New Balance Half Ironman

Photo: Sarah Stewart and Rosemarie Gerspacher discuss the race.

Sarah Stewart finished fifth overall and second in her age group at the 2007 New Balance Half Ironman in Victoria, BC this past weekend. Sarah was very surprised with her race after only putting in a handful of workouts in swimming and running prior to the event. The race was won by Heather Wurtele who successfully defended the championship for the second year in a row. Dan's Camp participant, Rosemarie Gerspacher of Calgary, had a very strong race to take 2nd place overall in the event.

Women's Results: New Balance Half
4:15.11 Heather Wurtele
4:19:29 Rosemarie Gerspacher
4:19:58 Christine Fletcher
4:25:47 Charlene Waldner
4:37:26 Sarah Stewart

Coach Dan got into the mix in this race - shaving over an hour off his personal best for the New Balance course. It was a fun day out there. The swim course was easy to navigate with over cast skies. The bike was hilly, but the wind was minimal. The clouds hung around to provide some welcome shade on the run. It was nice to see myself getting faster. I have spent the last 10 years focused solely on making other people fast. It was nice to start working my way back to the level of fitness I used to have. I still have a long way to go, but hopefully Ironman Canada will be one of my fastest times ever.

It was great to catch up with a few old friends at the race - including Dennis Weins and John Bodnaruk from the University of Calgary Triathlon Club where I coached for several years. It was also great to see Mike Neil's Human Powered Racing crew out on the course. Thanks for the cheers guys!