Triathlon Dirt

Canada's Olympic Triathlon Team (2008):

Triathlon Canada has named its men's team for the Beijing Games this that start in just 6 days time:

• Simon Whitfield (who finished 2nd in the world last season)
• Paul Tichelaar
• Colin Jenkins

Triathlon Canada has also named the 3 women who will compete in the Summer Olympics.

• Carolyn Murray
• Kathy Tremblay
• Lauren Groves in Beijing

Sadly, one of my favorites and future hopefuls, Kirsten Sweetland who was ranked 34th in World Cup rankings, will not compete in Beijing because of a foot injury. (According to CBC.ca)

The triathlon portion of the Olympics will take place on August 18th & 19th. You can download the official Olympic Triathlon Schedule (XLS spreadsheet) here.

The Triathlete venue is a temporary structure in Beijing this year.
There are some good 360 degree interactive views of the triathlon race course area here.

www.bj2008.gov.cn

Sydney, Opera House forecourt, 17 September 2000, Games of the XXVII Olympiad: Simon WHITFIELD of Canada, gold medallist, at the finish line of the triathlon event.

Apparently Ms. Jennifer Lopez herself is going to do a triathlon

I read in Vancouver's 24HRS this morning that the one and only J.Lo aka Jennifer Lopez has set her eye on a triathlon in October. According to her hubby, Marc Anthony, on the TV show 'Extra' :Jennifer is training for a triathlon. In October."

Just 8 months after giving birth to twins she's on the road to her first triathlon? Good for her! The super star was snapped on vacation in Italy this week with her bikini body back, following the February birth of tots Max and Emme.

You go girl! (Seriously, it is very ambitious and I hope she does well).

PS. Can you imagine the peloton that'll form right behind her on the bike portion? I wonder if the no-drafting rule will still be enforced, haha.

Vancouver Subaru Sprint Triathlon Race Report (July 113th, 208)

On Sunday I completed the Vancouver Subaru Sprint Triathlon. It was really fabulous. The weather was sunny yet not too hot (as we started early in the day) and the water was cold but not unbearable with a wet suit.

Volunteers needed for the Vancouver Subaru Triathlon (Sunday July 13th)

Volunteers Needed!
They are short of volunteers for the race and need your help! Volunteers get a great shirt, food and goodies, and the satisfaction of helping the athletes achieve their goals. If any of your family or friends are joining you and wish to get involved by volunteering, please get them to fill out the volunteer registration form located at www.lifesport.ca/Volunteer.php Thank you!

Homestays Needed
We are looking for host/hostesses for elite triathletes who will be coming to Vancouver for the race. The Home Stay Program is to provide these athletes with a FREE place to stay during the week. At a minimum, we require interested host/hostesses to provide a private bedroom, access to a washroom with a shower or bathtub and a safe place to store the athlete's equipment, and of course, friendly West Coast hospitality! Anything else you could provide to your athlete such as transportation, meals, etc, would be greatly appreciated. Please email shantel@lifesport.ca if you are interested.

Subaru Vancouver Sprint Triathlon

Ok, now I've officially entered the Vancouver Subaru Sprint Triathlon for next weekend. Actually I think it's official name is (for anyone who's searching is: SUBARU VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL HALF and SPRINT TRIATHLON).

It should be a great race, assuming the weather is good, as it's on Spanish Banks Beach with it's amazing views of downtown's skyline and the North Shore Mountains.

You thought that was the last you'd heard of my evil bike, didn't you?

Well, it's not over yet. I thought during the half ironman I'd do my LAST PEDAL STROKE (ok.. last in a competitive way). I lied to myself. I'm back biking again but just not at the same distances.

I've decided to sign up for the Vancouver Life Sport / Subaru West Coast Triathlon sprint race on July 13th, 2008. They moved the triathlon to earlier in the season this year. Last year they had very rough waters to swim in and it was reportedly very cold. I noticed a lot of my friends who competed had bloated times that reflected this.

Anyhow, I digress. I'm back to biking and training.

I joined the FitXpress Gym in Vancouver on Commercial and 1st

Yesterday in the early hours of the morning (6.30am) I joined up with the FitXpess Vancouver gym on Commercial and 1st on a monthly basis. With all this extra time I've decided that the only way to improve my times and overall fitness is with some strength training. After doing as much endurance training as I did I feel like I've reached my limit and now in order to improve I must tackle what I like doing the least... weights. (They say you should always do most what you want to do least.. so here I am!)

The gym membership cost me:

• $5 for the membership card
• $20 for the 'enrollment' fee
• $36.50/month if you don't want a contract

(It's $24.85/month if you sign up for a year or $19.99 for two years)
*I may be moving soon and I just want to be sure I'm committed before I sign up for too long!

Congrats to all the athletes at the 2008 Vancouver World Triathlon Championships!

I'd like to send out my heartfelt congratulations to all the world class athletes that travelled to Vancouver this week to compete at our 2008 World Triathlon Championships! I headed down today (Sunday, the final day) to cheer on some of the competitors. I'd heard that many were having trouble with our cold water. I happened to run into to athletes at the bar on Friday night from Great Britain and one of them had ended up in the ambulance as he just couldn't warm up. Poor guy. :(

I'm sorry to hear about Kristen Sweetland's injury. She's only 19 and is just so awesome. I really wanted her to do well this weekend.

You can check out the results of your favorite athlete here!

I was surprised at how small the turnout of fans was. I visited on Sunday around 11am and there was plenty of room for cheering. Surprisingly I felt almost guilty at how few people came out and how little people were cheering. My friend Amy Kirkham did well - came in 8th in her age category in the sprint! I didn't get to watch her, but from the results it looks like she made her move in the run and passed two people! :)

Oliver Half Ironman Race Report

ATTN: I haven't really checked this over for grammer yet! It took a while to write! Appologies
Oliver Half Ironman Race Report

On Sunday June 1st my husband and I completed my first ever half ironman in Oliver. It took me 6 hours and 52 minutes. (I thought it would take me over 7, so I was filled with sheer pride when I crossed the finish line). Actually, it wasn't joy over my time, it was for the pure joy for actually finishing. My husband (I'm so proud of him, did it in 5.44).

Packing for the half ironman triathlon this weekend!

I've started packing today as we leave tomorrow on our drive to the Oliver Half Iron. It's my first long course race and I'm very nervous that I'm going to forget something or screw it up.

I found this great resource online for creating your own race day checklists. It includes biking, running, swimming, clothing and miscellaneous (like sun block, walkman, bars). It's simple, you check off the items you need and compiles the list for you. All you do is hit print! :)
http://www.triathlon.racechecklist.com/