Role Models

First race in 2 years yesterday, and it was fun. Swimming and running were faster (slightly and much, respectively) than expected, and was only able to hold 265W on the bike. Lessons: a) I need to do more riding, b) I need to get some intensity going, c) I'm fitter than I thought after 4 weeks on, 4 weeks falling off the wagon completely, and 3 weeks back on again.

However, this post is about more than my old man fitness coming back at a half-assed rate - take a look at the results and note the age group of the 6 guys who came in ahead of me:

http://www.atlanticchip.ca/events/results-show.php?result=795

They're all in the 16-29 age range, and in fact, every one of these young speedsters is Canada Games age (which I believe means they're under 21). There were 13 people in the male 16-29 age range, and 10 of them were around 1:16 or faster. There were even 8 racers in the notoriously scant women's 16-29 range.

2 years ago when I last raced, my time from yesterday of 1:05 would have won many TNS races, or at least gotten you into the top 3 behind an old fart or 2 such as myself, Matthias, Milburn, etc.

My point? Triathlon in Nova Scotia finally looks like a young person's sport again. I can't recall a time like this since back when I got started in the early-mid 90s, when young names like Gill, Campbell, Snowdon, Roberts, Murphy and O'Connell (to name only a few) were at the top of the leaderboard, not to mention Irvine, Barkhouse, and McFadyen.

Many of these young athletes are battling for a spot on Nova Scotia's Canada Games team; we other members can only hope that they stay interested in our sport beyond the Games' triathlon events (August 18/21 in Summerside). To me, they seemed passionate, motivated, and competitive, all while displaying humility and a sense of community and comeraderie.

These kids are restoring the swagger and excitement to the top echelon of triathlon in Nova Scotia - I think we "experienced" triathletes (I'm politely calling us old) have a lot to learn from them. Sure, we know lots about the technical aspects of the sport, about training, transitions, and all the tips and tricks - but they're having pure, honest-to-goodness, competitive FUN out there.

Thank you to the parents and clubs out there for spending the time and money to get these young people involved in our wonderful sport. It's nice for us old folks to have role models again.