After a few "false" starts, racing for most of us will start this weekend (Sunday May 9th) with the first TNS sanctioned event of the year; the Du It for Shelter (but the Tartan Tally currently stands at 7 already!). For those of us with long memories, this race is a resurrection of the old Hammerman Duathlon out at Musquodobit.
The big change in this current incarnation is the addition of a new race director; Stacy Juckett Chestnutt. Stacy is an endurance-athlete extrodinaire and is a role-model to many aspiring triathletes. Don't worry (or perhaps continue worrying) if you think you have seen the last of your finsh-line tussles with Stace, this foray into race-directoring doesn't mean she has forsaken the dossard, and normal service (that is Stacy kicking our collective arses) will be restored soon.
In keeping with a current trend, Stacy is running this event in support of charity; in this instance St Leonards, a charity that supports local homeless shelters. She is also hosting a 5km race in Shubie the day before, so you can channel your inner Ron MacDougall or Mark Campbell (depending on your persuasion) by doing both. Why not? Remember, hosting one event a year is a challenge, hosting two doubly so, hosting two on consecutive days is a feat of endurance unknown here at TNS, but wholly within Stacy's reputation for toughness. Did Mark Campbell just get girlled?
Here at the Turnaround, we missed the old Hammerman and have yet to clap eyes on the course. Gossip around the office tells us the two 4km runs are on multi-use trails and they book-end a smooth, flat 28 km bike. As far as introductions to the race-season go, this race seems pretty beign: no Moose this, just 20 miles of smooth, well prepared roads and trails to play on, without a pot-hole, much less a hill to disrupt your rhythm. Sweet!
We understand the prize-lists will be deep and extensive. Not to mention varied. "Awesome" was a word we heard to describe it.
So after a winter of getting up earlier on Sundays than we do for work, getting rugged up to run even 5km outside without losing an ear, all those endless miles on the trainer ( which feel 1.6 times more boring than kilometers on a trainer), all those intervals on treadmills (Intervals for goodness sake! Dreadmills! Together! Arghhhh) it's time to put it all into practice. Time to find out who's been economical with the truth and who's been getting in the stealth miles. Not to mention welcoming Stacy as an RD and helping her to raise money for a good cause at the same time.
Head over to Atlantic Chip for more information, including registration and map to the start.
See you there
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Is there going to be results??
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