On Sunday (Aug. 24), I competed in the Alberta Challenge Triathlon, which took place at Miquelon Lake near Edmonton. This was my last triathlon of the 2008 season. My time was 2:44.45, which is very respectable considering that the run course was on gravel and grass. I placed 11th overall (the race previous I placed 17th overall). This race had a higher number of men age 20-29, so I placed 5th out of 8 in my age category. See full results here.

Although the softer earth slows run times down, the Miquelon Lake trail was by far the most beautiful run I’ve done in my triathlon career thus far because the course was set on a pathway through trees and near small lakes. I would love to do this race again next year.

My proudest achievement was that I came out second overall on the swim and was able to pass the leader with a fast transition from the swim to bike. I’m very pleased to say that I defended my first place position for the first 7km of the ride and only dropped to 5th place by the end of the bike portion. Running was my weakest area. I had a slower transition and simply didn’t have the energy to maintain my standing. Nevertheless, I am extremely happy with the race, considering my training schedule in August dropped significantly (due to social activites, concerts, trips, and activities).

I’m convinced that if I actually trained with a club, or stuck to a good personal training schedule, then I could be placing much higher in competition. A pair of aero bars and some race-weight wheels might be nice too . . .