If you're interested in the MSO Annual General Meeting (Sat Oct 23rd), the agenda is posted on the bulletin board and available at: http://www.mastersswimmingontario.ca/pdf/agm2004FINAL.pdf.

 

Sat Oct 16th Technosport Sprint Meet at U of Ottawa.  Details TBA.

 

Sun Nov 14th Kingston Masters Meet, Kingston.  Details TBA.

 

Sat Nov 27th Technosport Sprint Meet, U of Ottawa.  Details TBA.

 

Sat Dec 4th Technosport Distance Meet, U of Ottawa.  Details TBA.

 

Sat Jan 22nd Technosport Sprint Meet, U of Ottawa.  Details TBA.

 

Sat Feb 12th Nepean Winterlude Meet, Nepean Sportsplex.  Details TBA.

 

Sat Feb 19th Rideau Speedeaus Meet, U of Ottawa.  Details TBA.

 

Sat Mar 12th Technosport Sprint Meet, U of Ottawa.  Details TBA.

 

Fri Apr 1 - Sun Apr 3rd Masters Provincial Championships, Sault-Ste-Marie.  Details TBA

 

 

Race Results: (Please send in your results!  My apologies if I missed anyone.)

 

Congratulations to Heather M (Whitecaps "A" / Coach) and Corry B (Whitecaps "A" / Waterpolo Coach) who competed in this event.

Heather's team was 5th overall in the Olympic Triathlon in 2:26:02.  She completed the swim in 26:51.

Corry finished 69th overall and 11th in men's 30-34 in 2:33:36.

Full results at: http://www.multisportcanada.com/ms/events/results_2004.cfm

 

Tom M (Whitecaps "A") participated and did very well, but he was too modest to say just how he placed in his race report (below) and the results aren't yet up on the site: http://www.lobstermantriathlon.com/default.htm

 

Lynn (Whitecaps "A"/Coach) competed in this event for the 14th time, and despite a slower finish time than usual (although the organizers do their best to set the course distance the same each year, it does vary!) she was first in 1:10:57.  The trophy has run out of room for plaques so an extra base is being added -- it should be quite impressive when completed!  Full results at: http://soloswims.com/SM-results-2004.htm

 

So, I raced for the first time this season over the weekend in Wasaga Beach (about an hour or so north of Toronto on Georgian Bay). It was part of the MultiSport race series. Normally, by this time of the season, I am winding down my training and racing, but after taking up Andrew Jones's challenge to do an Ironman, I am gearing up for Florida in 2 months.

I had avoided racing through the summer, more from a cost perspective than anything else (Ironman racing in another country is expensive), but decided I needed some races under my belt this season before Florida. Wasaga Beach sounded like a nice option. I wouldn't know anybody, I could just practice a few minor things and be off.

The race (registering on race day) cost 76 dollars. There didn't seem to be too much different from most races as I wandered around pre-race. The start time was announced as being delayed by 10 minutes, but I didn't think too much of it. I then realized I hadn't brought any goggles with me (this, after realizing on the drive down that I'd already forgotten my wetsuit), fortunately there were some retailers on site that I could make a purchase from. I picked up a timing chip, despite no one telling me to do so. The only reason I thought to do so was because I walked down to the beach to get a look at the swim course and walked across a mat. That's when I realized there must be timing chips. When I picked my chip up, I asked the 14 year old girl manning the area by herself if she knew which way the chip had to go (the only chips I have used in the past have been from Championchip and they have a long-end-down/short-end-up thing going on). She looked at me like I had two heads and wandered away. I asked someone else in the registration tent and he said he'd used this circular chip before and had never concerned himself with up or down and everything seemed to be fine. I said alright and went on about my prep.

I then ran in to Heather McBurney who was there participating in the relay. She hung out with me by my transition spot as I got ready. I hadn't paid too much attention to the activity going on around me, but soon a guy wandered by and asked me which age group I was racing in (30-34) and he told me that my group was about to start. That I had about a minute to get to the start line. There had been no announcement out of the PA system prior, in fact, the music was so loud, I could hardly tell that a person was talking most of the time. I ran down to the beach to find the start was actually about a hundred metres out into the water, being that the water was quite shallow. I reached the group just in time to hear the announcer begin the 10 second countdown (Thanks to the guy in transition that got me out there). Now, forgetting my wetsuit was not too big a deal, I had swam all summer without it at Meech and was still pulling in one hour times. I figured I'd lose a minute! or so to the leaders, maybe two. Trouble was, I wore my shirt into the water, not thinking about the pockets in the back which acted nicely as drag over the course of the swim. I thought I'd had a fairly relaxed swim, and saw most of my fellow age groupers were behind me, so I figured it didn't make too much of a difference (as well, just a couple of weeks earlier I had done a relaxed 21 minute 1500 time trial at Carleton Masters), I figured I had swam about a 22 or 23 (somehow, it ended up as a 27, I haven't swam that slow since high school). Now, the trouble with starting the race a hundred metres out is that you have to run a hundred metres through the water to get back to the beach. You want to talk about tiring.

Alright, this has gone on long enough, and I've displayed most of my idiocy for all to see. Suffice to say, I had a flat on the bike with a little less than a km to go and had to run my bike in (first time flatting in a race). The run was uneventful, but hot, along the boardwalk. Now, to the point of this message. I've taken part in a lot of Somersault events, 5 years straight of the KTown tri, a Subaru event, the OAC triathlon, etc, etc. This was my first MultiSport event. It will probably be my last. They bite off way more than they can chew. A triathlon takes an army of volunteers to run properly, and they didn't have half of what they needed. I saw them recruit spectators to help direct cyclists to the bike course out of transition, mid-race! As far as I could tell, they had one guy on a jet ski in the water for the swim. The course buoys were merely suggestions to most racers, as they'd cut them to the inside. People rode their bikes in the transition area. ! A run course official let a racer run by her, veer off-course, until another racer behind him yelled at the guy that he was off-course. I finished 70th overall, or something like that, out of almost 300 racers doing the Olympic distance. They also had an international Du, an Olympic relay, a sprint, and maybe a tri a tri. I finished, and less than 5 minutes later headed for the food tent (which, previously was the registration tent) for some post race chow. When I got there, all the cold drinks were gone, they were out of watermelon, although they said 5 more were on their way - half an hour later they still hadn't shown up (not to mention, 5 more for probably 3 or 400 racers still out on the course?). What they had available were halves of chocolate chip bagels and some cut up bananas. Boy, did I ever lament the OAC triathlon and their Lone Star Catering at that point.

All I am getting at is that we in the Ottawa area are far more fortunate than we know to have the excellent races we have. The level of professionalism and event planning far exceeds what I saw this weekend for the Toronto triathlon market. Yes, the triathlon community has exploded in the last 5 years, but so has the race availability. You could race every weekend of the summer with very little travel if you wanted to. If race directors want this to continue and want their races to be events that people put on their calendars, they have to satisfy the needs of the majority of racers. Not always an easy thing to do, but I think certainly achievable.

In conclusion, thanks to the local race coordinators for your efforts and keep up the good work, you've achieved a level beyond those of many others. Here's hoping it continues to improve.

Corry

 

The lobsterman Tri took place this last weekend in Freeport Maine.  The weather was fabulous (again like last year). From the start to the finish this is one of the best run Triathlons out there.  For those of you who are looking for a road trip next year put this one on the list.  From all indications this is the equal to Kingston and Cranberry Triathlons, with the attention to detail in all aspects of the event.

The venue is perfect and the race course is fair (swim is a tad long)

My experience: Swim was a bit cold but very tolerable, the point to point swim course was perfectly long for the likes of me. If you had the time you could take in the scenery on the swim as you swim around a small island and along a rocky shoreline then to end up on a sand beach. A short climb to the transition on mostly thick grass and bike out on a 150m firm dirt road to pavement. The course starts with a long slightly tough climb then on to a mostly rolling smooth pavement road. There are some bumps and issues but mostly pretty good. Next year a lot of this course will be newly paved. (the town really backs this race as it supports the Local fire dept)The large lollipop bike course is not overly tough but it has some interesting sections. All of the intersections are monitored by police and very clear for athletes. The bike is mostly tree covered and not exposed to heavy sun and wind.

From there the Run is out and back with the exception of a small 1km loop at the 4.5k mark. The course follows the beginning of the bike course. A bit tough with the rolling hills but some good flat and fast sections.

The finish is a nifty little chute that greets you with a finishing ribbon, medal of participation, Lobsterman water btl (filled with water)and a Lobsterman hat. A little further is the food and message tent. Then the climax .....a lobster/clam bake with beer and corn on the cob. WOW!!!!

I'll be back next year and you should all look at this as a must.

Tom

PS. if you want there is plenty of camping on site and shopping at L.L. Bean's and other stores... I went to Portland and took in the water front and ate Oysters and fish soup. 7 1/2 hours later I was home (Ottawa) in bed.