PENTICTON, B.C. – With family and friends closely behind, Heather Myers steadily trotted across the finish line of one of the longest and toughest races that skilled athletes can sign up for.
Sideline cheers got louder and the smile grew on the face of the Canmore triathlete, who brightly stood out with a fluorescent yellow T-shirt, after just becoming the Ultraman Canada women’s champion, an endurance competition spread over three days (July 28-30) in Penticton, British Columbia, with a monster distance of a 10-kilometre swim, 420 km bike and 85 km run.
One day after, while resting and recovering from 515 km tacked on the odometer, Myers had a joyful tune in her voice and she couldn’t wait to chat about the race that was a decade in the making for her.
“Every moment was hard, but I enjoyed it,” said the newly crowned champ. “I was happy the entire race.”
Myers clocked in at 31:28.06, first among women and sixth overall.
Her main goal was to finish, but those expectations were completely blown away.
“I chose this one because it’s hard, you know, you’re dealing with the elements, the heat, the sun, the wind – it’s hard,” said Myers. “I've finished multiple ironman’s and everything but the three-day race event, that’s what really drew me to it.”
On top of the massive distance, weather and everything that can go wrong along the way, competitors have a time limit – 12 hours per day – to complete each section. It was the real deal as Myers was one of only 13 to finish the grinding haul this year.
She applauded the team that helped get her there along the way, consisting of husband John Burroughs, and close friends John John Macdonald and Catherine Tetreault.
Part of what drew Myers to the Ultraman Canada is it's geared toward family and helping everyone accomplish their goals, which means non-participants can help competitors through the day.
The dream team aided on mostly every need for their champion, from organizing to pacing during the race to carrying gear and applying sunscreen to keeping Myers hydrated and fed every day.
Myer’s husband and biggest cheerleader, out there on the course, got to experience the final moments with her.
“I have crossed the finish line in many races in my athletic career and not one of them holds a candle to this incredible feat by my amazing wife,” said Burroughs.
Although, things weren’t always peachy for Myers during the race. A mad panic started off day one during the 10 km swim, the first leg of the race, after the Canmore athlete’s designated paddler from the area didn’t show up that morning. For safety reasons, each swimmer needs a paddler with them. Without a watercraft in Penticton, things looked grim.
In a last ditch effort, Myers team found a river kayak and her friend Macdonald jumped in and spotted her for the swim.
“My race could have ended right there and then,” said Myers. “They were lucky enough to grab one … we just pulled it together.”
After the anxiety passed, day one became the most challenging for Myers, she said.
Gusts of wind slammed the southern part of Lake Okanagan and large waves were pushing a face full of water onto Myers.
“I could barely breathe because you’re getting sloshed around,” Myers said.
Once out of the lake, the race transitioned into a 145 km bike ride under the hot B.C. summer day, hitting temperatures of more than 30 Celsius.
Despite the roasting sun, Myers managed to secure first place for the women after day one and 10th overall.
On day two of the lengthy 275 km bike ride, Myers was comforted in getting her strongest discipline underway. However, the sticky summer heat hadn’t gone anywhere and was glued to the Canmore rider.
“It's like having a hot hair dryer blowing on you all the time,” said Myers. “Like, it’s just relentless.”
Fighting headwind and heat and after about 100 km of riding on flat conditions, Myers hit a wall on the hill portion. She was caught and passed by rider Anja Hooten.
With a last push in the biking portion, Myers bit down and hammered it to close the gap. She finished the day less than two minutes behind Hooten and was seventh overall.
The final day of racing was the lengthy 85 km run, which was an exceedingly long distance that worried Myers. Working through some back issues, Myers didn’t know if she was going to pull off day three, but when the athlete’s shoes hit the pavement, she said she found the extra gear needed to push through.
She caught up to Hooten’s time and passed her to get out in first place. Going up the final hill, word got to Myers that she was about four minutes up on second, but she started with her husband Burroughs.
“I knew he would keep me running. There would be no resting, no nothing and we just kept me moving,” said Myers. “I was able to cross the finish line and I enjoyed every moment of that race.”
For the accomplishment, the big celebration began for Myers and the crew.
"Heather was a warrior out there and to see her grind so hard over three days of swimming, biking and running was pretty incredible and inspiring," said team member Macdonald.
In Canmore, where Myers is owner and partner at Mike’s Electric, she prepared for the giant feat around the Bow Valley. She said it took her years to build a solid base in all three disciplines to even consider competing.
On two wheels, Myers biked to Lake Louise and back and ran with local running groups the Canmore Trail Culture and Bow Valley Dirtbag Runners.
“Heather is a long-time member of the Canmore running community, and a regular at Canmore Trail Culture, along with her husband,” said Heather MacPherson.
“We’re really proud of her for even completing such a beast of an event, for which she trained for years, and then to go on and win it – just very, very impressive.”
With the win, the title holder from Canmore has qualified for an upcoming Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii. It’s something she will definitely be attending.
“I just want to experience it and finish it and do the very best I can on the day,” Myers said.
