In this mini-series, I wanted to take the time to provide those of you who are not familiar with the Victoria 70.3 course a little bit of context for each leg of the race!
There's a lot going on for Race Weekend, and not everyone has the opportunity to swim, bike, and run the course before setting foot on race day, so let's go for a jaunt around the lake!
Coming out of T2 on to the run is a pretty sweet experience. You’re now on the third and final leg of the triathlon. All you have remaining is this 2 lap course around the lake you swam in only hours ago!
Regardless of the weather, you’ll find yourself in a well-sheltered run course most of the time. Whether it’s a hot sunny day or chilly gray skies you’ll not notice much of a difference from the shelter of the boughs of trees you’ll be running through.
The 1.5 kilometers is smooth and rolling hard-pack trail. You’ll find yourself meandering through the forest, with the lake to your Left and trees to your right. The elevation here is pretty minimal until you come to the Boat Launch/parking lot area. This is a gravel section of only about 100m to a short wooden bridge. From here, you have about 500m or more rooty/technical trail with a very short kicker that can suck the speed right out of your legs, so keep your cadence up here!
After that small section, you’re back on solid footing again, coming out to an access road (Bear Road) which has your first Hydration Station. Make sure you’re staying hydrated, particularly if it’s a hot one out there! Then settle in, because the next 3km you’re just on a steady meandering trail through the trees with only you and your favorite Type A athletic community.
This scenic trail will eventually come to a sharp Left turn down a slight hill onto a slightly softer winding trail. Again, this is all well established hard pack trail, but there are a few more roots in this section than the previous 3km, so just be aware of your footing. As you emerge into the Southern ‘Beaver Lake’ recreation area, you’ll make
another sweeping left turn to stay on the trail. This is where you’ll find your next hydration station, and shortly after that, cross a narrow metal bridge. Just be careful here as there are sometimes other trail users out and about. This relatively flat area will end in a few hundred meters as you pass the playground. A short little kicker climb, you’re back on another descent to a windy section of trail with some very light rolling hills.
One of these hills, however, is the little kicker of a short out/back that gets your legs and heart pumping! This never feels too bad on lap 1, but lap 2 can zap you! As your good fortune would have it though, the race director has provided you with another hydration station to help alleviate the pain of that little climb! This is especially nice on lap 2 to give you an excuse to slow down and catch your breath ;)
Once you return to the main trail, it’s just one more significant climb, then descend back on to a few more km’s of rolling terrain. This little climb is a little long but not too difficult, again, just keep the cadence up and roll through it, you’ll be fine!
Once you reach the 8.5km mark, you’ll be at the Eagle Beach rowing club with another Hydration station, and then it’s a quick 1.5km back to the start. This is a winding pathway that narrows significantly in some areas, but it’s pretty quick to get through! You’ll hear the announcer over the water, and there’s usually a lot of positive energy as you come into lap 2!
As you ready yourself for that next lap, make sure you’re hydrated and ready to tackle your next lap! You’ll want to make sure you stay to the Left as the Finish Chute will be to your Right. Soak up some cheers and make sure you smile here! Looking good is half of what the race is all about, and on a 2 lap course, the likelihood of looking good the next time around is much lower 😛
Lap 2 is all the same as the first time around, so just keep it controlled and run through this one with a consistent and steady pace. You just need to continue to carry yourself through the more technical sections then settle in on the longer more consistent ones.
I hope this series has helped you out! Make sure you savor that finish line, and enjoy the experience from the moment you start! And remember: “Journey Before Destination!”
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