On July 6 and 7, TriFactor took part in the first ever triathlon at the International Peace Gardens, straddling the US/Canada border near Turtle Mountain, south of Brandon.
The weekend began with a mixed team relay. Teams consisted of 4 triathletes. Each athlete swam (200m), biked (10k), and ran (1.6k) before passing the race on to their next teammate. Some 17 teams of 4 triathletes took part. It was tons of fun!
The event also included a Kids of Steel race in the afternoon. As we lost the KoS at Pinawa this year, this marked a welcome entry in the race schedule.
TriFactor Turtles represented your home team in the relay. Thanks for Jason from Windburn for rounding out our side. Unfortunately, as it was a mixed relay, the overwhelming dudeness of our team disqualified us from placing with the rest of the entrants (we came in first among the all-male teams, though)!
 |
| TriFactor Turtles? WindFactor? TriBurn? Call it what you want, just don't call us slow! Thanks Ray Penner Photography for this picture! |
 |
| Checking out the stairs to the swim start |
 |
| First swimmers getting ready to kick off the team relay |
 |
| And they're off on the 200m swim! |
 |
| Coach K on the run |
 |
| New John leaving T2 |
 |
| New John finishing his first tri! |
 |
| Marc on the rolling bike course. Thanks Ray Penner Photography for this picture. |
 |
| And on the run. Thanks Ray Penner Photography for this picture. |
The second day of the race weekend consisted of a straight out sprint triathlon. Coach Kevin and Marc placed fairly well against what was likely the strongest and deepest sprint field in a local triathlon maybe ever.
Despite the distance (and lack of cell coverage), Peace Garden is one of the more spectacular venues for a triathlon in Manitoba. While the lake for the swim is a little on the murky side, the bike course is hilly, challenging, and technical. The run course leaves the lake area and winds around to enter the formal gardens running right along the border, past the 9/11 memorial and back again to the finish line. Hot, sunny, and exposed, this was a tough but super memorable 5k. As important, the Peace Gardens is just a really cool place to spend a weekend.
 |
| Looking down the border between the US and Canada |
 |
| The 9/11 Memorial |
 |
| Ridiculously tall cacti in the interpretive centre |
 |
| Looks like a cactus to me |
Congratulations to Duane Latimer from the A and L Tri Club for hosting a terrific weekend! We're going to come back next year for sure with at least 2 teams!
 |
| The turtle kind of matches our t-shirts |
 |
| Stopping for a quick repair to the mobile training unit |
 |
| Leaving West-Man behind but we'll be back next year |
