Instead of letting the mid-winter, grey skies get them down, participants at the fourth annual TriMuskoka Indoor Triathlon Winter Classic got active.
The event, hosted by TriMuskoka and Fitt Gym, was held at the Canada Summit Centre on February 9.
Participants were challenged to set personal goals for themselves, or to engage in a little friendly competition with their co-workers, families and friends.
The event consisted of short intervals—just 15 minutes each of swimming, biking, and running—to mimic a longer triathlon. Participants could go at their own pace or push themselves to their limits. The indoor tri is also a mid-winter training opportunity before triathlon season begins.
Athletes were greeted at the check-in table by smiling volunteers Leigh Fettes and Avary Strickland. TriMuskoka director and social co-ordinator, Kaitlyn Habermehl, motivated the athletes as they geared up for the start of their wave.
The first group got underway at 8:10 a.m.with a warm-up swim, followed by their 15 minutes in the pool. Volunteers counted the number of laps each swimmer completed. Points were awarded for each completed lap.
Once their time was up, participants had five minutes to change and prepare for the bike portion of the event. Fitt Gym provided the stationary spin bikes for the event. The ‘distance’ each participant biked in 15 minutes was added to their overall score.
Following their 15 minutes on the bikes, the athletes headed up stairs to the CSC’s indoor track, receiving points for every lap completed.
The event included both youth and adult participants. Some came as individuals, others as families or part of a team.
Eight-year-old Lochlann Menard was there to cheer on every stroke, spin, and stride her mom and dad made. “I loved watching my parents, especially daddy swimming because he was using both arms to do backstroke,” she said.
Much fun was had by all.
TriMuskoka’s next event is the TriMuskokan, which has both try-a-tri and short course options, on June 28, 2020.
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