Giving thanks and remembering some of my favourite races…

First of all I’m proud to be the grandson of someone who served in World War II. I even got to see a photo of my Grandpa training in Petawawa recently. And if you didn’t know, my parents actually met in the army. They did all this hard work so we can enjoy ourselves day-to-day. Major kudos!

Today I want to remember some of my favourite races ever. Not always result driven, these will always be in my heart. In no particular order:

• 2009 Augusta 70.3: This was a bit of a dare since my Mom was living in Nashville at the time and this was only a drive away. One of the great things about the race is that it was warm in September and they served pizza and beer at the finish line. And due to ChiRunning, I went for a nice 10k the next day since I wasn’t sore…
• 2008 Rhode Island 70.3: This was my first official 70.3 race. It included a 4am wake up call but the scenery on the bike course alone was worth it. Too bad they don’t run it anymore since I was looking forward to doing it again
• 2008 Cazenovia Tri: This happened since I DNF’d at the KTown tri the weekend before due to a technical difficulty. I didn’t want to go into Ironman Canada with a DNF so I looked around for a race I could just do. This lovely local Olympic was awesome and just what the doctor ordered. A very cool race course and I got my confidence up for IMC!
• 2010 Prince Edward County Marathon: This was fun since I was just pacing someone and had no expectations. The course was amazing and the fact we did winery tours and relaxed in the hot tub after didn’t really hurt…
• Esprit Triathlon: Okay, this one is probably number one. This is where it all started, my first Iron distance. So the first year didn’t hold great weather with pouring rain on the bike but I will always cherish it with a great turnout from family and friends