Kelowna Apple Race Report, Ironman Canada... AND MORE!

Gosh, this post is long overdue.

I’ll start with the short version…

The past few weeks have been great! I tri-geeked out big time and have had a simply amazing end to August.


Now, grab a coffee and get comfy, because here comes the long version…

Following Sooke I had a great last block of training heading into Kelowna (Pushor Mitchell Kelowna Apple Triathlon). The week before the race I felt ready. My nerves were definitely starting to peak, but all of my workouts were feeling really good and I was feeling more and more excited about the race. I was relaxed on every run I did and my legs were feeling fresh. So, I was nervous, yes, but also really excited. Overall, I’d say I was in a state of “good and anxious” I suppose.

Now, some details about ‘The Apple’. It is a qualifier for the Age Group World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2012 – the top 10 from each age group qualify. Deep down, I knew if I had a good race, I could probably qualify, and while I never really said it out loud to anyone, it was my goal to finish in the top 10. This was my ‘big race’ for the season and I wanted everything to come together and I wanted to have a good result.

A week or so before the race I began having some very crazy and emotional dreams. Whether this was the result of some other stressors in my life, or it was my anxieties about the race, I will never know for sure, but since Kelowna has come and gone, the dreams have definitely lessened. I’m realizing now, having a good race in Kelowna meant more to me than I was willing to admit – even to myself.

But, as Kelly told me – the nerves were a good sign. They were a sign that the race actually meant something to me.


Now, time for a quick (haha) race report I suppose…

Shane and I arrived in Penticton on Friday night. We had a fairly mellow Saturday morning as I did my race prep and got my bike and gear ready for the next day. We headed up to Kelowna in the early afternoon to drop off my bike and pick up my race pack. We checked out the race site (swim start, transition area, etc.) and drove the bike course, before meeting up with Kelly for a little 'pep-talk' on Saturday afternoon just before the official race meeting. After the race meeting, we headed back to Penticton for the night and I was in bed fairly early and, thankfully, had a great sleep.

On Sunday, Shane and I were up early for the drive back to Kelowna. We got to the race site with plenty of time to spare, so I wasn't rushed at all (which was really nice). I got my transition set up and was able to get in a good warm up before getting into my wetsuit. Of course, once in my wetsuit waiting to get into the marshaling area for the swim, I was totally and completely nervous. Funny how that always happens eh?

Finally, it was time!

This race was a beach start, and from the moment the gun went off (I was in the second wave), it was a battle.

From swim start to swim finish – utter chaos – girls were banging and clawing like we were at a Louis Vuitton sample sale or something. I did manage to find feet a few times and get a bit of a draft, but it was never super consistent. That said, I still felt like I swam pretty well. Of course, if I had been in the water alone, without all the jostling and banging, I could have pulled out a quicker time, but I suppose that is not racing. Overall, by the time I hit the beach and was running to transition, I felt like I had given it my best.

Now, T1 - something I usually feel great and super happy about – well, quite frankly, it sucked!

I could not get my feet out of my wetsuit and then went to un-rack my bike before I put my helmet on!! I have never, ever done that before - ugh. What was I thinking? (Actually, the problem was that I don't think I really was thinking). It probably only ate up a few extra seconds to realize I was being an idiot, re-rack and put my helmet on, but it left me slightly frazzled. I then got a bit caught up behind someone slowly running out of the transition area (sooo frustrating when you know you can be moving faster), but I managed to have a good mount (better than some of the elite women if I do say so myself) and felt like I got my feet into my shoes and was up to speed fairly quickly.

The bike course for the sprint at ‘The Apple’ is 2 loops. There is one big climb not far into the loop and then you get a nice good descent, some flat straight stretches and a number of 90 degree turns heading back toward the end. To me, it was a fast, yet somewhat technical, course – and a really fun one at that!

Once I was actually on the bike and moving, I saw Kelly on the side of the road and got a nice big cheer from him (which always helps). I’ll admit, my botched T1 bothered me for the first few minutes of the bike, but by the time I hit Knox Mountain (the first big climb of the race), I had convinced myself to forget about it and just focus on what lay ahead. I felt like I climbed Knox pretty well and actually passed quite a few people on this stretch. I had a good rhythm going and was in a good gear, so didn't feel like I was killing my legs. The descents were awesome and I was able to overtake a few people – both on the downs and especially going into the corners. I was feeling really confident in my cornering and it seemed like a lot of other racers weren’t, so when they slammed on the brakes I was able to take advantage of them slowing way down and made some good passes. The second loop was much the same and pretty good as well. There were more people on the course with the later waves joining in which was motivating. Again I felt confident climbing up Knox and went by a number of people. I unfortunately never saw anyone in my age group, but I definitely had fun trying to catch and pick off the older ladies and men in front of me and just felt really steady and strong.

I heard both Shane and Kelly cheer me on as I was finishing up my second loop and sliding out of my shoes in preparation for my dismount.

T2 was better than T1, but still a bit slow for me (both transitions were a bit weak for me on this day). I again got caught up behind someone slowly trotting to the rack in front of me (I don’t know how you can avoid this? Is it unsportsmanlike to yell at people to move? haha) but overall, it was okay. I didn't forget any crucial parts like helmets or race belts this time around, so I guess that was a win.

Coming out on the run I was happy to see two girls in my age group right in front of me. It was good motivation to try and keep pushing. I passed the two girls maybe 600-700m into the run. One girl fell off the pace fairly quickly, but I remained pretty much shoulder to shoulder with the other one until about 2.5-3k when she just steadily picked up the pace. I tried to stay with her, but she just slowly kept pulling away. I had a bit of a mental battle at this point. Watching her pull away and not being able to respond, made me just want to stop, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself after the race if I did, so I kept trying to push. Those last two km's actually turned out to be my fastest of the run, but unfortunately they were not quite fast enough to catch the girl in front of me. That said, she was definitely good motivation to keep pushing.

As the finish line approached, I could hear someone bearing down on me. I was afraid it was the girl from the start of the run, so picked it up as much as I could and managed to stay in front of those ominous footsteps. When I crossed the line and peered over my shoulders, I saw it was actually two men who had obviously been battling it out.

I think the first thing I said to Shane was "I'm happy. Before I look at any of the results or stats or my placing - I'm happy with it and feel like it was a good race” and, you know, even after looking at the stats and whatnot, I am still happy with my race – and the results.

Of course, there is always that part of me that wishes I had gone faster, but I think I pushed as hard as I could on that day and I actually wasn't afraid to hurt during this race - which is something that had been plaguing me earlier in the season. I hurt in Kelowna and it was a really nice feeling.

At the end of the day, I finished 8th in my age group. My goal of finishing top 10 was met and I qualified for NZ!!!

Shane and I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon watching the remaining people in the age group competitions complete their races. We also hung around for the elite women’s race (but unfortunately not the men’s) before heading back to Penticton.


The week in Penticton was lots of fun. I spent some time running and biking, but also did a lot of relaxing, just soaking in the heat and the building excitement as Ironman Canada approached. Penticton is a great host for Ironman and the buzz of the race just grew and grew as the week progressed.

Friday afternoon while Shane volunteered setting up the transition area and bike lot, I checked out the race expo, did a little people watching and even got out for a quick swim in Okanagan Lake. Bliss.

Kirsten and Tyler arrived Friday night, and then Kirsten and I volunteered at bike check-in for the athletes on Saturday afternoon. It was crazy hot, and I think I probably walked about 10-15k around the transition area in the 5 hours I was there, but that was nothing compared with what the athletes would be experiencing the next day. It was just so much fun, talking with all the athletes, seeing how different people react and deal with the nerves and stress, hearing the stories of Ironman veterans, and sharing my own stories with the newbies as well. Overall, it was a really great experience, and I’m so happy that I was able to spend the day helping out.

Then finally, it was IRONMAN SUNDAY!

I had a case of Ironman Fever – and there was only one cure – more cowbell! (I don’t think Tyler ever wants to hear that damn cowbell again, haha).

Our day of cheering began nice and early as Kirsten and I headed to Okanagan Lake to watch the largest mass start in the world! (Seriously, no lie, I heard that this year’s IMC really was the largest mass start ever – and you know, it looked it).

We watched the swimmers for a bit, before moving over to the transition exit to get a good view of the pros and age groupers heading out on the bike.

After watching countless athletes zip past and begin their journey on the bike, we decided we would head back to the lake to cheer in the remaining swimmers as the swim cut off approached. The excitement as the last two people made it into transition before the cut off was absolutely incredible. Unfortunately, it was a roller coaster of emotions, as seeing those who just missed the cut off was rather heartbreaking. So, with tears in our eyes, we decided it was time to head home and pick up the boys for our trek out to Yellow Lake to watch some of the bike action.

We arrived at Yellow Lake not long after the first 20 or so racers had gone by and picked out a spot not too far up the hill to begin cheering. The heat waves were radiating off the pavement and the energy of the spectators was incredible! Soon enough, bikers started rolling by. Some people looked so happy and energized by the crowds and others had a more focused grimace on their faces. We rang the cowbell, clapped till our hands hurt and cheered as loud as we could. It was great fun! (I will admit to having a couple moments where I thought “I don’t know if I want to do this again” – as the base of Yellow Lake was definitely one of my ‘down’ moments last year while racing IMC). I’m not sure how long we were out there, but think it was around 4 hours or so. I think we probably saw the majority of the bikes go by before we decided to head back into town for some food and water (we did not plan our cheerleading nutrition very well I’m afraid, haha).

After a quick food and water break, and a dip in the pool, we headed down to Lakeshore Drive to cheer in the finishers. As the sun set behind the hills, more cowbell, clapping and yelling ensued. Our growling tummies forced us away from the finish area before midnight but we did manage to find a seat in a pub with a large video screen of the finish line and watched the smiling faces cross the line until just after 11:00.

It was a great day, and the finish line got me re-inspired and excited to take on the challenge again.

Sooo, on Monday morning, Shane, Kirsten and I all signed up for IMC 2012!

Here we go again!