The Perth Triathlon once again delivered a day filled with fun, friendly competition, and of course, pie! Team Triumph athletes brought their A-game (and their appetites) to the course, with smiles ear to ear throughout the entire event.
Birthday Challenge and First-time Triumphs:
Ann and Brenda, both celebrating their 65th birthdays, decided to mark the occasion with a triathlon challenge! Enlisting the help of Coach Klara for their swim training, Brenda (a triathlon newbie) and Ann (returning after a hiatus) conquered the course. Brenda even snagged a remarkable 3rd place finish in her age group at her first race ever! Ann's husband Claude, a seasoned athlete and Ironman finisher, also crushed his age group, taking 1st place.
Familiar Faces and Friendly Competition:
The race was a chance to catch up with old and new friends. A big shoutout goes to Courtney for tackling her first-ever Perth Triathlon! It was also a heartwarming reunion with Katie Yelle, a former "Kids of Steel" athlete coached by mw, and John Dance, Theresa Wallace's husband.
The cutest couple on the triathlon circuit, Brad and Julia Vlaming, were also spotted racing. I had the pleasure of encouraging Brad to push even harder, resulting in a well-deserved 2nd place finish in his age group.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work:
The spirit of camaraderie extended beyond teammates. Coach Gabi, racing in a different heat, pushed me to pick up the pace on the run. Her impressive performance secured her 2nd place in her age group. There was a slight hiccup with Nicole Gibeau's swim time (mea culpa to Coach!), but her final results still placed her in a strong 2nd place within her age group.
A Community Celebration:
Overall, the Perth Triathlon was a fantastic event, and a huge thank you goes to Kris Plant and the Perth Pool crew for putting on this wonderful community tradition year after year!
Congratulations to all our amazing Perth Triathlon finishers!
Julia Aimers
CSEP Clinical Exercise Physiologist
CSEP High-Performance Specialist
Certified Triathlon, Cycling, Yoga and Swimming Coach
USA Cycling Level 2 Coach
Training Peaks Accredited Coach
A year ago I could only tread water and had not run since childhood. With the amazing Virtual Olympic course, support, guidance, and tips from of all the folks at Team Triumph I've ended the season with my first Olympic distance triathlon under my belt and am hooked! Really looking forward to the 2025 season and even to the hard work over the winter to prepare. Karen Houle
I wanted to let you know that the Perth triathlon was a great experience, I somehow placed third in my age group! What a supportive group of participants (including Team Triumph athletes), cheering bystanders and volunteers.
Thanks to your swim lessons, I learned the technical basics and gained confidence to get back in the pool after decades. And it was really special doing this with Ann Laidlaw, my bestie for many years. We did a couple of additional swims with Kevin and Team Triumph people, also a great way to continue learning and practicing good technical form.
I will continue with lane swimming and who knows, maybe there's another triathlon in my future!
I love the accountability and the structure of the Virtual 70.3 Half Ironman training program. I don't think I would have gotten this far without the program. The accountability is huge for me!
Deborah Jackman