April St. Pierre in cycle trans at the Langley Tri-It Triathlon
Ashley Lloyd hurls through the run at the North Shore Triathlon
The Thunderbirds Triathlon Sport Club’s summer season started with a rainy race in North Vancouver, the North Shore Triathlon. Ashley Lloyd and Jonathan Chan competed in the slightly short ‘Sprint’ event consisting of a 444m swim, 17.6km bike and a hilly 4.8km run. They started swimming before the rain started but by the time they were on the bike course it was pouring and very slippery. Unfortunately, Jonathan fell on one of the 180 degree turns leaving his bike in need of repairs and road rash covering his legs. He was a trooper, however, and completed the run despite the pain he was in. Ashley had a great race and went on to take 3rd in the Female 20-24 age division with a time of 1:13:00.
Next, Jaron Piercy competed in the Victoria 70.3 Half Ironman race. This race starts with a 1.9km swim in Elk Lake, followed by a 90km bike ride through Saanich, and a 21.1km run through the beautiful trails surrounding the lake. Jaron was on pace for a personal best when he had issues with multiple flat tires halfway through the bike ride. He spent over an hour waiting on the side of the road and eventually had to get a wheel replacement from a bike mechanic. He was able to complete the ride and pulled off a strong finish with a speedy 1:36:18 half marathon.
A week later, April St. Pierre competed in the Tri-It Triathlon hosted by the city of Langley. April has been racing this event with her family since she was a child and was excited to return this year after training with the Thunderbirds Triathlon Sport Club. The race consists of a 400m swim, a 19.4km bike, and a 4.8km run. April had a great race and was the second female by only 26 seconds with a time of 1:15:38.
Jonathan Chan emerges from the pool at the North Shore Triathlon
Next up, the TSC Triathletes will be competing on July 7th at their National Championships, the Apple Triathlon in Kelowna, BC.