After all the orchards we started up the mountain, I asked the girl beside me if this was Richter Pass and laughed because the section that we did was easy. Yes, this was Richter, but we were only about 1/4 of the way up. Dropping my bike in the low gear I fought my way to the top. One mountain done, only Yellow Lake to go. Well going down Richter Pass was way scarier for this flat land prairie girl. My face was pulled back, tears from my eyes and my knuckles white with terror holding on to my brakes. As people kept flying by me I realized that my bike has probably never seen a speed like this. I looked over at the beautiful view around me only for one second, but then had to return to my bike ride of terror.

The ride continued and 120 km had passed, only Yellow Lake, two bumps, and then it is all downhill was what I was told. Climbing another mountain close to the end of the ride is just evil. About half way up the mountain my quadriceps seized and then my hamstrings, and I was forced to get off my bike. I walked for a few minutes until I passed one of the spectators on the side of the road. From their car stereo I could hear the theme song from Rocky. That is what I felt like at the moment, beat up and ready to give up. I think this song helped. I stretched for another minute got on my bike and continued the rest of the way into transition. Another round of the race had begun.

Dave, thank you again for the wheels.  I got no fewer than 20 compliments on the course about them, no problems, and they were great for meeting guys!!

Heading back into town it was like the Tour de France, the streets were lined about 5 people deep as they clapped, shouted and cheered out your name. Heading out onto the run I was so happy. My bike time was just like I wanted and if I crawled the marathon I could still make it in for my goal, to finish and the t-shirt!

The day was still quite hot but I continued along. The spectators there were amazing. Everyone was equipped with the athlete book and were looking up your name to cheer you on. All evening there was someone out there saying "way to go Monica". The evening continued and my body was beginning to have second thoughts about this race, I tried sleeping while running, but you do not go very straight. All I wanted to do was find some ground to stop and sit for a while. I sat down and realized I might not make it up again. Two hands came out of the darkness and said they were not leaving me behind. Hose and Darryl and I talked each other through that last 8 kilometers of of the run.

Heading back into town was a great experience, the lights got brighter and the finish line was in view. I found my cousin Garrett and Alysia and they ran part way with my to be replaced by my other cousins Ryan and Alexa. They were both ready for the big sprint finish. I think I was sprinting in my mind, but my body had other ideas. I hugged my mom before entering the finish line. I think it would be impossible to do a race like this without the support of family and friends. Entering the finish area was a surreal experience, the lights the music and the crowds of people reaching out to you. Best of all the announcer shouting "Monica, You Are an Ironman!!". After the race spectators came up and shook your hand in congratulations.

To me the time never mattered, all I wanted to do was finish, and I did, and I will forever be an Ironman!

August 20, 2001

Philippe Chabot places 3rd overall in Calgary's Lake Chaparral Olympic Distance Triathlon

The Lake Chaparral Triathlon in Calgary was on August 12th.  Philippe Chabot was the only Manitoban, and he placed 3rd of 243 at 2:05:56.  Ex-Winnipegger Bob Molle was 43rd.  Click here for complete results.

June 27, 2001

Tidbits from the St Malo Multi-Sport Weekend by Jaclyn Vallis

There were 337 participants in the events over the weekend, a record high for Triathlon. The new Try-a-Tri event had 21 participant, over half of them first-time participants who have called the office looking for other events this summer. Congratulations to these first-time triathletes who raced on the weekend.

Did you notice the medals provided to the Kids of Steel athletes? These medals were provided by the Tribalistic Triathlon Team, and were engraved with the race date and location. Ecole Riverview brought out 26 newcomers to the event who were all having fun, challenging the Tribalistic Kids of Steel team from Ryerson School who also had around 20 members out.

A lot of positive feedback was received on the organizing committee's close attention to details.  Did you get a chance to check out the many, many draw prizes collected? Were you a volunteer who appreciated the thank-you bags they distributed to all who helped with the event? And what about the new Triathlon Manitoba finish line system that they spruced up with sponsor logos and a finish line tape for finishers to get pictures crossing the line!

Congratulations to all who competed this weekend, and great job to the St Malo Multi-Sport Weekend organizing committee and Tribalistic Team who put on the great events. Be sure to check the race website to see pics and the many new course records that were set on the weekend.

June 16, 2001

Kevin Breiter competes in the Elite Men's race at the JDS Uniphase Victoria International Triathlon

Click here for results.

June 15, 2001

Forget the race prizes, go for the draw prizes  by Steve Sheppard, Pinawa resident

The Pinawa Free Spirit Triathlon and Duathlon on July 8th has some neat stuff to give away. Do they call that shwag in triathlon/duathlon promotions too?

The Free Spirit is a remake of one of Manitoba’s old reliable events. From a town that is crazy about triathlon/duathlon. There’s one person out of every 170 residents who have raced in the past or are racing now … maybe the highest per capita in Canada? Part of this is because the course is fast and reliable, so it has drawn lots of local interest.

This year should be better than ever. Based on advice from Triathlon Manitoba, the bike and run courses have been fully separated. Now an Olympic competitor does two laps of each. The water course has been shifted a little, to have less cross-current. The transition will be in the usual area, right beside the new 20-foot high Pinawa sundial. Although the sundial is probably sufficiently accurate, the race timing will use more modern equipment!

Sponsorship has been fabulous. There are good race prizes: a trophy for top Eastman male and female, two wood carvings from a well-known local artist (and some-time triathlon competitor) as a random draw among the top 5 males and females, and the usual certificates. There are even better draw prizes: A trip for two on WestJet to destinations west of Winnipeg. More prizes from Celia’s Jewelry, Olympia Cycle & Ski, and The Studio (another Pinawa artist and triathlon competitor). The Town on Pinawa will also be providing lots of handouts. The local organisers were treated to a sample of the post-race meal. Great stuff. We think this event will knock your socks off.

For details and registration information, check the Triathlon Manitoba website (www.triathlon.mb.ca). People to contact in Pinawa are Race Directors Don Ewing (dlewing@granite.mb.ca , 204 753-2577) and Les Meyers (meyersl@aecl.ca , 204 345-2611).

June 13, 2001

Tidbits from the Triple Threat Triathlon / Canadian Junior Triathlon Championships

• If you were at Birds Hill Park on Saturday morning (either as a participant in one of the events, a volunteer, or a spectator), did you notice the new finish line?  It's a stand-alone, modular, steel-tubing structure with an overhead banner that reads FINISH on one side.  A club or race banner can be hung on the other side.  This structure was built by Glenn Campbell, and it is now part of Triathlon Manitoba's inventory of equipment that can be borrowed by each race.

• There were 117 participants in the Triple Threat Triathlon, and nine of them were in the High School categories in the Sprint Triathlon event.  The 5th place (of 7) High School Male finished 20 minutes behind the 1st place finisher in that category.   That's not particularly impressive until you learn that he's not actually in High School because he's only 12 years old --- in fact, he's triathlon-age 11 in 2001.   Kyle Crowston, congratulations on completing your first Sprint Triathlon!

• The swim and bike courses used on Saturday might have looked very familiar to many of you.  That's because they were virtually identical to the courses used at the 1998 Canadian Triathlon Championships, the 1999 Pan Am Games, and the 1999 Triple Threat Triathlon (the 2000 Triple Threat Tri was cancelled because of lightning and heavy rain).   The run course is a different story.  This was the fourth reincarnation of that course, and, in my opinion, this 4 x 2.5K circuit was the best one yet --- I say it's a keeper.  What I liked was that you got to run right through the transition zone three times, there is actually one hill and a couple of rollers on the crushed limestone path between the lakes, spectators can position themselves to see over half the course and a 300 m walk allows them to see over 80% of it, and the 150m x 2 out-and-back section allows you to see who is a minute or two behind you and you can exchange "way to go"s with other runners.  Do you agree?  Send comments about the course to me.

• Did I mention comments?  The following e-mail was received by the Triple Threat Triathlon Club two days after the event:

Dear Triple Threat folks,   

Congratulations on a fantastic race. That was one of the best organized races I have attended. The enthusiastic volunteers cheering us on made for a perfect day. The other races in Manitoba have something to strive for. Congrats once again.

Evan Nitschmann

P.S. Good job on the weather too.

• It gets even better.  Recall that the winner of the Female Junior Elite race was Alicia Kaye of Ontario.  Her mother's name is Kathleen:

Hello,
We have just returned home from this event and wanted to thank all the race organizers and race day volunteers for all the work to prepare for and run this race. I have rarely seen such a well organized event with such helpful volunteers and the care and attention the athletes received was excellent. The post race dinner was also excellent and we appreciate so much the work that went into it and send our thanks.

Kathleen Kaye
Alicia Kaye

May 22, 2001

Kevin Breiter finishes 4th in the elite race at the 2001 North Shore Spring Triathlon

On Monday May 21st, Triathlon Manitoba's Kevin Breiter finished 4th of 34 men in the elite race at the 2001 North Shore Spring Triathlon in Vancouver.  It was a 740m swim, 20K bike, and 5K run --- Kevin's time was 54:10.  Click here for complete results.

April 26, 2001

Jacob David Markham by David Markham, Triathlon Manitoba's Development Coordinator

April 18, 2001

National Sport Centre Manitoba awards bursaries to athletes  by Lisa Tinley

The National Sport Centre Manitoba and our partners are pleased to announce the most recent recipients of the Athlete Centre Fund Bursary.  The Athlete Centre Fund was created from the 1999 Pan Am Games Legacy and has been established to provide an additional source of support for Manitoba athletes training to compete at an Olympic Games or World Championships.  By providing athletes with additional dollars that can be applied towards travelling, training and competition expenses, they will be able to focus more completely on their competition and training.  It is the hope of the National Sport Centre Manitoba and our partners that this fund will help Manitoba’s best achieve their best performance in international competition.

The following athletes received Athlete Centre Fund Bursaries:

• David Anderson – Paddling
• Dominique Bosshart – Taekwondo
• Jennifer Botterill – Women’s Hockey
• Kevin Breiter – Triathlon
• Susanne Dandenault – Weightlifting
• Jim Fisher – Cycling
• Travis Gaertner – Wheelchair Basketball
• Rhiannon Leier –Swimming
• Michelle Lischinsky – Swimming
• Charlotte MacEachern – Weightlifting
• Heather Newsham – Softball
• Ryan Savage – Boxing
• Kara Solmundson – Badminton

Athlete Centre Fund is open to athletes who have met the following criteria:

• Is eligible to compete in an Olympic sport or a sport which has world championships
• Is deemed eligible and in good standing by their appropriate National Sport Federation
• Is a Manitoban or athletes who are residing and training in MB for a minimum one year residency
• Athletes who have already qualified for the Olympic Games or World Championships
• Athletes who according to their NSO, have a realistic chance to qualify for the Olympic Games or World Championships

Anyone wishing to donate to the Athlete Centre Fund and help athletes achieve their dream can call Lisa Tinley at 480-3005 or e-mail tinleyl@cc.umanitoba.ca

April 7, 2001

Mike Klatt has been elected PSO rep

At the Sport Manitoba Sport Congress today, Triathlon Manitoba Treasurer Mike Klatt was elected by the Provincial Sport Organizations (PSO) to one of the two spots that were up for reelection this year.  He will be one of five reps on the Sport Manitoba Board of Directors for a 3 year term.  Congratulations Mike!

March 13, 2001

Kevin Breiter wins 2001 UBC Triathlon Tri Challenge

On Saturday March 10th, Kevin Breiter won the 2001 UBC Triathlon Tri Challenge at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.  It was a 1500m pool swim, 43K bike, and 10K run --- Kevin's winning time was 2:09:13.  Click here for complete results.

February 19, 2001

Would you like to see Clydesdale and Athena categories at our races?

Triathlon Manitoba's Development Committee would like to know how many people would register in a Clydesdale (men who weigh more than 200 pounds) or Athena (women who weigh more than 150 pounds) category if they were offered at some or all of our races.  Here's why we're asking:

Inga Andriessen is the Canadian representative of Team Clydesdale International, the International Weight Division Racing Federation. Team Clydesdale has been accepted as an Exhibition Event by the ITU for 2001 Triathlon Worlds in Edmonton and 2002 Triathlon Worlds in Cancun.

Team Clydesdale Canada has 48 slots, allocated as follows:
- Men over 40, over 200lbs (12)
- Men under 40, over 200lbs(12)
- Women over 40, over 150lbs (12)
- Women under 40, over 150lbs (12)

If you have any any comments or questions about this, please e-mail Development Committee Chair Michelle Barnet.

February 17, 2001

Triathlon Manitoba's history

Triathlon Manitoba is a young organization -- a little over 10 years old, although David Markham and others began organizing triathlons in Manitoba in 1983.  We've never taken the time to formally document our history, but we think that it's now time to do so, given that David, Laurel Read, Gary Pallet and others are still around.

We'd like to add some historical information on our website, and perhaps also produce a small book or a display of memorabilia.  As for the website, you may have noticed that the Kids of Steel Provincial Champions, High Performance Athletes, Junior Team Athletes, High Performance Awards, and Race Series Awards pages all go back a few years, but we'd really like to go back much further.  In addition, photos, stories, and results from early races would add a nice touch.

Board member Sandy Klassen has offered to coordinate this initiative.  If you'd like to help Sandy, or you have information or anything to contribute to the compilation of Triathlon Manitoba's history, please contact her at sandyklassen@shaw.ca . 

December 21, 2000

A Guide for Sport Parents   by Barry Moroz

For your information and response to any questions -- A Guide for Sport Parents is now available for reading and printing on the Sport Manitoba web site.

As this is a large file with many photos, viewing and printing time will be dependent on your modem and computer speed.

November 7, 2000

Selection of a New Executive Director - Triathlon   by Mitch Kolbuck, Triathlon Manitoba President

The successful candidate for the position of Executive Director of Triathlon Manitoba is Jaclyn Vallis.

Jaclyn brings with her a wide variety of experience and a solid knowledge of our sport. It has also become apparent that
she is very well respected by the members of the triathlon community and by many individuals within Sport Manitoba.
She will be "officially" commencing her employment on November 15th, 2000 and will be training with Laurel until
November 30th, 2000.

We are very excited to welcome Jaclyn as our new Executive Director for Triathlon Manitoba and to our great team of
staff and volunteers.

As you all know, Jaclyn was also a member of our Board of Directors, but effective immediately she is no longer
considered a Board member, and her vacancy will be addressed and filled in the near future.

October 12, 2000

Will work for food   by Kevin Breiter from the National Training Centre in Victoria

Hey, how's everyone doing? How's the training center going and how does it work? The weather out here has been great. Sunny and still warm enough to wear shorts. I heard you guys got some snow (ha ha ha). I have the best roommate ever. She likes to clean, and well, I like to be messy so it works out perfectly. She is like a mother figure but hot and doesn't nag me. I don't have a job yet but I'll hopefully find out if I got a job at the Running Room on Tuesday. All the athletes are very nice and supportive of each other, I can tell it is going to be a wicked training year out here.

My first swim was amazing, I swam in the same lane as the great Peter Reid, Lori Bowden, the Ausie Greg Bennet, Lori Lynne Leach and Melissa Sooner. When Simon got back I met him and swam with him. He and Greg Bennet are such nice people and super funny. When Simon got back from Australia the Victoria airport was packed with fans and media. He signed autographs all night, Lance his coach even signed a couple dozen autographs. Most of the people were between the ages of 9 and 15. One girl was even crying when she met him.

Even though every run I've done with them I've got my ass dropped, it is still motivating. Right now there are about 20 athletes here but come December and January Simon, Kelly Guest, Brent McMahon, Greg Bennet, Steffen Timms and a few others will be going to Australia for 3 months along with coach Lance Watson. It's just the international people. On the other hand we are also getting some athletes in January.

I don't think I've ever trained as hard as I have in the past two weeks, I'm running 5 times a week because x-country race season is just starting and they want us racing every second week. The coaches say I'll be running mid 34 min 10Ks by the end of x-country season. Wouldn't that be nice. We have one of the best swim coaches around. He's already improved my swim stroke. He is also Peter Reid and Simon's swim coach. He's also Lori Bowden's swim coach but that's nothing to brag about.

I'm missing some of that homemade cooking because I don't know how to cook but I am learning. But until then if anyone wants to send me some homemade chocolate chip cookies my address is 980-408 Wordsly St, Victoria. They would be greatly appreciated. And don't worry Dave, I'm not a stud.

kevin_breiter@hotmail.com (250) 389-0049

October 12, 2000

COA commits to collaborative effort to create better sport system as Sydney Olympic Games close by COA

Canadian Olympic Association (COA) officials are leaving the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games invigorated and determined to lead the charge for a national Vision for Sport. "We've been seeking input from athletes, coaches, National Sport Federation and government officials throughout the Olympic Games," said Bill Warren, COA President. "Plans also are underway to meet with other government departments to build their understanding of the role that the Vision for Sport can play in improving the amateur sport system, which subsequently also will have a positive impact on Canadian health and wellness and the economy.

"The time has never been better for the COA to move forward with this call for action and cooperation," added Carol Anne Letheren, COA Chief Executive Officer. She stressed that it is critical that other parties join the Canadian sport community in the discussions and participate in the action plan. "The benefits of sport go far beyond the sport community itself," said Ms. Letheren. "The physical fitness, social and health benefits are invaluable and we must pay attention to them as a nation. We have allowed ourselves as a society to forget how important amateur sport is and we are paying the price. Other countries such as Australia, the United States and Great Britain have figured this out and are enjoying the benefits - from a performance, social and economic perspective."

"We must create a sport system that is based on collaboration and shared objectives, otherwise our efforts become splintered and our system will become increasingly inefficient and ineffective," said Mark Lowry, COA Executive Director Sport and Programs. "Our goal is not just to allocate more money to amateur sport: we need to understand exactly what is required and identify the optimum structure and system that will allow is to reach our goals." Mr. Lowry explained that the hallmark of the COA's Vision for Sport is an expert-based sport structure responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and conducting the research and analysis of sport development and performance.

Mr. Warren applauded Denis Coderre, Secretary of State for Amateur Sport, for the support he has shown since his appointment just over a year ago. "I am confident Mr. Coderre will take this issue forward to his colleagues in government immediately, especially with a federal election approaching," he suggested.

The COA, a private, not-for-profit corporation, is the largest private sector funder of amateur sport in Canada. Its Board of Directors includes representatives of the National Federations of every Olympic and Pan American sport. It is responsible for all aspects of Canada's involvement in the Olympic Movement, including Canada's participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games. In addition, the COA manages a wide variety of programs that promote the Olympic Movement in Canada through cultural and educational means. Please visit our web site at www.coa.ca.

September 25, 2000

Olympic Torch Scholarships    Winnipeg Free Press - Monday September 25, 2000

Nine Manitoba student athletes and coaches received Olympic Torch Scholarships this weekend. Petro Canada has offered scholarships to young Canadian athletes, in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Association, since creating a fund after the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

Included in the nine recipients were Jenny Ayers, who is finishing her education degree at the U of W and Marcus Blouw, who trains at the National Sports Centre at the U of M, where he is also a student.

Congratulations!

September 23, 2000

Provincial Time Trial Championship

Four Triathlon Manitoba members competed in the Manitoba Cycling Association's Provincial Time Trial Championship on Sunday September 17th at Birds Hill Park.

Jenny Ayers won the gold medal in the Veteran A Female category.
Brian Schroeder took the silver imedal in the Veteran B Male category.
In the Senior Male category, Dan Morwood finished first and Allan Scott finished third. Allan was awarded the silver medal, but Dan did not receive a medal (presumably because he is not an MCA member).

Congratulations to all four triathletes!

September 21, 2000

Letter to David Markham from STAC by John Marshall, President, Saskatchewan Triathlon Association Corporation

Dear Dave: 

I wanted to thank you for making the Riding Mountain Regional Youth/Junior triathlon race an enjoyable experience for our triathletes from Saskatchewan. I understand that Amanda Reimer and Ryan Liebel were able to participate in some of the social events that you offered to your youths and juniors. We were very pleased with each of  the performances of our athletes. My only regret is that we were able to field a team of only 4 athletes due to some unanticipated last minute cancellations.  Dave Lyon is to be commended for putting on a top notch race and I also want to thank him for his patience in accepting our entry forms.

Our youth/junior program is obviously still in the developmental stages. We have been fortunate to have been invited by Gary Pallett to participate in your regional Triathlon Centre in Manitoba. I  know we are in discussions with the Saskatchewan Sport Science Program to provide local services as well. Your province has provided an excellent model to follow in triathlon development.

We have started to plan for the 2001 race schedule. Next year would be our turn to host  Regional Youth/ Junior Championships. I must admit that Riding Mountain is a triathlon with a well established history so that it will be tough to create the kind of atmosphere the kids experienced this year.

Thank you once again for all your efforts in including us in your competitions and triathlon programs.

September 7, 2000

Thank you Junior Development Team by Ellis Crowston, Westman Triumphs Multisport Club

Dear Kevin,

As the summer winds to an end, I have had a chance to reflect on this past summer, specifically about triathlons and my family's involvement with Triathlon Manitoba. I want to thank you for being so supportive when I inquired about a bike for Kara Foley last spring. It made a great difference in her enjoyment in this sport, and I know she did enjoy it. Westman is very proud of her performance this year. Also I would like to thank David, Shawna and Monica for their dedicated work with the Junior Development Team. I saw change in both performance and enthusiasm in Karla-Rae Buga after the Southport Junior Development Team Camp, and realized what a quality job those three people are doing.

I am truly amazed with that group of girls and boys involved in the Junior Development Team. Their true character showed this summer in the way they encouraged and supported Karla-Rae during the Southport Camp, and with her transition to Sprint, and how they embraced Kara, as she participated in her first full summer of racing. The boys took my son Kyle under their wing during the Riding Mountain Junior Development Team Camp, and treated him with respect, even though most of the boys did not know him, and he was much younger (he had the time of his life and cannot wait for his first Sprint race).

David, Monica, Shawna and yourself should be very proud as it is through your hard work and dedication that this group has evolved to such a high standard. To be able to develop such companionship and empathy with each other at this level of a competitive sport is a rare gift. As a father I thank you, David, Monica, Shawna and Triathlon Manitoba for this dedication and work. I'm not sure how Kyle will turn out over the years, but I know he will be a better person due to his involvement with Triathlon Manitoba.

September 5, 2000 by Jenny Ayers

Outwit, Outplay, Outlast

13 Manitobans Isolated on the East Coast of Canada.
The premise was simple: relocate land-locked prairie chickens, mix them in amongst Canada’s best triathletes, and ask them to perform on “the World’s Toughest Course.”

Corner Brook.
No one said living 4 1/2 days on a wind-swept maritime island was going to be easy. But after traveling to the edge of the country, the thirteen men and women of Tri Manitoba outwitted, outplayed and outlasted the small, but fierce national field, and returned home not only as survivors, but as winners as well. The youngest survivor, Kevin Breiter, was sent to live with and spy on non-Manitobans at the college dorms. The rest of the racers were separated into two rooms: The lively JEFFJIMROB room and the more orderly island-headquarters inhabited by PATJENBRIAN.  The host (Laurel Read), camera crew (Barry & Pauline Breiter), and executive / supporters (Mitch Kolbuck, Mike Klatt, and Saul Simmonds) safely took shelter one floor away. Over the course of the expedition, the racers and crew mixed well. At one point, there was an unexpected turn of events when the host temporarily abandoned her role as Executive Director, and fully engaged in the competition. (More on that later.)

Highlights of Manitoba’s participation in the 2000 Canadian Triathlon Championships held on July 23^rd can be categorized as follows:

Outwit:

Kevin tried to outwit his opponents by threatening to race in his birthday suit. He was convinced however, to don the Manitoba uniform, and Kevin raced well against Canada’s best elites, finishing 20^th overall, pleasing his fans, and especially his on-site family.

Rob Vallis tried to outwit Newfoundland airport officials by attempting to fly without a ticket. You can’t blame Rob for thinking he could fly unaided, though, because he flew through the race course in Manitoba’s blazingest time, placing 6^th overall!

Outplay:

As a whole, the Manitoba team played well, and stepped up to the podium at the Marble Mountain awards banquet. Awards were won by Pat Peacock (bronze), Jim Munro and Rob (silver), and Brian Schroeder and Jenny Ayers (gold). Jeff Morier placed 6^th in his very competitive age group. Jeff had the fourth best non-elite swim time, and finished 14^th overall.

Outlast:

Perhaps the biggest news from the island was the tenacity and determination displayed by the olympic-distance virgin, Laurel Read. The spirit of Tri-Fest motivated her to embrace the race experience, rustle up a wetsuit and bike, and take on the course. Some would have quit after dipping into the 14 degree water, but Laurel swam with the best of them. She charged the 300 meters up-hill to transition, and took on the rain-pounded mountains and valleys of the bike course. Others may have packed it in after such a treacherous ride, but Laurel assuredly waved at her fans in transition, and hit the run smiling. The unforgiving, undulating hills of the run course did not get the better of Laurel’s flat-lander legs, and she ate up the pavement like a seasoned triathlon veteran. It was an inspiration to witness Laurel cross the finish line. Watch out --- the word on and off the island is that the Triathlon Manitoba Executive Director is looking to travel to Edmonton wearing two hats next year!

The happy and exhausted Manitoba team endured the l-o-n-g trip back to Winnipeg, thankful for the experiences and proud of their Newfoundland survival and triumphs. Those who earned spots to next year’s World Championships are looking forward to lots of you joining the crew by qualifying early in the season at the 2001 Nationals.

August 28, 2000

A lesson in race preparation:  The Canadian Junior Triathlon Championships   by Marc Fournier

Leading up to a big race, it is important to be prepared.  Proper race preparation is critical for success, and everyone has their own way to prepare, especially our top junior athletes.  I had the pleasure of accompanying Kevin "I can't bike" Breiter and Allan "Big Al" Scott to the Canadian Junior Triathlon Championships held in Drummondville Quebec on July 2nd.  Along the way, I learned a few key race preparation tips that you may find helpful.

On the plane, it was obvious that both athletes were getting ready for a weekend in La Belle Province.  Allan was leafing through his "French Made Easy" phrase book.  Phrases like "Bonjour, un Big Mac s'il vous plait!" were just rolling off Al's tongue.  Meanwhile, Kevin was working on the dazed look he would give anyone who spoke French to him.

Pre-race preparation must cover all bases.  Upon our arrival in Drummondville, it was obvious that the nutritional aspect might take a beating.  Our hotel was across the street from McDonalds.  Thankfully we waited until after the race to have our Big Macs.  Visualization can benefit anyone when used correctly.  Our athletes ended up visualizing in front of the TV watching a nature channel with playful bunnies romping around all day and night.  Pre-race music can help put you in a racing frame of mind.  Usually, it's music that really gets you going.  Kevin's choice of pre-race music included such classics as the Footloose Soundtrack that he made us listen to on the way to the race.  I don't know about Allan, but it made me want to run!

Inspiration for a great race can come from many places.  Many recite a positive mantra in their head during the race to keep going strong.  Big Al, however, had a visual cue to stay strong.  This came in the form of a toy action hero strapped to the handlebars.  But not just any hero would do, it had to be the one and only Goku from Dragonball Z.  When the going got tough, Big Al needed only to look at baby Goku for strength.  Even Kevin had a tiny version strapped to his bars.

The race itself was well organized and attended.  The men's elite wave was over 50 people.  These were mostly locals from the Quebec Elite circuit along with the top junior athletes from across the country.  Over the winter, Kevin had concentrated on his swimming and running instead of cycling.  The reason was that the Drummondville bike course is flat and drafting is allowed.  While this made for difficult races in the open prairies of Manitoba, the result in Drummondville was nothing short of spectacular.  Coming out with the top swimmers allowed Kevin to cycle in the main pack and run away from them to a third place finish in the Junior Elite category.   Big Al had a tough swim, and did not have the drafting benefit that Kevin had, but finished with a strong run.  Congratulations to both for a great effort.

The post-race party was a bit of a let-down.  After loading up on refreshments at the corner store, a small group headed off to a raucous game of mini-putt followed by a well-deserved trip to McDonalds for ice cream.  Next year, Drummondville will be hosting the Canadian Triathlon Championships.  This will be a qualifier for the 2001 Triathlon World Championships in Edmonton.  Start working on your French, and don't forget that Footloose CD! 

August 8, 2000

Philippe Chabot makes it three in a row

With his overall victory at the Betulaman (mountain bike) Sprint Triathlon yesterday, and his 5th annual overall victory at the 5th Annual Essex Road Mountain Bike Triathlon on Saturday, to go along with his overall victory at the Sandman Triathlon one week earlier, Philippe Chabot is again having an excellent August.  Our next event is the MTS Manitoba Summer Games Triathlon at Oak Lake this coming weekend, but Philippe is ineligible .... besides, I'm sure he'll be busy training for Ironman Canada which is less than three weeks away.  

July 31, 2000

Bike donation to Triathlon Manitoba

A big "thanks" to Evan Nitschmann and Hope Weiler for donating Hope's old road bike to the Bikes & Wetsuits lending program.   Although this program is meant to supply Junior Development Team athletes with satisfactory equipment, loans are available to any Triathlon Manitoba member.

July 18, 2000

Manitoba results from the 2000 ITU International Race in Edmonton

The 2000 ITU International Race was held Sunday in Edmonton. Kevin Breiter raced in the Elite Men (draft legal) race, while Allan Scott, Allan Redman, and Lyle Redman raced in the Age Group race.  Kevin, Allan Scott, and Lyle were representing Manitoba as Provincial Team athletes.

Results from the Age Group race show that Allan Scott had a very good race, finishing 27th overall of 241, and 2nd of 7 in the Junior Men category with a time 2:11:54.  Allan Redman was a solid 52nd overall, and 4th in Junior Men with a time of 2:17:46.  Lyle Redman was 200th overall, and 4th in the Men 60to64 category with a time of 2:50:33.

Of 21 competitors in the Elite Men's race (including Simon Lessing of Great Britain, Canadian Champion Simon Whitfield, and Pan Am Games Gold Medalist Gilberto Gonzalez of Venezuela), Kevin finished 20th with a DNF.

July 12, 2000

A letter to June Gray from first-time triathlete Myles Drynan

June,

This is just a short note to thank you for your efforts in organizing the triathlon in Pinawa this past weekend. This was my first triathlon, and although it was certainly not a performance that will gain me Olympic laurels....I had a blast!  I hurt so much on Monday morning I initially thought I was paralyzed from the eyebrows down.  But, my first task once I could finally get my legs to bend again was to go to the computer and find the registration form for the race in Lac du Bonnet at the end of the month, and to look for more races after that.....One race and I'm an addict!  I began this quest last fall....80 pounds heavier than I am now and winded when I climbed the stairs. This is becoming a family event now too....My youngest daughter wants to compete in the Kids of Steel at the end of July...My eldest is beginning to show some interest, and my wife who has now lost some 90 pounds and is a regular exerciser is aiming to do the sprint at next year's race in Pinawa....

Again, the race was well put together...the course well marked out....the volunteers numerous and all helpful....all great! Thanks for the most excellent first impression as a new racer....you have helped to make a believer out of me!  I am already looking forward to the race next year....see you then I hope!

Not so sore on Tuesday,
Myles Drynan

July 7, 2000

Martha Laverock is June Athlete of the Month in Eastman

The Eastman Sport Development Assocation has selected Martha Laverock as June Athlete of the Month based on her performances at the Prestige Duathlon Series in May.  She was presented with a certificate and gift basket in appreciation of her commitment and dedication to amateur sport.

Martha will also be considered for the Eastman Athlete of the Year Award, which will be selected in January 2001.

July 7, 2000

Girls@Play (by Karri Dawson, Project Manager, CAAWS)

Greetings fellow sport and fitness enthusiasts!

It is an exciting time for girls and women in sport and CAAWS (Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity) is spreading the word.  Increasing numbers of girls and women are heading to the fields, arenas, and tracks to participate in the exciting world of sport.

We are contacting sport organizations across the nation to let them know about our exciting and up-to-date web site and
invite you and your associates to check out our site at http://www.caaws.ca .

Our goal is to reach as many women and girls as possible across Canada to encourage them to get into the spirit of
sport and physical activity and we need your involvement to help make this dream a reality.

We are currently running a tremendous program called Girls@Play.  Please visit the site at http://www.caaws.ca/girlsatplay to find out more about our Girls@Play Network and Grant A Week program.   You will also find contests, nutrition and training tips, profiles of athletes and up to date news.

Please encourage your female members to visit our site and join the Network, it is free, fun and easy!

If you require more information, free print materials (posters and brochures), or if you have any comments to share with
us, we would love to hear from you!

Thanks for your interest in girls and women in sport!
___________________________________________

Editor's note:

I've often told friends that one of the things I like about triathlon is that it is equally appealing to both men and women (or boys and girls).  We have more girls than boys on our Junior Development Team, and three of the four coaches are women.  Gender participation in our Kids Of Steel program is close to 50/50.

July 3, 2000

Family Day at the Tri Star Sprint Triathlon

The inaugural Tri Star Sprint Triathlon at Southport on Canada Day was a successful race that I'm sure many participants have already penciled-in for 2001.  The new Tri Star Club from Southport / Portage la Prairie staged an excellent event --- from the athlete-friendly venue to the excellent post-race meal.  Congratulations to Race Director Dave Foley, his club-mates, and his volunteer crew.

The race results tell a story of family participation, as seven Junior Development Team parents participated in the Sprint Tri: Barry & Sandy Briscoe (Amy Briscoe), Nancy Gilchrist (Courtney Gilchrist), Glenn Campbell (Justin Campbell), Roger & Jeannette Desrochers (Christa Desrochers), and Ralph Markham (Joshua Markham).  In addition, Will McKenzie did the Sprint Tri while his son Kyle did the Kids of Steel event, and Triathlon Manitoba's Executive Director Laurel Read completed her first Sprint Triathlon while her daughter Kendra did the Kids of Steel.

The Sprint Tri also had an international aspect with Karen Morlet, who is visiting Winnipeg from Mexico City, completing her first Sprint Triathlon.

Finally, thanks to the community of Southport for hosting our first Junior Development Team Camp of 2000.  13 Junior/Youth athletes, three coaches, and three parents enjoyed their two-day stay in the community.

June 28, 2000

Hydro Belt for open-water swimming

Some of you may be interested in the Hydro Belt.

I don't like to include advertising on this website, but this device could provide some safety concerns for weaker swimmers.

If you have a comment about links to products like this, please e-mail Kevin Miller.

June 27, 2000

Meet the Whitmore family

Last weekend at St Malo, 204 people participated in the Kids of Steel and Triathlon de St Malo events. Five of those people were members of the Whitmore family.

Although they've always been an active family, it was only two years ago that triathlon entered their lives via Cindy Levesque's successful Kids of Steel Club at Ecole St Avila. Ellen, Kelly, and Sarah all did their first Kids of Steel triathlon last year. This year it was dad Dave and mom Wendy who took the plunge. Dave and Wendy completed their first triathlons in the rain at the Schools Triathlon last week, then completed their first Sprint triathlons at St Malo. Dave even won his 35 to 39 age group.

I met the family at the Transcona Kids of Steel on June 4th where this photo of Kelly, Sarah, Ellen, and Wendy was taken.

(click on the thumbnail to enlarge it)

The Whitmore family exemplifies why triathlon is such a great lifestyle sport. It offers an activity for everybody, and allows families to play together while pursuing their individual goals. Best wishes to Sarah, Kelly, Ellen, Wendy, and Dave Whitmore for a long and enjoyable involvement in triathlon.

June 10, 2000

The Triple Threat Triathlon & Duathlon was canceled

Persistent thunderstorms resulted in the cancellation of the Triple Threat Triathlon & Duathlon at Birds Hill Park East Beach this morning.  The decision was announced at 8:45 AM, one hour after it was announced that the scheduled 8:00 start for the Sprint Distance event would be postponed to 9:00, the scheduled start time for the Olympic Distance and Duathlon events.

A committee consisting of Race Director Mitch Kolbuck (who is also the President of the Triple Threat Triathlon Club and the President of Triathlon Manitoba), David Markham (Triathlon Manitoba's Development Coordinator), the Head Official, and the Medical Staff concluded that both the swim course and bike course were unsafe, given that thunderstorms had been occurring for 5 hours, were showing no signs of stopping, and were predicted to continue throughout the day.  A major consideration was the fact that the closest ambulance was in Selkirk.

The majority of the shivering participants (85 were pre-registered) and volunteers welcomed the decision.

Each entrant will be refunded half of their race entry fee.

This is the first time that we have canceled a major event, so much debate and analysis has occurred and will occur among Triathlon Manitoba decision-makers.  If you were at Birds Hill Park East Beach and have a comment or opinion on this cancellation, or if you have a general opinion about canceling a triathlon because of weather, you can Email Kevin Miller.

Prairie Events Group (David Markham and Anita Miller), the organizers of this coming Tuesday's Schools Triathlon Championship, have announced that anybody who was registered for the Triple Threat Triathlon & Duathlon and has not yet registered for the Schools Tri can enter the event without paying the $12 late fee (pre-registration closed yesterday).  Simply contact Anita Miller and she will arrange for your refund from the Triple Threat Tri & Du to pay the Schools Tri fees, and the rest of your refund will be given to you on Tuesday.

May 31, 2000

Doping control for triathletes (by Liz Graham, Triathlon Canada Medical Committee, grahame@interchange.ubc.ca )

I would like to take this opportunity to advise you of information concerning doping control (drug testing) and restricted
medication. Please ensure that all athletes in your province are advised of this information.
----------------------------------------------------------

Age Group Athletes

As stated in the Canadian Policy on Doping in Sport, “any athlete who is a member of a Sport Governing Body or Sport Organization may be subject to unannounced testing at any time.” Note that this is not limited to elite athletes – any athlete may be tested. Of course, elite national and international triathletes remain the priority.

The purpose of this advisory is not to alarm your membership, but rather to inform them and to avoid any confusion should they be asked to provide a sample. This is not a new regulation, and I do not expect anything to change in terms of age group testing in future.

I also ask that you add a sentence to your membership waiver (that athletes sign at the beginning of the season, when they join your association) for next year, stating: “I realize that, with this membership, I may be subject to unannounced drug testing as provided for by Triathlon Canada's agreement with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport..”

Please note that age group athletes do not have to fill out the Medical Declaration form if they are taking asthma medication – if by chance they are tested, they will be given ample opportunity at that time to contact their physician for a signature.
----------------------------------------------------------

Elite Athletes

1. Elite National Team athletes are subject to random, unannounced doping control at any time of year.

2. Any athlete who competes in the elite wave of a National Qualifying, National, or International event may be subject to doping control.

3. Any athlete racing in the elite wave of the above events must, therefore, complete the following documentation (when appropriate):

• Medical Declaration Form for athletes taking asthma medication. The prescribing physician must complete this form (obtainable from the CCES or myself), and this information must be filed with the CCES (or International Sport Federation, or Major Games medical commission) before competing in the event. This form is valid for one year, so must be resubmitted annually.
• An athlete who takes banned medication must complete a Medication Approval Form, and file this with the CCES (or appropriate agency as above) before competition.

Should either of these forms not be on file and an athlete tests positive, they will be subject to the appropriate ban from competition (in Canada, four years for the first offence).

4. Elite athletes (or those competing in an elite wave) should be reminded that all medication should be checked before using them (see attached document: General Warning). A prescribing physician may not be aware of doping control requirements.

5. There have been some recent changes to the IOC reference list – see attached document.

6. A caution: herbal products and nutritional supplements may contain banned substances which may result in a positive drug test. (See attached document on this subject).

7. Elite National Team athletes should advise the Triathlon Canada office of any change of address, even if temporary (over a month).

If you have any questions on this information, on banned substances, or on the forms required, please contact the CCES at: http://www.cces.ca or (613)748-5755.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your co-operation in this matter, and I encourage you to contact me at grahame@interchange.ubc.ca should you have any questions, comments or concerns.

May 29, 2000

Triathlon poems (by Brent Miller)

I was on the internet looking for poems for an English assignment, and stumbled across these:
http://www.bpr.com/triathlon/poetry.htm

May 24, 2000

Non-triangle shaped bike regulations (by Patrice Brunet, Triathlon Canada Technical Committee Chair)

On the occasion of the last ITU Congress in Montreal, the constituency passed a resolution banning non-triangle shaped bikes from ITU Elite and Junior competitions.   ITU also adopted a resolution which bans wheels other than of spoke
construction.  As you can imagine, this creates an impact on the equipment which will be allowed at our national races in 2000.

This is a reminder to you that the Triathlon Canada Technical Committee has decided, after consultation, that officials will not enforce the new bike frame and wheel rules in 2000 national team qualifying races.  However, officials will warn athletes that, in 2001 national team qualifying races, the ITU equipment requirements will be enforced, and if the athlete qualifies to the Elite or Junior National Team, the equipment will be required to comply with ITU rules for Canadian qualifying races.

Athletes competing at World Championship events should be aware that the ITU rules will be enforced there, and elite and junior athletes are expected to comply, notwithstanding the transitional provisions for Canada in 2000.

For your information, please see the ITU resolution on bikes at http://www.triathlon.worldsport.com/Newsletter/99/29_9_update.html#2 .

More information on the justification for this new rule, see http://www.triathlon.worldsport.com/Newsletter/99/7_10_update.html#6 .

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at Triathlon Canada.

May 19, 2000

Is Pinawa the triathlon capital of Manitoba?

Triathletes from the Pinawa / Lac du Bonnet area are making their presence felt at the Prestige Duathlon Series. No fewer than ten residents of that region have made the two hour round-trip to participate. Thanks to the Olson family, MacMillan family, Meyers family, Don Ewing, and Martha Laverock for helping to make the Prestige Duathlon Series a success.

January 22, 2000

Girls At Play

I've often told friends that one of the things I like about triathlon is that it is equally appealing to both men and women (or boys and girls).  OK, our race results show that more men participate than women, but the percentage of female triathletes is much higher than, for example, female mountain bikers.  And the male/female ratio on our Junior Development Team and in our Kids Of Steel program is pretty close to 50/50.

Laurel Read, our Executive Director, recently received the Women In Sport newsletter from Sport Manitoba, our governing organization.  The newsletter contains stories and describes programs and resources.  One resource is a website for girls and young women in sport (http://www.caaws.ca/girlsatplay).  We think the Women In Sport initiative and the Girls At Play website can help to encourage young women to remain active and stay involved in sports.

We'd like to hear what you think about Women In Sport or the Girls At Play website.   Your personal stories would be very welcome.

This page was last updated on December 31, 2009