Such beauty sounds overwhelming and while the diversity of ways to spend a late July weekend in the Canadian West can be awe-inspiring, a fair amount of it's beauty can be seen in one single event.
When Ironman decided to bring a 70.3 to Calgary they got it right.
We signed up for Calgary 70.3 mainly because it fit the calendar. Bootsy's "A" race this year will be Ironman Wisconsin (I too am racing) so we thought it would be a good idea to get a mid summer 70.3 to test our fitness. Although Calgary is a bit of a drive at 7.5 to 8 hours, we thought it was a race close enough to make a quick trip and still serve our purpose. We had heard good things about the race and there have been some recent upgrades to the course so we put it on our race schedule.
And that's about it. I knew the race was out there but I never gave it much thought. I mean, I knew we were training for and would soon be racing a 70.3 but I pretty much stayed focused on the home front and that fact that IM WISCO is in the near future.
As per usual, Bootsy took the lead on the travel and lodging details. We were traveling and staying with friends in Calgary so again, no worries. As race day neared it came to my attention that there would be quite a local group racing.
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| A few of the Tri Fusion crew. Photo by Tom Reisenauer |
Friday before what was a Sunday race, we piled into the car and headed North. I had never been any further North then Cranbrook having traveled to Fort Steele with the Photo Arts Club in college so it had been a few years since having been even that far North. What lie ahead would get my quick attention.
As we traveled North from Cranbrook I was simply unprepared for the majestic beauty of the Canadian Rockies. They are truly magical in their scenic splendor. Seven parks of the Canadian Rockies form a striking mountain landscape. As we turned East at Radium Hot Spring we were met with the gateway to the park system, two lanes of traffic leading to pay stations for the purchase of park passes, only one lane for thru traffic. Hmmm... What do they know we don't? Thru traffic or not there was just no escaping it.
As we traveled North from Cranbrook I was simply unprepared for the majestic beauty of the Canadian Rockies. They are truly magical in their scenic splendor. Seven parks of the Canadian Rockies form a striking mountain landscape. As we turned East at Radium Hot Spring we were met with the gateway to the park system, two lanes of traffic leading to pay stations for the purchase of park passes, only one lane for thru traffic. Hmmm... What do they know we don't? Thru traffic or not there was just no escaping it.
The bike portion of Calgary's 70.3 is point to point, so Saturday was spent getting our pre race workouts and dropping bikes and run gear. The swim is held in Audurn Bay Lake and there was some navigating that needed to be done to get us from there to the run venue at North Glenmore Park but with some effort we were able to preview both locations.
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| Pre race run about to get under way. Photo by Tom Reisenauer |
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| Preview of the run course. Photo by Tom Reisenauer |
Race morning went off without a hitch other then the fact that I had been placed in the F45-49 age group. I got it straightened out at check-in so I would in fact be swimming with the M45-49 AG (Male 45-49 age group) but my number and corresponding spot in transition would remain the same. This meant I would transition with the women. The only rooster in the henhouse but they were all very good to me.
The swim is held in a small lake where in order to get 1.2 miles it hugs the perimeter of what looks like a backwards y shaped lake. The swim went well. The water is shallow, clear and warm.
Out of the water and on the bike it was cool for the first section. We were quickly met with rolling hills so air temps in the low 50's weren't much of a going concern.
Out of the water and on the bike it was cool for the first section. We were quickly met with rolling hills so air temps in the low 50's weren't much of a going concern.
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| Photo by Renate Kempen Hein |
We would head out highway AB-22X up to Braggs Creek and straight into the foot hills of the Rockies. Here I found myself drifting mentally. You know the feeling of being somewhere and wishing you could stay for an extended period of time. There are few places like this in the world and the Canadian Rockies are one of them.
Once to Braggs Creek the course really picks up. It's slightly downhill back to town and really quite fast.
The run course has some challenges with a few steep pitches that drop you down to, then lift you out from Elbow River. The course then follows the path through Weaselhead Natural Environment Park. This scenic section is lined with Aspens providing deep shade and a backdrop that I envision Sherwood forrest would provide.
After the race we hung around for the awards, World Championship slot allocation and roll down. Bootsy was on the podium but would pass on a Worlds slot, Ironman Wisconsin is the same day. We had lots of friends who got slots to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Mont-Tremblant Canada so it was fun to sit, watch and listen as dreams came true.
I enjoyed Ironman Calgary 70.3 and I hope to be back in the near future. Part of the fun was the amount of teammates and friends that were racing. I could have never imagined driving 8 hours for a hometown race but that's what it felt like. With so many friendly faces, so much encouragement out on course and such a large group gathering after the race maybe Calgary was a hometown race away from home.
Here's a video of what the race looked like. (Yes I have a VERY brief cameo on the bike) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETfZgKnAWCI
Monday morning we were up and out the door early. We were headed to Banff, a small resort town nestled in the mountains of the Banff National Park, Canada's oldest national park. We visited the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and had lunch in a nice little downtown pizza place.
I enjoyed Ironman Calgary 70.3 and I hope to be back in the near future. Part of the fun was the amount of teammates and friends that were racing. I could have never imagined driving 8 hours for a hometown race but that's what it felt like. With so many friendly faces, so much encouragement out on course and such a large group gathering after the race maybe Calgary was a hometown race away from home.
Here's a video of what the race looked like. (Yes I have a VERY brief cameo on the bike) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETfZgKnAWCI
Monday morning we were up and out the door early. We were headed to Banff, a small resort town nestled in the mountains of the Banff National Park, Canada's oldest national park. We visited the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and had lunch in a nice little downtown pizza place.
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| Love the socks! |
The Rockies are a region of Canada that more or less form a boarder between British Columbia and Alberta. The roads here are amongst the most beautiful that I have seen. Much of the Rocky mountains of Canada lie within various national and provincial parks. Yes, they got there first and figured it out fast. The Canadian Rockies continue southward into the states of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Hmmm... Seems to me most if not all of these states host races. The bucket list may have just expanded.
