Canmore’s Menno Arendz won gold in his first Banff Triathlon sprint, while Simon Schaertz of Calgary and Janet Nielsen dominated the Olympic distance through the drizzling rain Saturday (Sept. 7) on Banff Avenue.
Schaertz is a veteran to the triathlon scene, but this is was his first win in Banff. He finished with time of 1:58:29 on the challenging course, which includes a 1,500m swim, 38-km bike and 10-km run. He held back on the swim, took the lead halfway through the bike course, and executed a great running race to secure the victory. It was his first attempt at the Banff course.
“It’s always great to come out and win. If I can present that to potential sponsors, it’s huge … The water was warmer than other years, but it was still pretty chilly. It was a fast course on the bike, you had to be careful,” Schaertz said. “By the time I got to the run, all I had to do was execute.”
Competitors noted Two Jack Lake was much warmer this year, although driving rain sent a chill through the bike and running section.
Schaertz trains with several previous Banff Triathlon winners in Calgary, and said pacing was the key to victory, as was a strong bike leg in the frigid temperature. The cold did a number on his extremities.
“‘Wake up hands,’ I was yelling in transition. I was fumbling quite a bit,” Schaertz said, adding he’ll be back next year, praying for better weather.
“It couldn’t be worse weather.”
Graham Diehl finished in second place, six minutes behind Schaertz, but much of that can be attributed to cold hands. He spent nearly four minutes in transition from the bike to run.
“The bike was really cold. It’s just conditions on the day … That was the only thing that held me up. I couldn’t tie my shoes up,” Diehl said.
He trains with Schaertz and knew he’d be impossible to catch on the run.
Nielson has played bridesmaid at the Banff triathon on several occasions, but this was her first win. Many previous winners did not return to the Banff triathlon this year. Madi Serpico finished second – her second podium in the Bow Valley this year. She also placed at the Canmore XTerra triathlon.
“I prepped for this race – feeling good I’m done now. The weather was crazy, but we toughed it out,” Serpico said.
The 21-year-old will use the race as a stepping-stone to her first 70.3 triathlon in Phukett later this year.
Arendz trains as a biathlete with Rocky Mountain Racers and is the younger brother of ParaNordic National Team Member Mark Arendz. He finished the 500m swim, 35-km bike and five-km run race in a time of 1:11:17 for his first ever triathlon win. The run proved to be the difference, as he clocked an 18:36 time to pull away from Devin Chambers. Canmore’s Jon Arne Enevoldsen was third.
“The road bike definitely helped and the run was good. I’m a bigger guy, so the flat course was good,” Arendz said.
Arendz competed for Prince Edward Island in triathlon at the 2009 Canada Games, and was thrilled to earn his first win in the Bow Valley. He also learned last week he had qualified for the Xterra World Triathlon Championships in Hawaii.
Fifteen-year-old Justine Santema was the top female finisher in the sprint. The race was her first of the season after a crash derailed her training in the spring.
“This was my redemption race. The run felt good and scenic,” said the provincial team member. She relied on her swimming background to earn an early lead, finishing ahead of second place Kate Wiley of Calgary.
Several local athletes took part in the event. Rob Macnamara of Banff finished 22nd overall in the Olympic distance, followed by Pablo Ferreira (79th), Kirsty Macdonald (99th), Rebecca Mottram (118), Lucy Clarke (166) and Shelley Wallman (168).
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