237 swam, biked, ran

 

Conditions were hot, but this did not stop 237 ladies racing in the 11th annual Strathmore Women’s Triathlon on Aug. 18. 

“It was spectacular,” said organizer Deanne Jabs. “Close to 50 per cent are first-ever triathletes. All of these women start off as first-timers, so it does feed a lot of women to other triathlons around the province. It’s a really good introduction to the sport, having this race, which is pretty much designed for beginners.”

First place went to Tanya Saloman, a mother in her 40s, with a finishing time of 1:02:30.

“She was quite proud,” Jabs said. “She still has it in her.”

A close second at 1:03:19 was 21-year-old Madi Serpico, who first won the Strathmore race at age 16. She is a sponsored professional triathlete, whose family owns a store dedicated to the sport.

Two para-athlete triathloners also competed in the race: Kim Wedgerfield and Jacqueline Cooper. 

The top Strathmore participant was Danielle Harris.

Jabs says that though it’s important to acknowledge the top finishers, it’s not the main focus of the race.

“One of my slogans is ‘see the effort and celebrate the accomplishment.’ We don’t really celebrate the race winner, it’s more the accomplishment of finishing, and rewarding them with a medal, everyone gets their name announced at the finish line … to make them feel like they’re champions for the day,” she said.

The race entailed a 500 m swim at the Aquatic Centre, a 20 km bike down Highway 817, and a 5 km run just south of Hope Church, which could be completed in a relay form as well; there was one team of a grandmother and granddaughter. 

“The girl was only 12, so she couldn’t do the bike. But the grandmother did the swim, and the bike, and the granddaughter did the run,” Jabs said. “It was really nice bonding for them.”

There were also five ladies who raced in the 60+ group.

Jabs, a triathlete herself, was asked by the Alberta Triathlon Association to organize a race in southern Alberta, as there was already a women’s only race in the north.

“Strathmore had an ideal location with the pool being on the outskirts of town, rather than having to negotiate through all the lights and traffic stops,” she said. “Potentially, this is a Canada Games kind of course so it’s just safer to have less traffic stops. As long as the local community is aware of the event and we have enough volunteers manning it, it’s a very safe course to ride on rather than riding in the city.”

Over 60 volunteers were needed to put on the contest; Co-op even donated a cake towards the race, a well-earned treat for the finishers.

“No cake was left over for some reason,” said Jabs. “Everyone deserves cake.”