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Mother Nature had the last say on the last day, as Ironman Canada turned into a duathlon.
The water, that was too hot for a wetsuit swim at the Peach Classic, was deemed too cold the morning of the race. Sara True of the USA won the female event. On the male side, it was Canada’s Lionel Sanders who won it.
In our short interview, Lionel tells us about his 1st experience using a heart rate monitor in an Ironman, his take on the Nike supershoes, and his challenges with nutrition.
It’s Ironweek again (for the last time?) in Penticton.
There are no forest fires, pandemics, or comets heading toward the Okanagan to cancel it this year. But there is a pro race, in fact there are both men’s and women’s pro races, something that hasn’t happened here in decades.
On the men’s side, the field is impressive with Canadian pros like Jameson Plewes, Cody Beals, and Lionel Sanders, but without a doubt most of the chalk on the sidewalk and cheers from the fans will be for local Jeff Symonds (known as Mr. Symonds to his students).
There’s been some big changes in his life since he last won the race here back in 2022, he’s now married, a father, and a full-time teacher. Balancing all that with training for Ironman as most of y’all know is incredibly challenging.
In our interview we talk about the changes not only in his life but also about the multiple elephants in the room, namely: his future in triathlon, the future of triathlon in Penticton, supershoes (!), and how much tougher it is today to be a professional triathlete in Canada.
Listen to our no-holds-barred interview below!
It’s been a great couple of weeks for sports in Canada. Not only did we win both gold medals in the hammer throw at the Paris Olympics, locally we had some big news as well.
Over in the Okanagan, Penticton pro triathlete Jen Annett set the all-time female record for an ultra-distance triathlon. She did the Ultraman Canada in 21 hours and 39 minutes. Just how long is an ultra? Day 1 is a 10k swim and a 160k bike. Day 2 is a 270k bike. Day 3 is a double marathon – that is 84k! On top of all this, the Canada course is one of the toughest there is.
In our finish-line interview, we review her record-setting performance and find out what the future holds for her.
Over the weekend I had a chance to interview all the folks who made the top 3 at the Ultraman Canada Triathlon. Placing 2nd overall is a person with an interesting background in ultra-running and as an animal shelter owner, KC Northup.
In doing any endurance sports event, there’s gotta be some adversity to overcome. England’s George Hellyer was dealt MORE than his fair share of that over the weekend.
From losing luggage to flat tyres, George and his crew had to rise to the occasion more than once or thrice. Hear George’s tale of his first Ultraman .
One of the thrilling aspects of Ultraman racing is the essential role played by crew members who support the athletes on the race course. Picture this: rising at the crack of dawn, around 4 or 5 AM, and dedicating the next three consecutive days to driving a sweltering vehicle, stopping every ten minutes to hand out food or beverages, and repeating this for six to twelve hours… all without any pay. Such is the exhilarating and demanding life of an Ultra Triathlon Crew Member.
Grace Brannon, hailing all the way from Arlington, Texas, has taken on this adventure in Penticton. She’s here to support Caroline Bloom, the athlete we featured on our podcast yesterday. In our brief interview, we delve into Grace’s athletic background and uncover what she gains from the unique experience of being a crew member.
As you can see in the picture below, “Team Bloom” had a pretty good day 2 out on the course yesterday. Caroline cycled a 10:07 for the 171 mile route, which places her exactly in the middle of the pack.
And there was no change at the top of the leaderboard. Jen Annett continues her domination of this race. Yesterday she broke yet another record and seems to be on her way to not only winning this whole thing but doing a “Simon Cochrane” and setting a world record for the Ultraman.
A bit of Canadian triathlon history was made yesterday afternoon, as Penticton Triathlete Jen Annett delivered on her notion she may do something “special on the bike.”
She posted the fastest-ever female day 1 bike split at Ultraman Canada. Her time of just under 4 hours and 10 minutes is now in the record books.
To put that in perspective, Jen’s time yesterday was the 3rd fastest day 1 bike split ever at the event. Impressive indeed when Ultraman has been running for 4 decades.
Also having a fine day out on the course yesterday was Caroline Bloom from Texas. We had a chance to chat with her about why she got into ultra triathlon and her favourite (and least favourite) parts about training.
