Rain cancels bike ride during Tri-Smore

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

Last year, the conditions were perfect. This year, a heavy downpour put the eighth annual Tri-Smore Strathmore Triathlon in jeopardy.
It rained off and on all weekend, but hit the hardest the evening and morning of the annual race.
“When we got here to set up signs for the bike riding section this morning, it was raining so hard that the wipers on our volunteer’s car couldn’t keep up,” said Tri-Smore Race Director Niki Johnson. “The highway was still open at that point and there was too much water on the road for skinny tires. It was a really tough decision, but ultimately, it wasn’t safe for our athletes.”
Last year, the race took place on a beautiful sunny morning. This year, the race was one lightning strike away from being completely called off.
When it comes to triathlons in southern Alberta, you are held hostage by the elements.
“It was disappointing not to have the cycling portion. You can’t predict Mother Nature, so just deal with it and move on,” said Tim Smail, one of the 63 local athletes competing in the event.
Like every year, athletes come from all over southern Alberta for the highly anticipated race. This year, competitors came from Okotoks, Calgary, Rockyford, Medicine Hat, Saskatoon and Lake Country, B.C., to name a few.
This year, the number of contestants was down to 267 from 388 last year.
Smail usually hugs the sidelines during the race to cheer on his daughter. But this year his daughter was unable to race so he stepped up to the plate.
The Smails are just one of many local families in the race that make it a highly anticipated event each summer.
Three years ago, Kaitrin McDonnell ran in the Mega Smore while carrying a little extra weight. She was three months pregnant with her second child when she clocked in at 2:34.46.
This year, she was running for one and finished the Adult Full Smore teamed event in 46.59.
But what made this event more enjoyable for the McDonnell family was that Kaitrin’s first born, Finnsewall, ran for the first time in the Two-Bite race at the age of five.
“To do this as a family was so much fun. Typically my husband is the runner, but he couldn’t go this year, but that’s fine. He was out here supporting us and it’s great to see other families out here as well. That’s what makes this such a great community event,” said Kaitrin.
This year, the top competitor in the individual Mega Smore (150-metre swim, 10-kilometre run) was Calgary’s Darren Hayner with a time of 1:06:14.43. The top local athlete in the Mega was Andrew Kelly, who placed fifth with a time of 1:24:20.30.
Taking the title in the Adult Full Smore (500m swim, 5km run) was Leslie-Anne Bowyer of Medicine Hat with her time of 35:22.69. Right behind her was the top local finisher in Lauren Deagle, who was hot on her tail at 35:24.67.
The local team of Avery Johnson, Xander Johnson and Logan Pouwer captured the Adult Team Full Smore.
In the Adult Half Smore (250m swim, 2.5km run), Calgary’s Emily Dukeshire crossed the line at 24:26.47. The highest finishing Strathmore product was Carley Flaws, who checked in third at 26:03.26.
The Tri-Smore housed a pair of youth events this season, the Half Smore (250m swim, 2.5 km run) and Quarter Smore (100m swim, 1.5km run).
Stratmore’s Cale Yorston won the Half Smore in a blistering time of 12:55.52. In the Quarter Smore, local product Nicholas Szasz finished second with a time of 10:16.70.