I'm updating from the Thunder Bay airport after a great weekend with a group of triathlon coaches here - not as glamourous as a more exotic location like Mooloolaba (AUS), but at least it's a short trip home. Thanks to the hard work of a few dedicated individuals, the Coastal Steel KOS race will be an awesome event, and (even better) there will be a new training program for youth and junior triathletes in Thunder Bay this spring and summer.
It's been a busy weekend for Canadian athletes all over the globe. A quick synopsis (the present), and a glimpse of the future and the past:
The Present
Canadian athletes had a strong showing at the Mooloolaba World Cup yesterday, led by Paul Tichelaar (AB) who finished 7th. Kyle Jones (ON) had a great race to finish 10th, and Colin Jenkins (ON) was first out of the water and a driving force on the bike before finishing 49th. Brent McMahon (BC), Carolyn Murray (AB) and Ayesha Rollinson (ON) unfortunately DNF'd, but I don't have any more details yet.
Despite what I wrote in the previous post, the ITU didn't have a live Video feed of the race, but at least they posted a bunch of pre-race interviews.
The Future
Paula Findlay (AB) finished 23rd at the World Jr Cross-Country Championships!
A bunch of current and future Ontario Junior boys raced 5k road races over the weekend. At the Bay and Back 5k, Johnny Rasmussen, Taylor Forbes, Austen Forbes, Derek Quick and David Mackie all made big improvements on their 2007 times. Karsten Madsen also raced a 5k this weekend, breaking 16 minutes for the first time. Congrats to all runners and their coaches.
The Past
Since Oakville's Kyle Jones had such a great race in Mooloolaba, it got me thinking about his progress over the years from a fast runner, to Jr National Champion, to 9th at U23 Worlds and 4th at the Pan Am Games. Here are Kyle's times (age in brackets) at the Bay & Back 5k when he was a teenager:
It's been a busy weekend for Canadian athletes all over the globe. A quick synopsis (the present), and a glimpse of the future and the past:
The Present
Canadian athletes had a strong showing at the Mooloolaba World Cup yesterday, led by Paul Tichelaar (AB) who finished 7th. Kyle Jones (ON) had a great race to finish 10th, and Colin Jenkins (ON) was first out of the water and a driving force on the bike before finishing 49th. Brent McMahon (BC), Carolyn Murray (AB) and Ayesha Rollinson (ON) unfortunately DNF'd, but I don't have any more details yet.
Despite what I wrote in the previous post, the ITU didn't have a live Video feed of the race, but at least they posted a bunch of pre-race interviews.
The Future
Paula Findlay (AB) finished 23rd at the World Jr Cross-Country Championships!
A bunch of current and future Ontario Junior boys raced 5k road races over the weekend. At the Bay and Back 5k, Johnny Rasmussen, Taylor Forbes, Austen Forbes, Derek Quick and David Mackie all made big improvements on their 2007 times. Karsten Madsen also raced a 5k this weekend, breaking 16 minutes for the first time. Congrats to all runners and their coaches.
The Past
Since Oakville's Kyle Jones had such a great race in Mooloolaba, it got me thinking about his progress over the years from a fast runner, to Jr National Champion, to 9th at U23 Worlds and 4th at the Pan Am Games. Here are Kyle's times (age in brackets) at the Bay & Back 5k when he was a teenager:
2000 17:24 (15)
2001 16:52 (16)
2002 15:51 (17)
2003 15:29 (18)
2004 15:27 (19)
Some of the boys who raced this past weekend are in the same ballpark, and all of them are swimming as well as, or better than, Kyle at that age (sorry Kyle). Remember that athletes develop at different rates, and to different degrees - there are no guarantees - but isn't it amazing what can happen when an athlete has a dream, and the determination to make it reality?
Listen to your coaches, train smart, and dream big.
Kyle Jones at the Edmonton World Cup. Barrie Shepley (Kyle's first triathlon coach) announces the race.
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