Sophie Completes 12km Swim at
La Traversée du lac Tremblant 2019
Congratulations to Sophie for taking on this incredible challenge! We are all so very proud of your accomplishment and grateful that you had Annemarieke by your side all the way! Here is Sophie's Race Report:
"Aug 4th was the second edition of La Traversée du lac Tremblant. When I submitted my application for the 12k HUUB Ultra Swim, I thought I wouldn’t be selected and would enjoy instead doing the 3k swim taking place on Saturday. I have always been intrigued by long-distance swimmers and La Traversée seemed the perfect location to try it. I first registered as a swimmer to realize soon after that it was a team challenge and I needed a kayaker. Annemarieke Goldsmith was highly recommended by many Triumphers and it just felt like Christmas when she accepted to join the challenge with me last April. We met a few times and we practiced long swims at her beautiful lake. I truly benefited from her past 10K ultra swim experiences with Coach Kevin on all aspects of the swim.
We were ready to embrace the challenge as we woke up at 4 am. The morning was cold but beautiful. Tremblant Lake is so unpredictable that it was a real blessing to have a quiet morning with a little Northwind. The logistics were impressive and it was a real adventure to get to the end of the lake. I got to meet many amazing experienced swimmers willing to share their passion and past experiences while on the boat heading La Baie des Ours. Annemarieke along with the other kayakers were taken by bus and had to trek for 10 minutes before accessing their kayaks. There were 6 waves of 20 swimmers at departure, starting at 8 am every minute. Like most of the newbies, I was in the last wave. My first objective was to find my kayaker out of the 120 kayakers posted ahead.
Departure was a bit hectic with kayaks and swimmers trying to find their way. I was happy to learn that I had swum my first 2k in 34 minutes. We settled into a constant pace afterward. Every bay we were passing by had side and bouncing currents. Annemarieke kept me on pace and followed our race plan for nutrition. I made sure to apply every tip coaches Julia, Maggie, and Kevin gave me over the past few months to keep good form.
I thought the crossing at 90 degrees of the lake would be the most challenging part but the last 4km along the East shore of the lake ended up being the real challenge. Currents seemed to be coming from all directions. With no watch allowed, it was difficult to assess my pace.
Arrival was a pure moment of joy with my very enthusiastic friends Debi, Renee, Pauline, Don, David, Stephanie, Claude, Ann and my husband Francis cheering for me on the beach! I am very grateful for all the support and confidence my family, friends and coaches from Team Triumph gave me for this challenge. It was an exciting and highly educative journey that I highly recommend!" |
