The 35th annual Winterlude Triathlon concluded this morning in chilly but beautiful conditions and saw more than 250 athletes competing in the most popular run and skate event in the country. Women nearly outnumbered the men on a cool morning that saw Ottawa’s Jonathan Favre take first place with a time of 45:59:5.
Given the conditions, forecasted snow was not hard enough to work with to resuscitate the rock hard and bumpy surface in the Arboretum, the ski portion of the event was cancelled and the event became a duathlon: a 12K skate, 5K run.
Nancy Coke, the winning female with a time of 52:59, competes in the master’s competition, aged between 50-54. Marketa Graham, also competing in Coke’s age category, was the second female with a time of 53:42. Dave McMahon, of Chelsea, Quebec, was the second male winner, and Martin Brodeur, from Gatineau, took third.
The event, timed by Sportstats, began in 1983 and has become synonymous with Canadian winter. A family affair that brings athletes back year after year, the Winterlude Triathlon once again left smiles on the faces of both athletes and families.
For a complete list of finishing times, see Sportstats.