Shawnigan Lake Triathlon marked
the start of the true triathlon season on May 27, 2012. UBCTC had a huge turn
out and was represented well by its members and by a much improved club tent,
complete with banners, Cliff products and a wonderful little table. The weekend
was highlighted by former president Matt Reeve and Max’s last hurrah, a BC
Ferries buffet , and the return of Naiely (self-identified as Sexylicious) and “lowlighted”
by Barry’s obsession with destroying the dreams of innocent young triathletes
and all-smacktalk-no-action Vincent Lavallé’s absence. The race provided the
first open water competitive swim for a couple of the members and saw the team
uniforms racing in the Sprint, Olympic, and Half-Iron distances.
UBCTC showing off its presence at Shawnigan
Given that rest is integral to a
triathlete’s strong performance, the actual competition began more than a week
before the race with the booking of the cabins at a certain divinity inspired
establishment. Some of the racers from last year remembered almost freezing to
death in the cabins and opted for the luxurious Laura Butler building. Others
were simply spooked by a recent murder in the cabin Dylan booked and chose not to
risk the same fate. In the end, the warmer weather made the cabins bearable and
once Matt stopped insisting on playing truth or dare, everyone drifted away
peacefully – minus the quiet arrival of a hard working Mike Duncan.
The same can’t be said for the
poor souls that chose the Butler room as an earthquake shook up the dorm for
most of the night. To no avail, Carl tried to appease the disturbance by poking
at it. Winston was scared stiff, convinced his race number of 56 meant “no
happiness” or “die young” in Chinese culture and that the rumbling was a sign
of his demise. Ben slept through it all.
Once again, not only would the
half-iron competitors prove their superior resolve in the distances being run,
but also by waking up earlier than the rest for their start. This raised the
question as to why Winston didn’t change to the sprint (as he had signed up for
the Vancouver full marathon over the half in order to get an extra hour worth
of sleep). On race morning, Carl made it to transition at 5am, Johnson brushed
his teeth seven times, and Winston tried to get in some desperate extra sleep.
JJ may have spent too much time preparing at the camp as he was forced to do
his final PRP in the woods seconds before the gun went off – hope no one
wandered from the path between the camp and the lake.
Calm weather, a slightly short
course, and a ton of laps over the winter meant for some impressive times out
of the water. Winston was promoted from Storm to Hurricane with his new suit,
Carl, Brendan, Matt, and Victoria PBed their open water swims, Kevin was 3rd out of
the water (or something like that), and no one drowned.
The Shawnigan bike course was far
from boring with its rollers, hills, and hicks. Despite trying his best,
Winston didn’t manage to run over a cat this year. Dylan was unfortunately a
victim of his own power and had to drop out due to technical issues – this was actually
good for the rest of the team as it allowed him to take awesome photos and pick
up some jerk’s bike shoe. Carl used the ride to get reacquainted with his bike,
neglected over the winter in favor of mundane activities such as downhill
skiing and ice climbing. Carl also revealed over the weekend an important
anti-theft device on his Felt: reversed brakes, causing a would-be thief to
flip over the handlebars upon escape.
The run course was loved by most
(despised by one very important member for its low grip). Depending on their
distance, tri club members had the pleasure of passing each other on several
occasions, allowing for high-fives and encouragement between those who weren’t
really trying hard. Those of us about to vomit couldn’t commit to such
pleasantries and were accused of having a bad attitude. Brendan and Ben solidified their soon
to be roomie status by pacing each other (ie slapping each others butts) from
km 7 to 10. Being smart racers, they successfully drafted behind a truck for a
while. The truck was wearing spandex.
Although Barry killed the Sprint,
he would have preferred to kill the 14 year old future Olympians invading his
distance and actually turning it into a competitive event. He would now have to
actually work for his podiums. His newfound determination would see him return
to his secret lab to create a sunglasses holder and large banana holder for his
Cervelo in order to destroy his competitors in Victoria.
As mentioned, Carl drastically
improved his swim – he also had the 4th fastest time overall in the
run. Matt Reeve had a fast and flawless swim (and was only edged out ever so
slightly by some random guy). Matt duked it out with a pro biker throughout the
ride but unfortunately had to pull out prematurely (or preventatively) after
the bike in order to avoid a nagging injury from bugging him during a little
unsupported ride across the country he planned for the following few days…he
still won his age cat though! The gap between Winston and Victoria narrowed
(Winston finished 3 minutes ahead), setting up a showdown for the Victoria tri.
Victoria eased into her new bike, gaining confidence lap after lap and getting
more and more speed out of the concept. Victoria, was followed my Michael
Duncan, who once again showed that one CAN be a party animal, work 6 days a
week, and be a successful triathlete! Johnson impressively powered through the
swim and bike, only to be hampered by his broccoli-only diet during the run.
Always hard-core, Johnson nevertheless completed the half marathon. Max, in the
midst of packing and selling his life’s possessions in preparation for his
return to Germany, finished in an impressive sub five in his first half-iron (his
secret training definitely paid off).
Everyone knew Kevin could swim
but Shawnigan gave him the chance to show off his legs – he did not disappoint
posting a top ten result in the Olympic. Not yet a UBCTC member, Wayne Little
finished 15th – imagine when he fills out forms and has to put his
family name first? Tyler was an impressive 6th out of the water, showing
that wearing less in the water may actually pay off – besides the hypothermia. Naiely
showed up out of the blue, having opted to travel around the world instead of
sitting on a trainer all winter, and tore up the Olympic. Both Kelsey and Naiely podiumed in
their respective age categories. Chris Hart overcame his previous night’s over
eating at the pasta party to post a solid result on his awesome new bike…oops,
no, on his old bike.
Cool people posing with their sweet swag for winning their age group
The ferry ride back and accompanying
buffet overindulgence came as no surprise. Winston recruited a record number of
athletes to contribute to the financial woes of BC Ferries. Mike Duncan hadn’t
even finished his meal before he fell asleep at the table with his pants open.
Unrelated, an erroneous, but enthusiastic, whale sighting occurred.
Next up is Victoria. Derrick will
be back and will be gunning for Winston. Winston will likely also be in the
sights of Victoria as she aims to go sub 5. Mr. Guo, for his part, will try to
repeat his 2010 victory over Brendan. Of course, the big question is whether Vince
Lavallée will race or whether he’ll conveniently double book himself again ; ).
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