Perfect conditions for the 2016 Kiwanis Triathlon on Sunday had a full field of competitors and cheering crowds at Olmsted Beach in North Bay.
There were Anita Avenue and Lakeside Drive cheering squads, waiting for the exhausted athletes to cross the finish line and then congratulate the competitors in the swim, bike and run event.
A sunny 21 degrees with a 25 km/h breeze was helpful for the 120 athletes.
The Try a Tri Triathlon had about 100 competitors while Saturday’s race for kids had almost 150 entries.
Kiwanis has been running the race since 2002 picking it up from the Rotary Club.
Race coordinator Nancy Birtch says that triathletes, including Viola Burke, got behind it as a great event for North Bay.
“It continued to grow with big sponsors raising $5,000 in the first year for it. It has great community involvement. We’ve got people from Singapore, B.C. and Massachusetts. We have a lot of people from North Bay that come home and make this their summer holiday,” said
Joan Hollywood of Ontario Triathlon runs the annual race.
“The Try a Tri is often someone's first so we want to introduce them to the rules so when they go to other places they will feel comfortable with what they are supposed to do.
Donna May Robbins said that Sunday’s race is the 4th she's run so far this summer.
“It wasn’t bad. I don’t run well in the heat. I would like it cooler. I train at night usually.”
As a cross country coach for Nipissing University she takes part in the relay for strengthening.
“It’s all about the hills,” added Robbins.
The Try a Tri had athletes start with a swim in Trout Lake.
Eighteen-year-old Brett Saunders, wearing a Team Saunders USA uniform, came in first in the Try a Tri event starting at 8 am with a field of 19.
His total time was 27:42:9. Section times are: Swim 4:16 Bike 14:21 Run 9:07
Other Try a Tri times follow:
Quinn Schroeder from North Bay was third with 32:33.5 -- Swim 5:16 Bike 18:23 and Run 8:56.
Both Cholette and Schroeder are members of the North Bay Titans swim team.
Jocelyn Saunders is thankful her employer allows 10 weeks of the year to volunteer as a coach at Camp Ak-O-Mak. Her son Brett is a camp counsellor as well. The camp had 50 campers entered in the Try a Tri event.
Saunders says camp is where World Champions are made.
“I was a world champion swimmer in 10k when I was sixteen. Then I started triathlons at 21. I volunteer my summers because I think camp is where I became a world champion.”
The Triathlon athletes swam 1000 metres, biked almost 40 kms and ran about 8 kms. North Bay’s Nathan Sagle placed fourth in the Triathlon. He was in the 30-34 age category.
Sagle called the cool sunny weather perfect for the race and looks forward to 3 or 4 more races throughout the summer.
Buddy Green, North Bay’s Josh Witt and Powassan’s Jennifer Piper took top places.
