I got up early around 6AM. I could see some athletes swam, ran and biked along Lake Shore Drive. I ran light for 30 minutes. The weather was perfect. Little wind and clear sky. I did a lot of thinking during the run. I couldn't believe I was finally here in Penticton. This long journey started a year ago when I was nervously registered for the race. I paid $700 for a race that was still 12 months in advance. Hundreds of training hours, 4.30AM early morning start on weekdays and weekends, salt crusted face and sweat, 8PM bed time and pure exhaustion. When I was spectating IM Florida with Mike, a coworker that had done IM several times, he told me that people, on the side watching the athletes, had no clue the sacrifice made by these guys. I was one of them. I had no clue a year ago. Now I understood.
The packet pickup opened at 10AM. Susan and I wanted to go as soon as it opened. It was a short walk from the motel that we stayed to the park. Sarah and Eric went grocery shopping. I already bought some groceries before crossing the border, so that wasn't a priority. We got lucky scoring the three bedroom condo at Shoreline. It came with a big living room & dining room combo, full kitchen and two full baths. The most important was the location. It was less than a mile from the start/ finish/ registration/ bike pick-up/ drop-off and merchandise tents.
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| Serious competitor. Susan's age groupers should be scared of her! |
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| 2413 is my lucky number |
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| Beautiful blue sky on the packet pickup day |
The line for the packet pickup was quite long but it moved pretty fast after it opened. We saw Norman from Atlanta. Meg was busy shopping in the merchandise tent. After the pick-up, we had 2 hours to kill before the Tribike Transport bike pick-up opens. We signed up for ART (Active Release Techniques). It was a combination of stretching, muscle adjustments and chiropractic. Since it was a long wait also, we went to the merchandise tent. I looked around and was trying to get an idea of what I liked. I wasn't planning to buy any until Monday because after the race, they sold Finishers merchandise (basically the items have the word "Finisher" on them. I know... IM triathletes are vain :) The bike kit for women was disappointing. It was Pepto Bismol pink. Seriously? Just because we're female, doesn't mean we all like pink. The designer had to be a guy.
That morning the race made a surprise announcement. This would be the last Ironman Canada race. Ironman was a brand organized by WTC (World Triathlon Corporation). Most of the IM races were owned by WTC. IM Canada was not one of them. The City of Penticton had to pay WTC. Apparently the contract negotiation was up and they couldn't agree on the contract. The rumor was WTC was asking too much money from the city. They decided to part ways. Starting next year, the race will be organized by Challenge Family, which was not well known in the US and Canada. Challenge Penticton is the first Challenge race in North America. It's sad because it had been a long partnership, 30 years, made it the oldest IM race after Kona.
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| The Last Hurrah :( |
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| The new Sheriff is in town |
The ART session was awesome. I told the ART specialist that I had a sprained left ankle 4 weeks before the race. He tested my range of movement and found a big difference between my right and left ankles. No surprise. He was working on my left leg, pulling, stretching, tugging, massaging. After 20 minutes or so, I could see some improvement. It was certainly less tighter. Best of all the service was free.
I did a little shopping at the Newton's tent. I saw a similar kit at IM Florida last year. Newton was raising money for prostate cancer research. The top had IM Canada logo on it. There was no mirror, so I asked Ellen took a picture so I could see myself. I'm sold! The green matched my bike. Susan also bought the same kit. The size was European which meant the Small was truly small! No weight gain after the race, otherwise I can't wear the top.
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| I'm sold! |
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| Bike Pick-up Line. Susan and me in the back. |
After picking up the bike and the tri bag, I went grocery shopping. I didn't plan on going out to eat until after the race. It saved money and I could make sure the food was prepared right. Taxes in Canada was outrageous, 12%, and getting a grocery cart costing you 25 cents. The drug store made you pay 10 cents for a plastic bag. It's nuts!
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