Dozens of newbies give it a Tri at inaugural winter event

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Frozen lakes were no obstacle at the inaugural TriMuskoka Winter Indoor Triathlon Classic which had participants come out of the elements and into the Canada Summit Centre to swim, bike and run their way to a mid-winter accomplishment.

Organizer Rich Trenholm was delighted that many of the participants had never done a triathlon before. The event was created by TriMuskoka with funds from last year’s not-for-profit TriMuskokan – the club’s annual short course and try-a-tri event – as a way to promote and encourage physical literacy. The Winter Indoor Triathlon Classic was billed as a fun event, not a race, and had 81 participants ranging in age from 12 to 80.

“A significant number of people had never done a triathlon before and we had oodles of youth come out and we hope this is something that spurs them on to get active in a sport that’s a big part of our community,” said Trenholm.

Participants completed the event in waves and earned points based on how many lengths of the pool they could complete, how fast they could spin on stationary bikes and how many laps they could run on the indoor track in the 15 minutes allotted for each activity. Some used the event as a mid-winter training goal, others as a fun challenge to beat the winter blahs.

Marek Bialkowski and Jessica Adam took top male and female adult honours, while Brayden Scholey and Brooke McPhee did the same in the youth category.

Following the event, participants and family members were invited for an afternoon of outdoor fun, a hearty dinner and an awards ceremony at the Ontario Pioneer Camp in Port Sydney.

Organizer Rich Trenholm directs the next wave of participants

Participants had 15 minutes to swim as many lengths of the pool as they could

Then it was on to the bike heat for 15 minutes of spinning

Runners on the Don Lough track had these enthusiastic volunteers cheering them on

The final wave of participants takes a break post-run

Trenholm encouraged the newbies – and anyone else in the community interested in giving a triathlon a try – to sign up for the TriMuskokan in June. TriMuskoka calls it an event (not a race) as well – the goal is to encourage an active lifestyle and personal goals rather than a race to the finish line. The try-a-tri is just a 350m swim, a 10km bike and a 3km run. The short course tri comprises a 750m swim, a 30km bike and a 7km run. There are also duathlon, swim/bike relay and corporate relay options. One-third of the event’s spots have already been spoken for, so don’t wait long if you want to give it a try. Learn more at trimuskoka.com.

See images from last year’s TriMuskokan on Doppler here.

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