The vast majority of our athletes are just like and the person next to you.  Sure, some grew up playing sports and some may have even done endurance sports growing up.  Some are just starting to exercise regularly.  Others have been exercising for a few years.  Some do it as a way to seek out a challenge.  Some do it to socialize.  Others do it to race and compare themselves to a benchmark.  They all do it to feel better and be healthier.  In others words, to get more out of life and enjoy the movements are bodies were built to do.

Every type of race is a challenge.  The shorter the race, the faster people go thus making it harder.  In longer races, the actual distance becomes the challenge.  When I started, I wondered if I could even finish an Olympic distance race.  Looking back, that seems kinda silly now but I did not know any better at the time.  Now, I see people of all body types and many of fitness levels finish Ironman, let alone Olympic distance races.  

This time of year is when many of our athletes step up to do a Half Ironman.  This is a 4+ hour race for everyone.  That is a big jump from any high school sports we may or may not have played so it is a significant achievement.  

Congrats to these athletes who finished the Oliver Half on June 5th:

Joanne Lawson (her first)

Linda Bouley (her first)

Kristi Thomas (her first and a 2nd place finish in her age group)

Matthew Jackson (who is gearing up now for Calgary 70.3)

Neil Pearson (congrats on a huge PB at the distance)

And, congrats to Duncan Selwood (12th in his age group) and Wade Carlson (10th overall) for both PBing at the Subaru Victoria Half Ironman.  

As I mentioned, shorter distances can be as challenging if you choose to push yourself to go faster.  As you can imagine, going faster but shorter can hurt more than going longer and slower.

Scott McDermott had a great day at the Wasa Olympic Distance race as a prep for his assault on Ultraman Canada.  And congrats to Lisa Spalding who placed at the Summerland Man of Steel Triathlon.