Hundreds of brave souls wouldn't let a cold, snowy morning deter them from reaching the finish line in the third-annual Tri-Diva Tri triathlon in Olds on May 3.Esther Koelstra, 13, of Olds participated in the event with her mother Rika.“My mom was doing it so she encouraged me to try it with her as well,” she said, adding some of her friends took part in the event as well.She described the experience as being “cold, really cold” and the transition from the swimming component to the running segment was especially challenging.“It was a big shock because it was just like this big blast of cold and you've got wet hair.”But Rika, who participated in the triathlon last year, said she wasn't bothered by the frosty weather.Having her daughter on the course this year was something she said she cherished.“It was an awesome experience, just to challenge each other and be there for each other,” Rika said. “We never did something like that before.”Esther finished before Rika, who started the competition later than her daughter, and sprinted the last few dozen metres to the finish line.“I just wanted to finish hard and strong,” Esther said.She then went back and ran alongside her mother for part of the final stretch of the running track.Rika said Esther gave her the “final boost” she needed to finish.Esther finishing time was 30:09 and Rika's was 25:33.The top three finishers in the event were all from Olds with Kate Blackett coming in first with a time of 18 minutes and seven seconds, Victoria Wagstaff finishing second and Hillie Van't Klooster coming in third.One casualty of the winter-like conditions was the cycling component of the event, which Rika said was a “pity” but “understandable.“Biking is definitely my strong point.”Race director Deanne Jabs said organizers decided to drop the cycling segment for safety and also asked women participating in the event to change between the swimming and running components.“Normally triathlons, you keep everything on and you go, but some of them changed completely,” she said.Organizers also asked participants to dress warmly for the weather and most of the spectators and volunteers at the finish line were wearing tuques and gloves as they cheered on competitors finishing the event.Last year, the temperature was in the 20s when the event was held.Beyond a few of the 330 women signed up for the race deciding not to come out for the event, Jabs said other aspects of the competition went smoothly and participants had great attitudes.She added she intends to hold the event next year on the Mother's Day weekend.The triathlon is a women-only event that raises cash for MitoCanada, an organization that supports research into mitochondrial disease and supports Canadians living with the disease.Last year, the triathlon raised $1,000 for the cause and as of the morning of May 5, organizers had tallied roughly $2,300 for the charity.The event's top fundraisers were Paula Owen from Calgary and Courtney Willsey from Grand Prairie.This year's course included a 250-metre swim at the Olds Aquatic Centre and a 2.5-kilometre run through Olds College and the Community Learning [email protected]
