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Science / Health Triathlon Fever - Download PDF The triathlon spirit is coming alive this spring, as athletes train for the 14th annual Collingwood triathlon in August and the Wasaga Beach triathlon in September by MELANIE CHAMBERS Shannon Bell, 27, recalls her first time competing at
the Collingwood triathlon last year. Treading water
in the open bay, anxiously awaiting the start of the
race, Bell’s heart sank at the thought that everyone
looked more experienced than she. Then someone
confirmed it. “Is this anyone’s first time?” asked a
woman. Bell’s lone voice piped up: “me.” No sooner That was it. Bell was hooked. “It was so addictive
because there’s complete and utter support all
around you,” she says. “It was pretty incredible.”
Once the race began, it was chaos – arms and legs
thrashing through the water, a clump of bodies Everyone has a list of “to dos” in their lifetime. Completing a triathlon was on
Bell’s list. But it takes more than just a dream. “It’s not easy finishing a day of work
and going on a 10-kilometre run, but it’s a good feeling of accomplishing Both Collingwood and Wasaga Beach offer a good mix of races able to satisfy
both the hardcore athlete and the first-timer. For the seasoned veteran there are
Olympic-calibre events: a 1500-metre swim, a 40-kilometre cycle and a 10- The Collingwood event began as a fundraiser for the National Ski Academy headed up by local Jeff Thompson. The biggest change for this year: instead of starting and ending the Collingwood race at Harbourview, which in the past was congested with traffic, it now starts and stops at Blue Mountain. “Blue Mountain is really the heart of the village,” says John Salt, series director for London-based Multisport Canada, which manages the races. “We wanted to finish in the Village where there’s a real festival-type atmosphere.” The party when it’s over is well-deserved – for many in the race, it’s the hardest thing they have ever done. For those in the know, Collingwood, with its peaks and valleys, is one of the most technical and grueling races in Ontario. Add that to the potential for bad weather – a few years ago racers suffered through cold wind and rainstorms that pushed racers around like buoys. For Jimmie Georgas, 79, it only gets more interesting when it’s harder. A former National Ski Team member and coach and Nordic cycling world Master’s champ, Georgas really pours on the juice during the 11-kilometre cycle up Grey Road 19. “You have to go hard the entire time and you can’t rest. This is like sprints, running a 400-metre dash.” As a duathlete (run, bike, run) a 40-kilometre ride takes him just over an hour to complete. The race is a loop, so as he retraces his steps, he checks out his time and his competition. Georgas is a Collingwood regular who performs 15 duathlons a year nation-wide. He has competed in 175 duathlons since 1991, and has only lost twice in his age group (mind you, this feat becomes easier with each passing year as he creates new age categories!). In fact, many races don’t even include his age group, but Collingwood makes sure he’s on the roster. “He’s an icon; we made sure we had his age group,” says Salt. “And when he gets to 80, I’ll make sure we’ve got 80-plus.” Another local Collingwood triathlon story is the “iron couple.” Dave Watts, 66, and Louise McGonigal, 61, got together in the early 1990s and they have racing to thank. Both competed in similar events and often saw one another at ironmans (longer distance races). They soon teamed up, and now train year-round and travel the globe for competitions as sponsored racers for Sugoi. “It’s not a race until your wife is ahead of you,” says Watts. McGonigal finished her season last year at Wasaga (incidentally, the last race of the Ontario season). “It’s a large open water run and you’re passing people right on the beach over boardwalks and through parks.” Watts pipes up: “You pass people eating their ice-cream, or people with hangovers who think you’re crazy!” Physically, they push their bodies to the limits. But mentally, it means so much more. Though they have never met, these triathletes are all part of a special club sharing similar life philosophies. Before each run, Shannon Bell has a scrap of paper with a mantra about coming alive; her triathlon did that for her. Louise McGonigal recites: “untried, unchallenged, how soon the soul of man begins to die.” And Georgas ... well, his philosophy is simply, get up every morning with a smile. Triathlons just make them all smile a little bit more. RACE DETAILS FOR HSBC TRIATHLON SERIES RACES
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