Mark McLaren & April Hichens | Team in Training » triathlon

April and Mark are Ready to Rock in Victoria, BC

ironmanbuzz — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:21:16 +0000

April (center) with our team captain and friends from TNT at a recent practice triathlon

Our Washington chapter Team In Training Victoria half ironman group, ready for a practice swim in lake Washington

Mark’s First Triathlon – Issaquah, WA – May 30, 2009

ironmanbuzz — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:08:09 +0000

Mark (3rd from left) at the Issaquah Triathlon with friends from Team In Training

I participated in my first triathlon race in Issaquah, Washington, on May 30, 2009. It was a blast. The best part was having all my Team In Training friends there, some watching, most participating. April was away with friends Karen, Allison and Jeannie from out of state. But fortunately I was able to hand off Keir, Oz and Bowie to our good friends Bob and Rebecca for a sleep-over so that I could get up at 4:30 to get ready and head off to Issaquah.

I learned a lot at this first triathlon, like the fact that you don’t need to eat during the event like you do during a half ironman because Issaquah is a sprint tri. It only lasted an hour and 19 minutes! I tried to simulate what it will be like in Victoria by eating a Nutella and white bread sandwich on the bike, and I nearly choked and crashed! I won’t be using that bread again soon.

I also learned that swimming in a wetsuit is pretty darn fun! You float so much better than you do without a wetsuit, and the suit is so smooth on the outside, it must increase your speed by 10-20 percent – or at least that’s what I’m telling myself!

Where is this New Balance Half Ironman Triathlon 2009?

ironmanbuzz — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:07:27 +0000

Those of you wondering where in the heck the New Balance Half Ironman Triathlon 2009 will actually take place – or, for that matter, be honest, some of you are probably wondering if this triathlon thing Mark and April claim they are going to do really exists – well, here is some evidence that it does.

The New Balance Triathlon is part of the Subaru West Coast Triathlon Series, which has a very snappy web site. So there’s that.

For now, I just want to share with you the location of the triathlon start line on this nifty Google map. The triathlon begins with the swim, and the swim portion of the tri takes place in Elk/Beaver Lake in Victoria, BC. On the map, you’ll see the beach, which is called Hamsterly Beach. The swim starts and ends in nearly the same spot on Hamsterly Beach. If you set the map to “Satellite” view and zoom in real close, I think you can see the hamsters.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t really care for the sound of “Hamsterly Beach” as the site for a triathlon swim. I was hoping for something like “Manly Beach” or maybe “Badass Beach”. Oh well!

Here’s a look at the bike course on MapMyRide.com. We go around this twice. New Balance Victoria Half Ironman 2009 bike course on MapMyRide.com.

For the run, we go around Elk/Beaver Lake. There’s a map of the run course below. You can download a copy if you care to take a closer look.

I’m sure we will see many Elk/Beavers along the way. See the photo below, with the human form inset for comparison. These are a majestic species of Humongous Beaver, native to Vancouver Island. The males have gigantic antlers, and, of course, very large, flat tails. Truly amazing!

Victoria Half Ironman 2009 Run Course - 2 laps