The annual Pavilion Triathlon took place at Pavilion Lake on Sept. 14. The course has remained the same since the Triathlon began, with a 750m swim in the lake, a 20km bike ride, then a 5km run. With 56 people registered this year, it was our biggest event yet to date. The weather was beautiful and the water was 17C.
Something I was really happy about this year was the amount of whole families competing. The Lauplands from Kamloops were a good example with mom, dad, son and daughter all competing. And they were competitive! Elise Laupland, 13, came out of the water first after only 11 minutes. Some other locals have their triathlon-addicted family members using the race as an excuse to come and visit.
There was quite a large age difference in the top 10 finishers, from the 57 year old winner, to 13 year old Sophie Ogilvie.
Of course there were a large amount of racers and volunteers from the local area including the Trills, the Schroeders, Aie’s, even the staff from the OK Stop did their first ever triathlon. I was really pleased to see people drive all the way from Quesnel and Vancouver Island. The event is really gaining ground as people from around the province come to try out the swim in Pavilion Lake.
The overall winners were Bob Simpson from Quesnel and Sarah Menlove from New Zealand.
Next year’s event will be held on Sept. 6, one week before the Terry Fox Run.
Wayne Little