I'm A Triathlete!

Last August, I was fortunate to have been selected to join Won With One, a national team for blind and visually-impaired athletes. Since then, I have been preparing for the day when I would complete my first Triathlon. That dream was realized yesterday.

Here in Ottawa we are given the opportunity to participate in an Early Bird event--there are different levels; I decided to do the Try-A-Tri, a small triathlon tailored for those of us who have never done one.

Through Won With One I was paired with Robyn Hardage, one of our guides. she has an impressive athletic resume, including completing the Boston Marathon. She and I had run together during the Beat Beethoven race last October but we had never done a full-out triathon before.

Since January, I've been training at the Ottawa Triathlon Club (OTC) in their Triathlon Trainin gprogram. Each week, our coach, Tara Fairhead puts us through a fabulous workout, including 'bricks' (a combination spin-bike and outdoor run, so-named because your legs feel like bricks after you have done a session). Head Coach Geordie McConnell was at the Early Bird event to give us some advice and tell us what to expect--that was very helpful for making pre-race preparations.

The weather could not have been more perfect! After what seemed like an endless week of nothing but rain, the morning was sunny and warm. How many triathletes do you know who have 'roadies?' Robyn's boyfriend Mike got up very early on a Saturday morning to make sure that we got there to be on time for a 7:30 start in the pool. Jan Ditchfield, our Won With One team manager made sure that we would have a tandem bike--I was to be the only blind athlete participating in the event, and the first on our team to participate in a triathlon here in Ottawa. I was honoured. Jan not only moves bikes, she moves mountains for our our team--we could not do this without her.

Transition from one event to another is part of the fun of triathlon--our 'stuff' had to be placed just-so in the transition zones. Robyn would help me to fine it quickly. First, it was into the pool--it's still a little early for an outdoor swim--500 metres; Robyn made sure that I got into the right lane swam behind me and that I didn't get kicked. Next, it was out of the water and on to the bike for a 11.8K ride. I hadn't tandem biked since I was a kid--we'd had a lesson a few days before the race--today we would be good to go. The only way that I can successfully ride is to keep my eyes closed, allowing me to give full attention to my pilot's instructions--tandem biking is two sets of legs and one brain. In no time, it was off the bike and onto a grassy 2K course for tha last event. Of the three sports, running is my most challenging. Robyn had to guide me around the other participants and the occasional hole created by groundhogs.

We finished the race in 1 hour 1 minute and 44 seconds. There was nothing quite like running to the finish, hearing the whine of the timing chip mat and hearing our number being announced to the crowd.

While it was my first time competing in a triathlon, I certainly cannot take all the credit. We don't do this on our own--we have all kinds of people who help us to reach our goals. I am so grateful to have had the support and encouragement from others who have helped me along the way.

Thank you.