Toronto Triathlon Race Report

This past Sunday I competed in my fourth race of the season - the Toronto Triathlon - put on by Multisport. A sprint of 750m swim/30km bike/7.5km run

This was the first time I did this race, and was looking forward to it as it is held on the islands in Lake Ontario. It was also the first time that I race in Toronto. Typically I travel an hour or more to races.

The team at Multisport always do a great job with races - from the venue, to excitement, and athlete safety. And the competition is great.

So here's the report.

The alarm went off at 5;30 am, and I quickly hopped into the shower to get warm, then breakfast. Since the race was close to home I decided to ride to the race. It was a quiet time which allowed me to reflect on the day ahead.

Because the race is on the islands we needed to take the ferry across from the mainland. With hundreds of athletes and all the equipment it took a while to board the ferry. Once on it was a short trip over, and off to transition to get the race kit and body marked.

The day was overcast, and quite windy - likely some wash from Hurricane Irene. The air temperature was great for racing at about 23C, and it was dry. The water temperature on the other hand was a pretty chilly 17C as a few days before the lake turned.

The islands are quite narrow, so with hundreds of athletes Multisport sent off each wave 12 minutes apart. This is 5-6 times more than most events. But this helps with bike traffic, makes it safer, and minimizes drafting.

My wave was the fourth so there would not be many bikes in transition. But some would also have a 36 minute head start on me.

After a quick warm-up in the water - which was really a cool down my wave was called. The horn went off and splash - we were off.

I started well, but there was some chop in the water, and I swallowed more water than usual. I also did not sight well. I knew this to be the case because as I was coming back to shore I realized that I was off course by 25 m. After getting my direction in order I exited the water and began the run into transition.

Swim time including run in: 17 minutes.

Transition was good as the wet suit came off and I was out onto the bike course.

I quickly got up to speed and began the ride. My goal was to not fight any wind which means spinning an easier gear, rather than mashing. This proved to the right strategy, and I executed well.

The bike course was 3 x 10km and I was consistent with my time each lap, and moved my way through the athletes in the waves ahead. My wife was there to cheer me on, and I saw her three times at the hot corner/turn around.

Bike time 53 minutes.

My dismount off the bike was not great as the line came up quicker than I expected. I did have my feet out of the shoes to the run to the rack was easy.

Bike racked and running shoes on, I was off onto the run.

The run course was 2 x 3.75km. A lot of it was on grass which is great for the legs. My legs felt good off the bike so I locked into a runner ahead of me whose pace I liked. I got into a good rhythm. I never really know how fast my pace is on a run, but I felt good and decided to stick with it. I also decided that I would stop at two aid stations. One at 2km and one at 5.5km. And I did stop. This way I would be able to get in the liquid. It really only is a few seconds and it guarantees that the nutrition/hydration gets where it needs to - my mouth.

After the last aid station when I got to the 6km marker I looked at my watch for the first time. I saw that my pace would get me under 1h:50min for the race. I dug in and got ready for the last 1.5km. My wife was there throughout the run given there were two laps.

As I rounded the last corner into the finish shoot I looked at my watch and saw I would break my time. A quick stop to kiss my wife, then I ran across the line.

Run time 36 min

Final time 1:49:26
Overall placing 76/380
Age group placing 7/32

Final thoughts.

I loved this race and will do it again next year.

One less than ideal portion of the race does not mean that the entire race is over. Keep to the plan and execute.

So that's it. Until next time keep tri'n.