Canadian Tri Hero and Thoughts on Tri-Gear

Today's post is for my fellow tri-readers out there, tomorrow I'll post something for everyone that is in the "works."

Tri-Hero: Big kudos out to Canadian amateur triathlete Casey Pierce who saved the lives of a couple whose boat capsized in a lake in Canada. She was on a bike ride with a family, heard the couple cry out, dove into very cold water, swam about a kilometer to them, and then TOWED them back in their canoe as she swam with a rope around her waist! Read more about it HERE.

Gear: Triathlon definitely is a "gear" sport...you don't need much to get started in a sprint: a bike that can make it 12-15 miles, a swim suit and goggles, and running shoes. That's really ALL you need for a sprint triathlon. Really, one could argue it's ALL you need for any triathlon. However, it seems as one gets addicted to the sport (which seems to be the way it goes), the tri-specific gear becomes "important." I fully admit that it has for me...remember those pictures of the sweet wheels on my bike (which, BTW, I rode the wheels for 10 miles on my 10 mile route this morning and I rode it the fastest I have ever ridden that route, and it WAS windy, and I was fatigued...maybe it was the wheels, maybe it was all in my head, but I'll take 2 mph!), or have you laughed at my aero helmet in the picture up there, or do you ever wonder why any of us run around in lycra with strategically placed pockets to stash our "nutrition"...yep, it's cause we like the gear, and proper use of it can make you a faster athlete IF used properly. I'm no expert, and I'm continuing to learn. Just like we have "PX Rangers" in the Army (those that buy "all" the gear at the local post exchange and look like a futuristic Soldier, when really they don't have a clue about soldiering), there are definitely those that have "all" the gear but no idea how to use it properly. I must say, I smiled when I got back from the swim at my last tri and extremely tricked out Cervelo P3C with Zipp808's, powertap, etc. was still there....it was even better when I got to the bike-run transition and the bike WASN'T there (because I beat her--she never passed me on the run either). That being said, I still have a lot to learn. One of the BT guys that recently did an awesome 10:48 at IM Lake Placid started a blog and is putting out his two-cents about tri-gear on his new page, so go visit Fred and his post about the "Best Investment for the Triathlete."