The cream definitely rose to the top as two Rossland athletes took top honours at the Nelson triathlon last weekend at Lakeside Park.
The 29th annual Cyswog ‘n’ Fun triathlon held another successful race as over 80 athletes swam 1.5 kilometres, cycled 39 km then ran 10 km in the popular event.
Dallas Cain won his fourth consecutive title while Kelly Geisheimer took women’s top honour for the third time.
“The race was great,” said the 34-year-old Cain. “Winning for a fourth time means a lot to me; there are always fast swimmers, fast cyclists and runners, but to put the three together, consistently over the years is something I am proud of.”
This year the quirky Nelson course changed its distances to comply with the more standard “Olympic” distance format, which extends the swim from 1 km to 1.5 km and shortens the bike by five K.
“The changes worked in my favour because I’m a swimmer so whenever they make the swim a bit longer it works out to my advantage.” said Geisheimer from her home in Rossland Monday.
The former competitive swimmer came out of the swim second overall in just over 24 minutes, and held on to finish fourth in the field and first among women.
“When you come from a swimming background it always ends up being your strong point, but I’ve been focusing so much more on cycling and running over the last few years.”
The 28-year-old took up triathlon training when she was 13 and has been the top-ranked amateur female in the country for the Olympic triathlon distance and in the Xterra triathlon, an off-road course that includes open-water swimming, mountain biking and trail running.
Geisheimer is headed to Canmore at the end of August to compete in an Xterra triathlon followed by the world championship qualifier in Whistler in September. Her plans are to compete in the Xterra World Championships in Hawaii.
“For people racing at the amateur level, the big race is in Maui at the end of October and that’s what I’m gunning for this year,” she said. “I want to be in the top three overall amateur, regardless of age group in Maui.”
Geisheimer returned to Rossland two years ago after pursuing a nursing degree in Edmonton. From a training perspective, it was definitely a good move, she said, but a return to the Cyswog ‘n’ Fun triathlon is always a summer highlight.
“That is the race that I remember from my childhood. It’s so well supported by the community, it’s the perfect little venue; it’s all set up in the park, the organization it all goes off without a hitch, there’s so many volunteers, I can’t say enough good things about that race.”
Cain would agree, even though he has won it so many times, it remains one of his favourites.
“I plan on racing this race until I can’t turn the pedals anymore.”