The Subaru Triathlon Series hosts the first Ontario outdoor triathlon in Milton, which offers both a try-a-tri distance (~375m swim/10km bike/2.5km run) as well as a Sprint distance (~750m swim/30km bike/7km run). Note, most Canadian sprints are this distance, and not the Standard sprint distance. I believe they do this because we have a short season of racing.
On Sunday June 2, I toed the line in the Sprint distance triathlon semi injury free (I had a nagging knee issue from the 3hr bike Saturday) but not tapered as this was a 'B' priority race. All of my races are 'B' priority except Gulf Coast 70.3, Ironman Lake Placid, Ironman Mont Tremblant, and Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon.
Pre - race: I decided to try a red bull before the swim just to give some caffeine and see what happens. This is usually what not to do on race day (try something new) but I thought, its only a sprint nothing can go wrong! I actually enjoyed the red bull and not sure if it gave me any advantage though.
Swim: At 09:45 we set off into the wetsuit legal 62°F water. A lot of people found the water chilly, but I thought it was just right to race in! Felt very comfortable swimming in the open water, definitely a lot calmer than my previous open water experience at Gulf Coast 70.3. I actually passed some swimmers from the previous wave and that helped to boost my confidence. Being in the new age group meant I moved from first wave to the second wave.
- 15:33 ; 2:04/100m ; 22/55 M 30-34
Transition 1:
I decided to sit down, felt a little dizzy, and just took my time putting on socks and shoes before getting on the bike. It was overcast, and was supposed to rain so I threw on a cycling jacket as well.
- 4:12
Bike:
I decided to go with zero hydration on the bike as there was supposed to be an aid station on course, and for a 30 km ride, a shot of Gatorade half way through would've been enough. Well, turns out there was no aid station!
Milton is well known for the 6th line hill which is a 2 km climb, with the first km ranging from 8-10% incline, and then levels down to about a 3-5% incline for the next km. This hill is killer mainly because of the steepness and how early it appears in the course. It is about 4 km into the course, barely enough time to get warmed up and ready to ride! I managed to climb the entire hill and feel good about it. Heart rate skyrocketed but that was expect. The rest of the ride is uneventful, a loop on top of the escarpment and then back down that hill which brings loads of speed and fun!
- 1:02:27 ; 28.8 km/hr ; 31/55 M 30-34
Transition 2:
Uneventful. throw on running shoes, race bib, grabbed an endurance tap, and headed out. I did forget my race bib belt, so had to pin my bib on during T1. Also should've put some sunscreen on, the skies opened up and it was sunny and hot!
- 2:52
Run:
My goal was to finish, and try to pace well. I do believe overall I paced well, just not to plan due to hills. The run is well shaded and well fueled so I felt great on the run and had energy to kick it up in the last km and cut pace down to 5:00 min/km!! It was a great finish.
- 41:45 ; 5:57 min/km ; 35/55 M 30-34
Overall:
Glad to enjoy an ice cold Erdinger Alkoholfrei beer and a Subway sandwich at the finish line. Definitely need to improve my running skills, although they've come a long way already, I went from 22 out of swim to 35 overall. Definitely need to close that gap.
- Finish: 2:06:48 ; 274/493
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| Milton Sprint Finish Line |
