Dress rehearsal a success for rookie triathletes, Cyswogn'Fun big day goes Sunday at Lakeside Park
By The Nelson Daily Sports
By Bruce Fuhr
The Nelson Daily Sports
Similar to a Capitol Theatre performance, rookie triathletes also need a dress rehearsal to work out any cobwebs before opening night — or in this case, day.
Which is just what members of the Nelson Triathlon received during the weekend as the cast did a run through of the upcoming Cyswogn’Fun Sunday at the Lakeside Park.
“We’ll do the full race mock up today, starting at exact race time and go through the swim, bike and run just as we do in a race situation,” explained Janice Poetsch, who along with John Knox, coach the Nelson Triathlon Class.
The group begins in May and runs for two months in preparation for the Nelson Triathlon — 1500-meter swim, 40-kilometer cycle and 10 km run.
Poetsch says it’s the goal of the team leaders to get the triathletes in shape for the big day.
“The program designed to take a person off the couch and get them in physical and mental condition to finish the race,” said Poetsch, who saw the class get going under perfect summer conditions for Sunday’s mock race.
Poetsch said the triathlete program has 40 signings this year, with about 10 rookie participants. Most of the first-timers generally compete in the short course — 500 meter swim, 22km cycle and five km run.
During Sunday’s dry run, instead of swimming the lake course coaches had the triathletes log six laps — two for short course competitors — in front of Lakeside Park beach.
Races then hoped a bike at the transition point on the grass at Lakeside Park for the 40 km ride to Kokanee Park.
This part of the race is new. In previous years racers would ride two laps to Six Mile and back.
“Most of the competitors like this change,” Poetsch said. “It was tough having to ride twice to Six Mile.”
Upon return to Lakeside Park, racers slipped on the running shoes for the final stage, a 10km run across the Big Orange Bridge to the end of Johnstone Road and back.
The swim distance has been extended to make the Cyswogn’Fun now an Olympic Distance race instead of ¼ Ironman.
The official race goes Sunday beginning at 8 a.m. at the Lakeside Park beach. Wetsuits are advised.
For more information log onto the Cyswogn’Fun website at http://www.trinelson.com/
Oh, and the water temperature in Kootenay Lake?
“It’s a lot warmer than last week,” exclaimed Allison Schlosser as she headed out for the cycle stage from Lakeside Park Sunday.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
