Leif Baradoy

Strong run at Vancouver Half

After travelling from Victoria to Calgary to Montreal to Calgary to Vernon to Vancouver, I raced at the Subaru Vancouver International Triathlon as part of a relay team in the half iron distance. Tyler Duncan took care of the swim and the bike (clocking the 6th fastest bike time). After that, I had the pleasure of running 20km to finish off the race.

I am very pleased with my run time: 1:11:12. I wish that the race was a proper 21.1km so that I could have officially set a new personal record at the half marathon distance, but given my pace and the way I was feeling I imagine I would have come in around 1:14:45, which would have been nearly 8 minutes off my Royal Victoria Half marathon time (1:22:27). Not too bad. Clearly training has been paying off.

I felt strong throughout the run and found myself wishing I had signed up for the entire race. I am eager to try my hand at the half iron distance, but I’m not rushing anything. The opportunity to race ITU is amazing—I count myself lucky to race at the international level. ITU racing helps me get my speed up and prepares me to eventually face off against super-fast guys like Jeff Symonds, Steven Kilshaw, Trevor Wurtele (to name only a few who were at the Van. race).

My pace for the run was solid. I had good mental focus, listened to my body, and fueled/hydrated properly. This race reminded me that I love what I do and that I have a capacity for racing. I am in my element. I was also encouraged to see my commitment to training continue to pay off in the race setting.

Shout out and thanks to SOLE, whose lightweight custom moldable footbeds and sports socks keep my feet healthy in training and racing.

Overall results for the Subaru Vancouver International Triathlon are here: individual and relay.

Related posts:

• Shawnigan Half Ironman
• My First Half Marathon
• Placing Second at the Subaru Victoria Half-Iron