Montreal ITU - Whoops! That did not go as expected

Saturday… Ouch, what a race. Where to start! My dad and I raced the Montreal ITU sprint race in the old port this past Saturday. My sister was our dedicated support team since there was no race offered for her age group (thanks for the pics Emma!) Our race was at noon, however we had friends and teammates racing in the CAMTRI (American cup) at 7:45. We decided to go early to watch and take photos.

Kevin Martinez biking — It was totally worth it, I got some great photos of our friends! (Kevin Martinez – DOM)

The Race

It was a standard Sprint triathlon on a new course. The swim took place in the Alexandra Bassin, the bike left from the Grand Quai and went up McGill with a short jaunt up Beaver Hall hill (ouch!) and the run followed the water going west. Racing in Old Montreal is a treat, but it is quite limiting.

We had to do five loops of the bike course and two of the run. The night before, I jokingly mentioned some lap counting strategies in case I forgot how to count to five…I should have followed my own advice! Six laps later, I got into the transition zone behind my dad. I immediately realized I had goofed!

With an extra lap including the brutal climb up Beaver Hall hill in my legs and all hopes of a podium extinguished, I grudgingly began my 5k run.

Confused look as Jonathan passes his dad — Thanks Emma for capturing my despair as I pass my dad!

The worst part of it all…

Looking back at my times, had I not miscounted, I would have had a shot at the podium and been in the top five. Mistakes happen, but this one was pretty painful! I finished 23 of 132 in the end (still ahead of my dad!) which is pretty crazy, but I was hoping for more.

My second dedicated photographer (and teammate), Mathieu Benoit snapping my pain face

The rest of the day

The best part of the Montreal ITU race is being able to watch the top triathletes from around the world battle it out in your hometown. We grouped up and watched as Katie Zaferes continued her absolute domination of the World Triathlon Series circuit and as Canadian Tyler Mislawchuk made history finishing third in an incredible race.