The past weekend will go down as one of the most exciting periods of multisport racing in all of 2023. In what has been dubbed the battle of the social media titans, the same action-packed Sunday saw Lionel Sanders and Paula Findlay competing in the pro field at the Oregon Ironman 70.3 in the West, while in the East, rising web 1.0 star and long-form blogger the Greater Wanup Triathlon Club took their brand of supplement-heavy taper-based training on the road to compete for glory, pizza, at the 1st annual running of the Copper Town Triathlon in Bruce Mines Ontario.
Athletes met at the Bavarian Inn the day before the race for the traditional pre-race Prologue, followed by the Gala event, where athletes enjoyed a beautiful North Channel sunset and sophisticated sit-down dinner at Bobbers restaurant. However, the Copper town tri podium outlook took an interesting turn, when late on Saturday afternoon, Sudbury Masters swimmer and race-favourite Robert M. pulled out of the competition with an unspecified lower body injury.
A chilly start
Both the East and West coast races had interesting swim events, with the Oregon 70.3’s famous ‘down hill’ swim and its 12.5 mile-per-hour current, and the Copper Town Tri taking place in the cryogenic waters of Lake Huron. With water temperature in Bruce Bay hovering a smidgen above absolute-zero, race organizers nonetheless declared the race wetsuit optional, and several brave or foolhardy racers opted to swim without wetsuits, both to shave seconds at transition, and to maximize the rejuvenating health benefit of the extended cold plunge and subsequent Whim-Hoff breathing.
Taking advantage of the numbing effects of the icy water, athletes took to their bikes with abandon, showing no signs of saving anything for the run as they careened through the three laps of the short but technical bike course along Copper Bay Road. Many athletes chose mountain, gravel, or commuter bikes over aerodynamic time trial bikes, wisely opting for enhanced cornering and stability on the typical Ontario road.
Disaster at T2
After posting one of fastest bike splits of the day, Greater Wanup Tri club member R. Eso sped into transition in second place, a small lead over the 3rd and 4th placed competitors earned by his career-best effort. It was during this bike-to-run transition that Eso was sitting on the ground, awkwardly fumbling to put on his runners, when disaster struck: one of the laces pulled out of the eyelet hole! A collective gasp from the watching crowd, and a scene every bit as heartbreaking as Simon Whitfield’s crash leaving T1 at the 2012 London Olympics unfolded. As the seconds ticked away, Eso continued to struggle to reinsert the lace through the impossibly small eyelet-hole. Shoe finally fixed, Eso set out on the run, still in second place, but with several competitors in tow, his T2 time a glacial 1 minute and 8 seconds.
Sprint Finish for the Podium
While lead runner and race winner N. Lambert had an unassailable lead, an exciting foot-race for the remaining podium spots developed. A pace-line of Eso, Roedde, and Phil ‘The Phantom Bullet’ Wiebe formed, and they tested one-another with surges and attacks on the hills, only to be reeled back in on the blistering descents, and no one could break free as they made their way along the scenic waterfront on Taylor street.
There was a moment of confusion at the midpoint of the run at a small out-and-back section, as the turnaround was hidden up a short tree-lined driveway with a prominent “no trespassing sign” at the otherwise unmarked entrance. Eso, leading the small pack and in 2nd place, decided to turn around in the cul-de-sac, knowing well the harsh consequences for trespassing on the mean streets of Greater Wanup by homesteaders all-too willing to protect their collection of hot water heaters and rusted-out cars. Wiebe, then in third, with nerves of steel, continued on, spotting the turn-around cone 100 meters up the steep gravel driveway. With tremendous sportsmanship he yelled out to Eso, now making his way in the opposite direction, that the turnaround was ahead. Eso, turned around and sprinted up the driveway, suddenly in 4th place with 2 km remaining, but thankful for the help and avoiding a possible DQ.
The trio of runners made their way back to main street, and turned towards the transition area. Paramedics watched nervously, AEDs at the ready, as the mid-life recreational athletes dug into their final reserves, heart rates skyrocketing, for a final kick to the finish. At the last moment, a race volunteer waved his hand, vaguely gesturing to one side, and yelled ‘run to the tent!’, and like high-schoolers caught sneaking a beer behind the boat-shed, each of the three runners broke in a separate direction. Spread across the out-going bike course, a parking lot, and the finishers area, the three runners dodged through spectators and volunteers, finally converging on the finish line in an exciting sprint finish, the result too close to call. With the staggered swim start, the athletes would have to wait nervously for the final results to be tallied to learn which of them would make the podium.
Results
Sudbury Masters Swimming had a strong showing, with Tamara F. posting the fastest swim split in the try-a-tri distance, with a blistering 49 second lead over the nearest competitor in the 400m swim, and Robert M. was seen cheerfully volunteering at the swim exit and supporting competitors at race finish despite his last minute withdrawal. Sudburian Serge L. finished in the top-10 of the sprint triathlon, and former Sudburian Leslie M. made the podium in womens Try-a-tri distance.
Fan favourite M. "The Hammer" Moustgaard finished in fine form, crossing the finish line to cheers of 'Hammer! Hammer!' from the watching crowd, earning herself a podium spot in the F70+ age group. Some disappointment for racing fans though, as 'The Hammers' impressive string of wins may be tainted with an asterix, as unfortunately a timing chip malfunction resulted in no posted official time. Rumours began to circulate immediately, with speculations ranging from a simple computer error, to a conspiracy of sabotage within her uber-competitive age group. We will be watching for developments on this closely.
After tallying the times and accounting for any penalties assessed by the race marshall, the final overall standing for the Sprint Tri was:
- 1st: N. Lambert (Elliot Lake) 1:07:32
- 2nd: N. Roedde (Richards Landing) 1:14:03
- 3rd: R. Eso (Greater Wanup) 1:14:14
- 4th: Phil 'The Phantom Bullet' Wiebe (Sault Ste Marie) 1:14:33.
