I recently visited Lahti, Finland, for the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship – and felt very much at home in an environment and among people who felt very much like Canada. The level of competition at this year’s event was higher than ever, and I am thrilled to have finished in the top 10 per cent of my age group.
Travel with a race bike and luggage is always a challenge, and I used a booking company, with hotel and a race venue shuttle included. Still, after 24 hours’ travel, I was ready to crawl into bed on night one in Finland!
On the Thursday morning, I assembled my bike, caught the shuttle for athlete registration and walked through the event expo. I also managed a swim in the Lahti 50-metre pool at the base of the Nordic ski jumps. I met up with fellow Canadian Armed Force triathlete Dominik Rudecki for the parade of nations, and I was honoured to carry the Canadian flag for our delegation.
Friday, I planned “an hour-long easy spin” bike route, with reasonable pavement and very little traffic, but it turned out to have an exceptional amount of climbing. Overall, a solid morning of work, allowing me a late lunch and some time to catch up on some work emails.
I enjoyed watching the pro women’s race Saturday, under ideal weather conditions, but then had to catch the shuttle to rack my bike and drop off my two transition zone bags. By the time I was done, it was time to catch the shuttle back to the hotel, eat dinner and try to go to bed at a reasonable hour.
My sleep in Finland was poor (on average three to five hours per night), and the eve of race day was no exception: I went to bed early, but mentally ran through my race, transition zone routes, equipment…. Four a.m. came early, and I got up to “Finnish” preparations. The temperature was cool, so I bundled up and spent minimal time finalizing my T1 zone before finding an indoor spot to wait until my 9:10 a.m. start.
The swim was almost as I expected it to be: I “risked” the running dive from the diving pontoon 1.5m above the water. The water was murky, so sighting other athletes to draft underwater was almost impossible. As I exited the water, a quick check of my watch showed 30 minutes, so I was on track.
While not in the forecast, a cold rain almost immediately started to fall as the bike ride got underway. I was able to generate some heat initially but, around 30k, my teeth were chattering. By 45k, the rest of my body started to shiver. My left hand became useless for opening gels. By 50k, I was not sure if my mental energy and my body would let me finish. I managed to hold it together for the final 40k and rolled into T2 with a respectable bike time on a hilly course of 2:20.
T2 proved a challenge: my feet were numb and the fine motor skills of both hands were gone. I spent a painful amount of time trying to take off my wet bike socks and put on dry socks and running shoes. With a few choice words and 7.5 minutes later (ouch!), I was off.
The run course, according to Ironman, was mostly flat. The reality was anything but: the 21.1km, two-lap course included ascents and descents; pavement and crushed gravel. I set a goal to finish in approximately 1:35. There were many mood swings across the course but, if I could just keep pushing, maybe to an aid station and consume a gel or some Gatorade, I knew my mood was likely to change faster than the inclines. I felt a sense of accomplishment as I crossed the “Finnish” line in a total time of 4:36:24 (with a run time of 1:34:21 – goal achieved)!
Huge thanks to those who have supported me on this journey. First and foremost, to my wife, Maggie, and son Ethan for their unwavering support through long training hours and adjustments to family plans. Thank you to RFM Endurance for keeping me on target this past year. I cannot overstate the importance of having someone in your corner to provide perspective, hold you accountable and ensure you are doing enough “self-care” to avoid injury. Thanks to the Canadian military for supporting me under the out-service sports program and with time off from my duties. The support from my chain of command and the Personnel Support Program has been exceptional, and I am excited to see the direction the CAF Sports Program is headed.
14 Wing Greenwood’s ZX multi-sport community is alive and well! Local running, swimming and biking athletes of all skill levels currently arrange weekly group bike rides (weather permitting) and organized military swims at select lunch hours at the Fitness and Sports Centre.
Group training activities are being scheduled for the upcoming winter training season, and there are early plans to organize a sprint and “try a tri” triathlon race at 14 Wing in celebration of RCAF 2024.
Anyone interested in joining the ZX multi-sport community may contact Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Travis, Eric.Travis@forces.gc.ca, to be added to their Signal chat group.
