On August 6th I participated in the Multisport K-Town Triathlon for the 3rd time. It is a 750 m swim, 30k bike, and 7.3 K run. It starts right in downtown Kingston. Parking is plentiful and transition is set up right in Confederation Park.
The Swim is a deep water start. The water is almost always choppy and this day was no exception. The day previous was an extremely windy one and Sunday morning was no exception. It was a northwest wind and the location of the harbour protected the swimmers somewhat since the wind was coming predominantly from the shore out to the lake. However, there were some large swells to battle. Overall swim was non eventful.
The bike was again a battle against the wind. In the previous year the out portion meant struggling against strong east winds. Today the battle was against 30 kmh plus west winds on the return portion. Any hope of getting a PB on the bike leg went out the window. The bike course travels along Highway 2 and the traffic is a little heavier than in other triathlons I have done. The return trip on the bike means crossing the bridge and the traffic is usually backed up quite a way, so it can be a little nerve wracking riding a bike quickly so close to so many cars. You worry someone is going to pull in front of you or open a door.
The run is partly along the trail that runs along the lake heading westward. You run through some lovely historic neighbourhoods and past the Kingston Penitentiary. Run felt tough this year although pace wasn’t much slower than in the past.
The K-Town triathlon is a very well run and organized event. Lots of great volunteers and being held in downtown Kingston surrounded by historic limestone buildings lends to its uniqueness. I highly recommend this triathlon for anyone in the east end of Ontario. There is also a Long Course tri for those who are interested in the longer distance triathlons. I ended up coming 2nd in my age group which was a nice surprise.
