Locals compete in the Subaru Muskoka Triathlon and Duathlon

 

Running Room Sudbury's Alicia Kaye wins Women's Sprint Triathlon!

Our own Alicia Kaye walked all over the field in the Sprint Triathlon taking first overall in the women's category. Her swim brought her out of the water in 3rd place overall. Her lightening quick transitions, quick bike - regardless of the headwinds on the return section - and her solid run left the rest of the ladies competing for second place. Alicia's time for the the event was 1:09:20

Click Here for Action Photos of Alicia and other Locals

 

Kyle Guembel Breaks Top Ten Against the Pros!

Kyle Guembel proved he has the right stuff by competing head to head with some of the best pros in the game and coming out a solid 9th overall in the long course triathlon. His time for the event was 2:52:34

Click Here for All the Results

 

Nine locals (lots of Rocks!!) competed in the Sprint Triathlon and 16 competed in the long course while one hardy soul, Katherine Knight, took on the long course duathlon.

There were a few first timers and even more seasoned participants. Their level of competition covered the gamut from attempts at IronMan positions to hopes of just finishing. On the upper end, I believe Mike Coughlin got his Ironman Wisconsin spot and of course Alicia, Kyle, Kerry, Steve M. & Steve Tremblay had phenomenal success. At the other end of the spectrum Maureen Moustgaard and Glen Long worked easily the hardest of any competitor to successfully finish their respective events. And somewhere in between came the rest of the bunch. I didn't mention everyone by name and I apologize but congratulations to all of you for a job very well done. It sure made the post run ice cream treat extra special.

Here are some of the competitors thoughts:

Mike Coughlin writes:

Well, somehow I managed to drive home after another thoroughly tiring Muskoka triathlon weekend. What a great event! It was amazing to see the top pros, fantastic to see so many of us Sudbury locals, and always wonderful to see the Sudbury Rocks!! support crew on site.

Some of the highlights from my perspective included high fiving Maureen Moustgaard after her first triathlon swim finish, watching Alicia Kaye crush her competition in the sprint, checking out Kyle Guembel mixing it up with the international pros en route to a top 10 overall, cheering on Steve Matusch as he mowed down the competition on the run, seeing Katherine Knight running strong after tackling the long course duathlon on her KNOBBY TIRE MOUNTAIN BIKE (she managed to win her age group too!) and cheering on lots of familiar faces, some of which were in their first ever triathlon (special congrats to Maureen Moustgaard, Glen Long, Steve Waytowich, Dan Bilyk on that front - welcome to the club!).

As for me, the adventures began before the race started as I realized last minute that I had no swim cap (note to self: sprinting 1500m back and forth on a gravel path in bare feet while wearing a wetsuit is NOT the ideal warmup). In the end I managed to get to the start line on time and salvage a semi-respectable swim, good bike and excellent run (for me) to come agonizingly close to my goal time (13 measly seconds. This was also good enough for an Ironman Wisconsin spot, so that should keep me out of trouble this summer.

Here are the results for those names I recognized as locals or with local connections including those who claimed Ironman spots (Steve Matusch and Kyle Guembel already have Ironman Canada Spots and Jan Weeres and Shelia Yaw-MacLean already have Ironman Lake Placid spots). Let me know of anybody I may have missed.

Mike

 

Sheila Yaw-MacLean writes:

Jan and I are taking turns writing the newsletter. She did Ottawa so it's
my turn to tell the tales of Muskoka. We decided that since we seem to be
joined at the hip with all this training going on and people always
mistaking us as either each other or think we're sisters that we could speak
for each other. One proud voice for the both of us.

Again and again we want to thank you and Lise for being there for us. I've
done it four years in a row now and you've both been there each time. That
goes way beyond the duties of a good coach and almost even beyond the duties
of good friends. Thanks again. I also want to congratulate Maureen on
completing her first Triathlon. I only wish that all Sudbury Rocks!!!
members could have been there to see her determination and spirit as she
crossed the finish line. Jan and I saw it first hand on the swim course as
we were invited on one of the support boats to watch and encourage Maureen
up close while she did the swim. I won't tell too much of her story but boy
I'll take that feeling all the way to Lake Placid to help get me through it.
After she got off the bike she had such a big smile on her face and said
that that was the best bike ride she ever had. How many triathletes can
make that claim. Maureen you put the rest of us to shame. You were
awesome.

Now our (Jan and mine) experience was a little different. We both thought
this race was to be a training race and packed appropriately. Wine, rum,
vex and junk food, for afterwards of course. We arrived in Huntsville
Friday night had a good night's sleep and got up in the morning to do our
training before the race the next day. Did I mention that Jan, Maureen and
I had a private chauffeur and all around slave boy that catered to our every
whim this past weekend. Brent, Jan's husband came down with us and took
very good care of us. Thanks Brento. Seems to me we had a similar
experience with another Brento for Around The Bay. Anyway Brent drove us to
Huntsville to swim the lake and test the waters so to speak and when we got
back we met up with Steve T. our Triathlon coach. First mistake. Steve T.
informed us that this was not to be a training race, it was suppose to be a
speed training race. He might as well have taken our wine, rum, vex and
junk food away, our spirits dropped. We woke up the next morning a little
more nervous than we had anticipated. To make a long story shorter we both
had a good swim, actually knocking time off of last year's time. I actually
thought this swimming thing was kinda fun. I usually hate swimming. Jumped
on the bike, hit major head winds coming in from the bike and going out on
the run and crossed the finish line feeling like a job well done. For us
anyway. For those of you that finished lots of minutes before us, Mike,
Steve, Chantal etc the head winds grew stronger the longer you were out on
the course and since our start time was almost 20 minutes after you guys we
had to work much harder, that's why we were a little later coming in.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. We had lots of support at the end.
Thanks again to Brent, Vince, Lise and Maureen. This year Maureen sprung
for the ice cream. The only reason we do Muskoka is for the ice cream
afterward. Now to get ready for Lake Placid. YIKES!!!!!!!

 

Paul Graham writes:

Just a quick note about my second Triathlon. I did the Muskoka sprint distance
(750m swim, 20km bike, and 5km run) this past Saturday. After the Milton tri
two weeks ago I was determined to improve my placing.

The day started out ok, but after meeting up with an old friend for lunch I
ended up being in a huge rush to get set up and to the start line. Definitely
something I will be doing my best to avoid in the future.

Once in the water I was able to relax a bit and warm up. The water was much
warmer, and I was more comfortable with the open water swim than I had been in
Milton. The swim seemed to last for ever, but it eventually finished and I was
off on my bike. All those practices with the Sudbury Cycling club must be
paying off because I was able to pass a fair number of people. Back to the
transition area and switching to the run I figured I was doing ok. My splits
weren't too bad, and judging by the number of bikes on the rack I was about mid
pack. However once on the run course I developed a huge cramp in my abdomen.
This limited the speed I was able to run, and lasted until the second loop. I
suspect that this was a result of the late lunch I ate. Something I'll have to
avoid in the future.

Anyway, as I was approaching the finish the timer was approaching 1:30, which
was a finish goal I had set for myself. I was determined to beat the clock to
1:30, so I sprinted to the finish and finished at 1:29:31 on the clock. I had
forgotten that I was in the second wave start, so my actual time was 1:26:31.
I've made progress since Milton, slowly scraping my way up the standings,
finishing 16th out of 26 in my age group. Despite the cramp while running and
slow swim I had a blast, and am looking forward to the North Bay Tri on July
4th.

Paul Graham

 

Maureen Moustgaard Writes:

Hi everybody,
Last weekend I attempted and completed my first triathlon in Huntsville.I traveled with Sheila, Jan and her husband Brent>chauffeur extraordinaire, equipment manager, sounding board etc. etc.
After picking up our race kits the next step was body marking.Jan and Sheila, who were doing everything for me to be sure things went smoothly, told me I had to pick the best looking guy to do the marking.Guess what! It was our own Mike Coughlin who got to mark this body!
Down to the beach we went where I proceeded to put my wetsuit on backwards.Not so bad though as I understand that one of our more experienced Rocks did the same thing the next day.Into the water I went at 4:09.To say it was tough would be an understatement.Sure didn't feel like the pool at Cambrian. As I swam around the first marker I didn't think I could do it but i kept talking to myself and kept on.How could I not continue on when i was swimming to a continuous chant of "Go Maureen Go!" However at one point the voices seemed louder.Go figure.I looked around and there was Sheila and Jan .They had hitched a ride on a pontoon boat and were right beside me.How could a person not keep going with that kind of support! Needless to say by the time I fumbled out of the water all the boats in the area knew my name I staggered up the hill and as I entered the transition zone there was Mike the BODY MARKER cheering me on.
Onto my bike and away I went.I was fearful of the ride since I had heard various stories about the degree of difficulty of the hills on the course.They sure were not as bad as Lise Edwards the Drama Queen from the Running Room had described.I finished the course smiling as I had had a good time out there.
At last it's time to run/walk whatever.My hips were hurting as I started the run but my legs were not too bad. As I approached the first hill I was going to walk but guess what ?Lise and Vince were standing at the top with camera in hand.At this point Lise came on the course with me and then Vince took over .They both gave me lots of support and it was great to have them there.Vince even carried my glass of water as we went along. How special is that!! well into the run I yelled to Sheila to tell the guys at the finish line not to close down as I was coming back soon which I did and the crew was still there and I was able to get an official time.There were 394 people in the event and I came in at 394.Even though I was last I really enjoyed the experience.
Thanks again to Jan,Brent,Sheila, Lise, Vince and Mike for all your words of encouragement and all the little things you did for me on the weekend.It was fun!!
MAUREEN #394

2 Rocks!! Run Rattlesnake Trail Run in Milton

 

"Blue Berry Mile" Anyone?

Cal Orok Writes:

Vince, as part of the Blueberry Festival this year, I
would like to organize a run, perhaps on July 24.
Time being short for organizing, my first thought is
to hold a mile race that may attract beginners from
the local community. I have seen fun mile races in
other cities and they are relatively short-lasting in
terms of volunteer time (one hour or less). If there
are any other people interested in helping to organize
a mile event for the Blueberry Festival, please email
me or call me some evening. I would like to approach
the Blueberry Festival committee next week.

Thanks for your help.

Cal Orok
calvinorok@yahoo.com
522-2368 home

If anyone is interested in having a quick mile in the Sudbury area, please don't hesitate and give Cal a call now. These events don't happen by themselves. Good Luck Cal.

 

Get ready for a Hawaiian Luau

Get ready for a Hawaiian Luau on September 17, 2004 @ 8:00 p.m.

 

Lise Edwards, Team Diabetes Honolulu Marathon runner, is holding a Luau to
support her fundraising goal of $6,200!! The Luau is being held on Friday,
September 17 at the Steelworkers Hall on Frood Road.

The tickets are only $10 and the dress code is the wildest shirts for men
and the most colourful dress for women.

There will be a contest that night for the wildest/tackiest shirt for the
men! Yes ladies, just when you thought you could get rid of that wardrobe
item, he now has a reason to keep it!! Don't worry - it's for a GREAT
cause! There will also be a Limbo contest for all you athletic individuals to so you can add the Limbo training to your schedules. Vince has been working on his Limbo moves at the Running Room store during slow times:)

A disc jockey will be on hand to keep the party hoppin'!

Please share this information with all you know.

Tickets are available at the Running Room. If you have a group that would like to attend and would like to all sit together, there will be some reserved seating available on a first come first serve basis.

Hope to see you there.

Team Diabetes Canada
Honolulu Marathon
December 12, 2004

Aloha,  Lise

For information email Lise at ledwards@fitfriends.ca