2016 70.3 Victoria Race Day Thread

Brenda Ross

Hi Team, are you ready to give your teammates some serious mojo for this coming weekend? This thread is to be used on race day to comment on race conditions, observations on how our team are doing during there races, or just to provide some mojo on race day.  Listed below are the members that are racing and a link to the IM Tracker.



Athletes Racing

Doug Sutherland

Travis Bear

Linda Johnson

Karissa Weeks

Mike Westover

Thanks, Brenda. I am racing also.

Satish Punna

I was s'posed to race but due to injury will be DNS (Grrrrrrrrrr) .  Good luck and lots of mojo to the racers!  

Douglas Sutherland

Don't call it a come back...

Mike Westover

Anyone else still racing?

The swim was moved from Elk Lake (clear) to Beaver Lake (turbid and weedy) this year to simplify logistics. The plan was to clear weeds with a machine, but the machine just broke down. Now they are clearing the weeds manually. So the swim will be interesting.

Here's a review of the new bike course: http://yearofalison.blogspot.com/2016/04/victoria-703-new-bike-course.html

The bike is back-loaded with hills in the last 15 miles, so I'm going out a little easy. Based on my power plan from Best Bike Split I should be 5W below my overall NP target at the first two aid stations. It also looks like there are a few sharp turns to watch off of downhills, including a left at mile 26.

Has anyone done a recon of the course?

robin sarner

have great and safe races.

rumor that full Iron Canada will be moving there next year.     which seems like a bad idea to me as Whistler is great.        I love Victoria proper but they can't match Whistler.

Mike Westover

Agreed, Robin. I'm looking forward to racing in Whistler.

It does feel like the changes this year for Victoria (transition moved to an area with more parking, one-loop bike course) could be testing the waters for a full IM. But Whistler is such a special area that I wouldn't want to lose it as an IM course. And I don't know how well the Victoria course would stand up to those kinds of crowds (e.g., four-loop run on multi-use path). 

Douglas Sutherland

Mike - I am driving up tonight, ferry at 8am tomorrow. I will likely drive the course tomorrow along with the other admin stuff. Will post an update if anything to add over the link..

Douglas Sutherland

The linked story does the course justice. Surprising amount of urban riding on this course - the first 10-12 miles take you through suburbia, you get a break (which includes a jaunt on the highway and a street with speed humps/launch ramps!), then right through downtown (conjested) Sydney. The back half of this ride is country road, hilly roads at that. 2 climbs within ~7 miles of each other with rollers mixed in there. The grade on the second, Willie Point road, said 9% grade, which you get to pummel down as a reward. Then at the 50 mile mark you take a right turn right into another prolonged ascent before coming home.

The water looks pretty knarly. Deep bright green. I am told there is golf course run off (well fertilized) and there is a public notice sign that there may be toxic algae in there.

The run course looks truly awesome. The mixed use trail is well covered, well maintained (at least around the village). Should be a pretty and enjoyable run.

It is chilly here. I am considering donning a jacket on the ride unless the forecast shows me some sun.

Paul Hough

Good luck team. My son, Chris, will represent the Hough family at Victoria 70.3. He is "retiring" from triathlon after this race to concentrate on full time running.

Stephanie Weldon

Good luck everyone!!