It was another cold, wet night in Vancouver, with the air temperature hovering around 8oC and the sky looking as though it could pour rain at any moment. While most people hid indoors, the triathlon club set out for the second event of the Spring Fling Race Series. The challenge: 5.5 loops around Acadia block at full speed. With both winners from the fall race having to sit out, it was anyone’s race to win! The pressure was on.
After a short briefing on the race rules and running etiquette from coach Jen, the racers were off! Showing his need for speed, Barry took an early lead, pacing the group through a blistering 2:50 first lap! Spectators were overheard critiquing Barry’s race tactic; had he taken it out too fast, or did he have an eye on the club record? Only 4.5 loops left to tell. Close behind, Carl, Daniel and Brendan were pacing off one another and appeared to be making up the early gap Barry had made. Carl and Daniel did their best to catch Barry, but didn’t make their move soon enough. In a post race interview, Daniel was overheard saying that he would be running double so that Barry would not get away on him again.
Matt Reeve and Dylan both ran a tough race, having to run the entire 5 Km on their own. As a result, both runners fell just short of their goals. After hearing Barry’s time, Matt vowed to never miss another run practice for homework reasons. It has been rumoured that Matt challenged Barry to another 5 Km race, but the date and validity of the rumour is yet to be confirmed. Clearly, Matt is not competitive. Despite only missing his best time by 4 seconds, Dylan promised to make up his performance at the Iona bike TT this upcoming Saturday where he will attempt to crush Kory’s record (best of luck my friend!).
Scott Chris was the only competitor brave enough to run the race in Vibrams. Despite the feather weight shoes, he was unable to sneak up on fellow competitors as the sound of the shoes on the wet pavement gave away his position with every stride. He did however soar past the finish line looking as fresh as he did 5 Km ago. Ian Pitcher proved to be a strong runner, making his triathlon club race series debut with a solid 21:02 clocking. Having never contested a race series event before joining the club, Ian is showing tonnes of potential. He is focused on progressing through the ranks over the next six events.
Seth Bluman surprised everyone in the crowd with is race. Having taken it out nice and steady, he was able to crank a new gear with half a lap to go. We only knew it was Seth when he stopped past the finish. Matt Ridley rounded out the men’s competition with a clocking of 22:22. He was seen sprinting and jogging the last 50 m, trying to get a finishing time consisting of only 2’s to celebrate two years of training with our club.
The girl’s race was tight, with five girls finishing within 75 seconds of one another. Eliza Christie took home the gold with her clocking of 20:31. She proved to be a threat after ramping up the pace with two laps remaining. Like Scott, she looked as though she could run another 5 Km. Victoria was the girl’s silver medalist, finishing only 9 seconds shy of her PB. Close behind, Theresa and Kelsey battled for the final podium finish. In a sprint finish (photo finish required), Kelsey took the bronze. Theresa has proven to be a consistent 5 Km runner, having run three 5K's in the past two years within 4 seconds of each other.
Jen Bhatla showed everyone that consistent training and bull dog determination are key for success, taking an whopping 1:38 of her old 5 Km PB! In a post race interview, Jen mentioned that she surprised herself with her race. She never thought she could run with the fast girls in the club. Well Jen, time to start believing. She is looking forward to racing her brothers this summer. Having not wanted to race, Rachel and Kyuwon toughed it out, finishing in 22:27 and 23:27, respectively. Keep up the good work ladies!
With two successful races complete, we are one-quarter the way to crowning our next race series winner. Will Barry's be dethroned? Or will his desire to beat out Matt once again make him tougher to beat? One the girl’s side, Jen Bhatla and Victoria Gilbert have taken an early lead. Can they deal with the pressure of being the girls to beat? Find out next time, with the Iona 10.2 Km bike TT.
Many thanks to Jen Moroz for coming up with this entire blog post on very short notice. There was a hired journalist who was supposed to be embedded among the race competitors and gather some material for an article. Unfortunately, a large clipboard and old fashioned flash bulb camera weighed him down and he was only able to complete a single lap of the course. The incompetent journalist has been removed from any further assignments.
The Results: (Finishing time and previous PB)
Barry Claman 17:11 17:00
Carl Reilly 17:17 17:18
Daniel Salamanca 17:19 17:50
Brendan Naef 17:48 17:54
Matt Reeve 18:32 17:37
Dylan Stephanian 19:35 19:31
Scott Chris 20:12 19:36
Eliza Christie 20:31
Seth Bluman 20:52 20:34
Ian Pitcher 21:02
Victoria Gilbert 21:08 20:59
Kelsey Knoll 21:20 21:56
Theresa Price 21:30 21:27
Jenn Bhatla 21:46 23:24
Matt Ridley 22:22 21:24
Rachel Schoeler 22:27 21:31
Kyuwon Kim 23:27 23:45
