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Chlorine ChronicleNMSC Sep/04 NewsletterCorner Brook Triathlon, NewfoundlandNewsletter Contents | Previous Article | Next Article By Ian Button On July 18, 2004 I had the opportunity to take part in my first Corner Brook, Newfoundland Triathlon, an Olympic distance event that has been around since 1982, and played host to its 7th consecutive International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Cup event. I'm originally from Newfoundland so this was sort of a homecoming and the people of Corner Brook did not disappoint. It was a great race and the weather was fabulous. The swim was a deep-water start in water temperature of about 18-19 degrees…thank goodness for the wetsuit. The course was slow because we had to do three laps around a square course, which meant about 10, 90 degree turns in the water. Triathlon swimming is tricky, a fast start is important to get to that first turn early so as to position yourself for the remainder of the swim. Most people sprint to the turn then settle in to a comfortable pace. It's a little difficult because of the danger of going anaerobic. So a solid warm-up is a definite. I was happy with my swim, I was in the top 10 at the first turn and was able to settle in with a group that was about my speed. However, I'm learning that I don't like following others in open water. I'm finding most people in open water swimming are terrible at sighting (finding the buoys) and end up zigzagging all over the place. If you're following them this nullifies the energy saved by drafting because I end up zigzagging just to stay on their feet. So as a result I let a group of 3 get a little ahead and I led two others out of the water, exiting in 7th place out of 80. Upon exit we had an approximate 500m run UPHILL to the transition zone. I completed the swim in about 23min but T1 was about 3m because we had a long uphill water exit. Let me tell you…that run was not easy. Running uphill, catching your breath and trying to get your wetsuit off to your waist was a little tiring. Next to swimming, cycling is where I'm most comfortable. The bike course was a 10km out and back loop that we had to complete 4 times. Exiting the T-zone the course started downhill for about a km until reaching the waterfront when riders continued for about 4km's along flat section before turning around. Upon the return approaching the city the climbing begins. From the waterfront to the transition zone we were climbing, with short breaks in the hill on the way up. It was a tough loop but hitting 65+kph going down to the waterfront was a nice feeling…I just didn't like the 17kph going up :) I started the bike leg in 7th place had a solid ride and managed to move up to 4th place going out on the run. I certainly benefited from the two Gatineau Park rides per week I've been doing since May. The run, however, was a different story for me. At my previous race I injured my foot, so I hadn't run in almost three weeks going into this race…this weighed heavily on my mind. I'm happy to say the intense physio and rest helped and I didn't have any foot pain, however, the lack of run training definitely played a roll in my slower time. On top of that, the run course was toughest I've ever raced. The loop was 2.5 km and consisted of two long climbs and we had to do it 4 times. I venture to guess that there was maybe only 200m of the run course that was flat, otherwise we were going up or down. My run split was a disappointing 46:30 and I surrendered 5 places and fell to 9th overall and second in my age group. BUT I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. It was a fantastic sunny and warm Newfoundland day (they're rare…trust me), the crowds were excellent even at 7:30 in the morning on a Sunday. Results are posted online at: http://www.triourworld.com I spent the next two weeks on vacation/training in my hometown getting ready for the Kingston Triathlon on August 1st. 
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