Athletes of varying abilities are lacing up in preparation for an event that will test their endurance on land and in the water.
Hundreds of men and women are challenging themselves to complete a 500 metre swim in the Dr. Lander Memorial Outdoor Swimming Pool, 20 kilometres of highway cycling and a five kilometer run along the Friendship Trail in the seventh year of the Turner Valley Triathlon on July 1.
“It’s a time for us all to come together and celebrate our physical health and wellness while celebrating Canada Day as a community,” said race director Juli Johnson. “It’s a great pool. We do the bike out of Highway 546 west of Turner Valley, which is an incredible view the whole time with the rolling hills and beautiful countryside, and the run down the Friendship Trail, which is an incredible trail and beautiful.”
Johnson was an avid participant in the Turner Valley Triathlon’s first five years, spearheaded by her mom Dawn Johnson in 2009.
“Our family is a triathlon family,” she said, “We’ve done them for years together as a team. It’s really a passion of ours.”
Last year, the younger Johnson took on the role of race director and watched as the event drew close to 500 athletes from across western Canada to Turner Valley for the day. She expects to see that number again this year.
The Turner Valley Triathlon is not only geared to adults, but children as well.
It offers shorter versions for youth depending on their age and offers a team component for individual athletes wanting to take part in only one or two of the three events.
“A lot of the locals that come back every year tend to do a team,” she said. “They get their buddies together and form teams of two or three.”
Black Diamond resident Blake Roney tackles the swimming, cycling and running on his own each year.
When he joined the triathlon in its first year, he, his friends and one of his Oilfields High School teachers challenged each other to participate in all three segments of the event.
“My teacher was doing the full length so I figured I had to beat him straight up with the distances,” he said, adding he joined the adult age group and had plenty of practice from his involvement in such sports as hockey, volleyball and basketball during his high school years.
Roney said he achieved his goal of beating his teacher and friends, and has returned each year except one since.
He said both of his parents volunteered for the triathlon since its first year.
“I stuck with it every year because it’s fun,” he said.
“It’s a really good atmosphere over there. All the volunteers are great. It just makes for a fun day.”
The 22-year-old university student is returning again this year. With less involvement in sports he plans to do some cycling and swimming to prepare himself for the competition this time.
“My first few years were probably a little better because I was doing more sports then,” he said. “I think that if you’re not in the best shape you can still do it, you just won’t be as fast as you could be. You could still push yourself and finish it.”
Roney said the Turner Valley Triathlon is the only triathlon he’s competed in and an event that puts his endurance to the test.
“I go in with the mindset that I want to go as hard and fast as I can,” he said. “I just tell myself it’s not that much further. You just set small goals along the way and keep going with it.
While participants play a huge role in the triathlon, Johnson said it wouldn’t be the success it has been without the 75 to 100 volunteers who sign on each year.
“We have incredible support from the community and from the Town of Turner Valley,” she said. “The volunteer commitment is a huge range. We have volunteers that work all year long in recruiting volunteers and setting up the actual location of the race and doing advertising and things like that.”
Volunteer roles on the day of the triathlon include counting laps, directing participants, running the course and operating the water stations, among various other tasks.
To volunteer at the Turner Valley Triathlon or to register as a participant go to turnervalleytriathlon.ca. The registration deadline is June 28.
