ITU World Triathlon Bermuda - RG Magazines - Bermuda Magazines

Building a Legacy

Robyn Bardgett — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 19:51:43 +0000

After the resounding success of the 2018 MS Amlin World Triathlon in Bermuda, the stage has been set for future events, including the 2021 ITU Triathlon Grand Final and Age Group World Championship.

Bermuda was able to pull off this major sporting event with the hard work of local organizations, hundreds of volunteers and of course, the fans.

The sport has grown on the island from smaller grassroots races to this international sporting event of great magnitude, and that has piqued local interest in the sport.

Last year’s debut event provided not only a place for Bermuda on the world stage, but it also made way for the next generation of triathletes.

Part of the ITU World Triathlon Series (WTS) events is to build legacy and ensure that local triathletes can reap the benefits of such a prestigious event.

Steven Petty, president of the Bermuda Triathlon Association and member of the local organizing committee of WTS Bermuda remarked on the large numbers of young people involved in the RenaissanceRe Kids Duathlon and the subsequent kids triathlon events in 2018 such as the Clarien Iron Kids Triathlon, which saw an increase of 24 percent in the number of participants from the year before.

“The legacy element was something that we wanted to achieve with this event, and it has been working,” said Mr Petty.

Whether that has to do with the ‘Duffy factor’ or not, triathlon is gaining in popularity. For Flora Duffy, whose presence on the race course last year added to the excitement, being part of a World Triathlon Series in Bermuda is a full circle for her career. At the start of her triathlon career at the young age of 10, she watched international competitors race in Bermuda at ITU and other triathlon events hosted here in the 90s.

The free coaching clinics leading up to RenaissanceRe Kids Duathlon are an excellent opportunity for those new to the sport to be introduced to triathlon techniques. Last year the duathlon saw 212 kids take part. Participants ranging in age from 7-15 ran and biked on part of the same racecourse the elite athletes would use the next day.

Last year with the entire International Triathlon Union (ITU) Executive Board on the island for the WTS Bermuda event, the feedback from an international perspective was very positive.

Mr Petty said, “The whole ITU Executive Board couldn’t believe how Bermuda is so ripe for the sport and especially in terms of the ease of access to training facilities and programs.”

Being able to easily access places to swim and bike as well as being able to train all year round gives Bermuda a significant advantage, and Mr Petty said it is “very conducive for our kids.”

Outside of the benefits to young people coming up in the sport, global television coverage of the MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda showed Bermuda in an incredible light. Aside from the beautiful scenery, the images of Bermudian’s lined up along the sidelines cheering on even the kids’ duathlon was a fantastic sight.

“We gained a lot of experience from hosting last year’s event, and although nothing is without challenges, organizing this year has been somewhat easier,” said Mr Petty.

The RenaissanceRe Kids Duathlon will take place on Friday, April 26. For more information, visit www.tribermuda.com/kids

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Focus on Accessibility

Robyn Bardgett — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 18:47:12 +0000

With the successful bid to host the 2021 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Bermuda come approximately 3000 athletes, including 100 para-triathletes.

The exposure for Bermuda on the world sporting stage, particularly in para-athletics, will be massive.

Last year, Bermuda pulled off the MS Amlin World Triathlon in style, and the next three events, culminating with the Grand Final, should be no different.

In light of the para-triathlon taking place, Bermuda will need to ensure that accessibility is at the forefront.

Jessica Lewis, Bermuda’s champion track para-athlete, said she was thrilled to hear that Bermuda would be hosting a para-triathlon.

“For people to see the para version of a sport that is so highly loved in Bermuda is phenomenal,” said Ms Lewis, who is currently training for the start of her season.

While para-triathlon is not Ms Lewis’ current discipline, she knows all too well the challenges that can face differently abled individuals when it comes to accessibility.

Some of the main areas that she said would benefit from consideration for creating a more accessible island include more accessible transportation, review of sidewalks/crosswalks, more accessible public bathrooms and more accessibility into shops and restaurants.

All new buildings and any alterations to existing buildings open to the public are required to be accessible for everyone according to Bermuda’s building codes. This can include adequate ramps, clearly signed accessible entrances, available parking spaces, wide corridors, and wheelchair accessible bathrooms.

While two years isn’t much time to make significant changes, particularly any alterations to buildings, Ms Lewis suggested that “using portable ramps that can be placed over stairs for easier access,” could be a potential solution.

She added: “Many differently-abled individuals are stuck in their houses here because there are not many options out there for them to get around. Especially for para-athletes, they will have lots of their equipment (track chairs/hand cycles) that will need to be transported to and from the event.”

She suggested that sidewalk and crosswalk repair be addressed as many sidewalks are uneven with holes and cracks, which “is dangerous as our (wheelchair users) front casters can either get stuck or hit them the wrong way and jar the chair sideways.”

In the long run, creating a more accessible island can be incredibly beneficial for Bermuda, said Ms Lewis, and not only just for individuals in wheelchairs but also for those who have a harder time walking and parents with strollers.

“Greater access will certainly enhance Bermuda. It can give differently abled individuals the chance to come and visit our island and have a great experience.”

To see differently abled individuals perform to the calibre of the para-athletes competing during the World Triathlon Grand Final will also “open up people’s minds to what the differently-abled population and what we can accomplish,” she said.

“It will help us move forward in getting rid of negative stigmas and stereotypes towards individuals who are differently abled so that our community becomes more inclusive,” she added.

This article was originally published in the 2019 MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda Spectator Guide.

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ITU: Schedule of events

RG Mags Staff — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 19:39:14 +0000

There is plenty happening on and off the course this month. Here is a quick glance at what’s happening around the MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda:

Thursday, April 26

What: World Triathlon Harbour Nights. Where: Front Street, Hamilton. When: 7pm to 11pm

The weekend’s festivities begins with the official opening of the MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda, featuring a special triathlon-themed Harbour Nights Pasta Party that will take place in the heart of the event venue on Front Street. This will be the public’s first look at the venue and the World Triathlon Expo, with the street alive with music, visiting athletes enjoying local cuisine and each vendor offering a ‘carb’ meal option, a tradition for athletes before a big event.

Friday, April 27

What: Tokio Millennium Re Kids Race. Where: Front Street, Hamilton. When: 7pm to 9pm

Friday night will again see Front Street filled with crowds to cheer on local and visiting young athletes in the Tokio Millennium Re (TMR) Kids Race at 7pm. This will be a duathlon, open to children aged 7 to 15 to run and bike along Front Street, using part of the same race course that the world’s top triathletes will race on the following day, including the famous blue carpet finish.

Saturday, April 28

What: Race day. Where: Hamilton. When: All day.

Age Group Races, Olympic Distance and Sprint Distance. First wave, 6.45am

Elite Men – 1.06pm

Elite Women – 4.06pm

Triathlon Expo, No 5 Car Park, Front Street, 7am to 6pm

What: Digicel Feather Mile & Street Party. Where: Front Street, Hamilton, When: 9pm to 12pm

Bermuda Heroes Weekend fans and party-goers are invited to strut their stuff in a Carnival-style Street Party on Front Street after the Kids Race. It kicks off at 9pm with the Digicel Feather Mile, a joyful untimed run or walk to music, followed by a party until midnight. This free public event is a prelude to Bermuda Heroes Weekend and all Carnival bands are encouraged to participate.

Sunday, April 29

What: Hangover swim. Where: TBD. When: 9am to 12pm

Locals will have a chance to mix and mingle with visiting athletes at a public beach for a casual gathering where competitors will relax after their hard work the day before.

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ITU Bermuda 2019: Where to eat & shop

RG Mags Staff — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 18:00:21 +0000

EAT

There are plenty of places to stop for a meal or refreshment during World Triathlon Festival Weekend – with some restaurants and cafes opening early on race day for breakfast and others with special menu offers. A complete listing is available online at www.tribermuda.com/buy-tri

Utopia Eatery. 17 Front St, City of Hamilton	Saturday April 27^th \| Open for brunch & lunch from 10am with a Tri-themed menu. Any diner waving a Bermuda Flag or GO FLORA shirt will get a FREE glass of Sangria when they order an appetizer or main course on race day (reservations HIGHLY recommended!) [email protected] or 296-8788
D’Angelinis Café & Bakery. Located next to Ferry Terminal, Front St.	Saturday April 27^th \| Opening at 6am Race Day! Pastries, Breakfast, Sandwiches, Coffees, Drinks, Snacks.
Flanagan’s Irish Pub, Front Street, Hamilton	Saturday April 27^th \| open from 8am serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Join us on our porch and take in the race and the sites of Bermuda, or dine inside and watch on TV in a favourite spot for locals!
Marcus, Hamilton Princess Hotel	Saturday April 27^th \| Island flavours and local ingredients served with a soul food twist from celebrity chef, Marcus Samuelsson at Hamilton Princess & Beach Club. Open for lunch and dinner. Call (441) 298-2028 or email [email protected]
Milan Milan, 3 Front Street, Hamilton	Saturday April 27^th \| Open for great Italian pastries, gluten free and vegan delights and your coffee made to perfection! Sunday April 28^th \| Sunday Shopping Festival
Crown & Anchor, Hamilton Princess Hotel	Sunday April 28^th \| Treat yourself to Afternoon Tea with Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, in partnership with local perfumery, Lili Bermuda. Call (441) 298-2028 or email [email protected]
For all of April	Utopia Eatery. 17 Front St. Join us at the Tri-bar for “TRI TALK TUESDAYS” every Tuesday in April. Perfect for any triathletes and friends leading up to race day. A place for all that love triathlon to meet, greet and eat at the Skybar post training from 5:15pm – 8:15pm – meet old friends and train with new ones.

SHOP

Sunday April 28^th| Hamilton is the place to shop on the day after the big race. With promotions and special in-store experiences, bring your family and friends to a fun Sunday Shopping Festival. 10am – 5pm

Before the race | Enjoy Buy-Tri shopping for two weeks leading up to race day!

Enter to win lucky prize draws and shop till you drop with great value at these stores in the Buy-Tri directory. A complete listing is available online at www.tribermuda.com/buy-tri

Astwood Dickinson, Front Street, Hamilton

Vineyard Vines, Front Street, Hamilton

A.S. Cooper & Sons, Front Street, Hamilton

Treats of Bermuda, Washington Mall, Hamilton

BUEI, Crow Lane, Hamilton

Riihiluoma’s Flying Colours, Queens Street, Hamilton

Davison’s of Bermuda – Front Street, Hamilton

Phoenix Stores, Reid Street, Hamilton

TABS – The Authentic Bermuda Shorts, Reid Street, Hamilton

Gibbons Company, Reid Street and Church Street, Hamilton

Alexandra Mosher Studio Jewellery. 5 Front Street, Hamilton

Coral Coast Clothing. 15 Front Street, Hamilton

Remember there’s free city parking on Sundays. City Hall car park will be open.

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Young Bermudians feature in World Championship medal ceremony

RG Mags Staff — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 12:36:34 +0000

Four Bermudian students who excel in their sport will feature in the MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda medal ceremony next Saturday, April 28^th.

Jessie Marshall, Amber Simons, Nick Pilgrim and Caleb Ingham, all young Bermudian triathletes who also compete in other sports and regularly compete overseas, have been selected to hold the medals for podium finishers in next Saturday’s World Championship races.

They will be part of the ceremony on the blue carpet, smartly dressed in pink shirts and blue Bermuda shorts, representing Bermuda in a medal ceremony that is broadcast to 160 territories worldwide.

The four students were all members of Tri-Hedz, the youth triathlon training group that Flora Duffy also started with. They’ve now progressed to international competition and all of them are also competing in Saturday morning’s Age Group amateur race.

The Men’s Elite Race award ceremony starts at 3.00pm and the Women’s Elite Race award ceremony starts at 6.00pm and will be set up in the finish chute of the course, in the middle of the MS Amlin World Triathlon sporting arena, at No 1 Car Park on Front Street. The public is invited as part of the festivities, it is free to attend and can also be seen on the event village big screens.

The students said, they are “excited about meeting some of their triathlon heroes” and having this responsibility in the international event. The students have rehearsed their duties twice in readiness for the big day.

Elite athletes from 30 countries will be race in Bermuda on Saturday in the second of 8 global World Series events this season. A prestigious global sporting event, the World Triathlon Series has attracted nearly 100 professional athletes and more than 600 amateur athletes.

Course maps and details of the weekend’s festivities are available at www.tribermuda.com

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How it all began: Triathlon

RG Mags Staff — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 20:27:50 +0000

The first recorded triathlon took place in San Diego, California on September 24, 1974. It was organised by the San Diego Track & Field Club as an alternative to the rigors of training on the track. The race, which took place in San Diego’s Mission Bay, consisted of a 5.3-mile run, a 5-mile bike ride and a 600-yard swim in the Bay. A total of 46 athletes finished the race.

Triathlon grew rapidly from its humble beginnings in San Diego and within a matter of years it became one of the fastest growing sports all over the world. The International Olympic Committee was intrigued by the sport’s meteoric growth and began discussions to include triathlon in the Olympic Games in 1988. Juan Antonio Samaranch, the IOC president at the time, arranged a meeting in Stockholm that year with the intention of including triathlon in the Olympics as soon as possible. At that meeting Les McDonald, of Canada, was selected as president to a working committee for triathlon, while Sture Jonasson, of Sweden, was elected as secretary.

The International Triathlon Union was founded one year later, on April 1, 1989, at the first ITU Congress in Avignon, France. A total of 30 National Federations attended the initial Congress and preparations were made for the sport’s first World Championships to be held in Avignon in August of that year. At this meeting the Olympic distance was set at a 1.5-km swim, 40-km bike and 10-km run. More than 800 athletes representing 40 countries competed in the first World Championships. McDonald was elected as the ITU’s first president in 1989.

Since its inception in Avignon, the ITU maintained its headquarters in Vancouver until January 2014 when it moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, home of the IOC. From its founding the ITU has grown to include more than 167 affiliated National Federations around the world. The ITU began the World Cup series in 1991, staging 11 races in eight countries, and the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championships Series (now the ITU World Triathlon Series) was created as ITU’s top tier race series in 2009, staging eight races in eight different countries.

Since then some of the greatest names in the sport have graced the competition, with the likes of Javier Gomez, Gwen Jorgensen, Alastair and Jonathan Brownlee, Spencer Smith and Emma Snowsil all multiple world champions. Add to that list Flora Duffy and Mario Mola, both of whom will be racing in Bermuda this month.
Bermuda is the second stop on the World Triathlon Series tour this year, with Abu Dhabi already witnessing an exciting race where Duffy’s challenge was ended early by a crash, and Henri Schoeman and Rachel Klamer claimed the first wins of the season.

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Duffy’s dream has come Full Circle

RG Mags Staff — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 20:27:46 +0000

When Flora Duffy is racing down Front Street towards the finish line in a couple of weeks’ time hundreds of her fellow Bermudians will be cheering her along, among them children with hopes of being her when they grow up.

Just as they wish one day to be in Duffy’s shoes, the world’s best female triathlete knows what it is to be in their shoes; because 20 years ago a young Duffy watched as the sport’s best competed in Bermuda.

The World Cup races of the late 1990s brought the top triathletes to these shores and it was then, for the first time, that Duffy discovered that her passion could become her profession.

“I was into triathlon before watching the races, but for me it was the first time I got to watch professionals race, and for the first time I realised ‘oh, you can actually do this as a profession. I want to do this, I want to be like them when I grow up’,” Duffy said.

“It was pretty neat for me to watch that for the few years when I was 10, 11, 12, and just see some of the best in the world compete on Front Street, and I think that really inspired me, and planted the seed that it was maybe possible.”
While Duffy is an idol to many of Bermuda’s young, she does not remember idolising any one particular traithlete at the time. Rather it was the sport itself that captivated her.

“I do remember the female that was dominant at the time was an Australian lady called Emma Carney, and that was quite cool that she was winning,” Duffy said. “I just remember a host of big names and it is funny meeting them now all these years later – now that I am in the sport and have come full circle.”

By the time Duffy was 10 people were already predicting that she would achieve greatness in the sport. Her determination, her refusal to quit, and a tolerance for pain that one of her first coaches called “almost unnatural” were packaged with a natural ability in the pool and on the road that led her to setting age group records that still stand today.

The road to success has not always been a smooth one for Duffy. Her much-publicised failings at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 marked a nadir for her, and she stepped away from the sport for a time. It is a period in her life she has spoken about extensively in the intervening years, but if she could say one thing to her younger self it would be to remember that triathlon “is just a sport”.

“There is way more to life than swim, bike, run; although it may seem like this is your life exploding. It’s really not, it’ll be OK,” Duffy said. “I think as I have got older how I have viewed the sport, and its place in my life, has changed. I feel pretty grateful that I get to do this as my ‘job’, Of course, there are days where I wish I had a normal job but then I want to go back to training, to my normal.”

For the past few years Duffy’s normal has been all about winning, on road, off road, she is the dominant athlete of her chosen sport. She predicted as much herself when she was nine and had just won her first race overseas.

Still, for all the success, and all the fame, Duffy is just a girl from Bermuda at heart; albeit one who is arguably the best athlete the island has ever produced. The hero worship, having Warwick Academy name a pool after her, the adulation, does not always sit comfortably on her shoulders.

“When Warwick Academy first approached me they asked my permission to name the facility after me,” Duffy said. “I was so touched and humbled in a really weird way, so, thank you, Warwick Academy; you’ve made me so proud.”

That “weird feeling” extends to the knowledge that her success is inspiring the next generation of Bermuda triathletes; many of whom will be wearing t-shirts bearing her name as they cheer her on in two weeks’ time.

“It’s really special and I hope it inspires them [the next generation], and really resonates with them, and sticks with them that that was me 20 years ago,” Duffy said. “I was on the street watching some of the best women in the world compete and aspiring to be them, and here I am.

“It’s really strange for me. Most of the time I forget that I have that impact on some younger kids, and then I hear one or two stories [about me inspiring them], and it’s really special that my racing and success inspires the next generation. It’s really cool, especially here in Bermuda being that it’s so small, it just feels a lot more real.”

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Bermuda Junior Triathlon

RG Mags Staff — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 20:27:41 +0000

At that time Duffy was one of the youngest members of the fledgling Bermuda Triathlon Association’s Junior Programme, and one of her coaches, Neil de ste Croix, who for more than 25 years has been the leading light of junior triathlon in Bermuda, will be among those watching her race.

For such a small island Bermuda’s junior triathlon programme has been extraordinarily successful in developing junior triathletes to compete at international level, built on a philosophy of “having fun” but also in providing the resources for juniors to succeed in the sport at local and international level.

It all began in 1989 when Steve Petty, Greg Hopkins and Tony Ryan started the Capital G Ironkids Triathlon, which 29 years later in its present form as Clarien IronKids, is still attracting more than 150 juniors. Looking to build on this initiative local schoolteacher and triathlete Dave Morrison formed a junior training programme of about seven juniors, which included Tyler Butterfield, and enlisted the help of Neil de ste Croix and Jeremy Ball. He then set about getting junior categories added to local races. The programme expanded rapidly to more than 60 juniors and was soon based at Clearwater Beach; which, with its lagoon beach, parkland and mostly traffic free roads was the ideal training base. Morrison spearheaded the programme til the early 2000’s and later formed another junior club, TRex.

Guest coaches, such as world champion Karen Smyers , were brought in for camps and in 1996 the programme took a large group of youngsters to compete by invitation in the final of the USA Ironbread Junior Triathlon Series featuring all of the top regional race winners and televised on ESPN. The group, which included Duffy and Butterfield, took numerous podium positions leaving the organisers with the task of deciding whether an invitation Bermuda squad should be given the medals, which they subsequently were.

Since those early days, thanks to the continuing efforts of De Ste Croix , Chris Harkness , Nigel Godfrey and Karen Madeiros, and more recently Ian Pilgrim and Chris Smith, the programme, which was renamed the Tri Hedz Club, has continued to provide the opportunity for juniors of all abilities to participate in triathlon.

For more than 25 years juniors have been competing both on the local scene and abroad with Tri Hedz, and for a time TRex, notably to leading junior races in Chicago and then to Magog in Canada. Bermuda’s juniors have enjoyed great success at these events, and in the early years sometimes taking home all of the medals in age groups. In addition Easter and summer camps have been organized, including the long running camp run by leading UK coach Steve Trew.

A key factor in the success of the programme has been the availability of good facilities, the proximity of good swim clubs, an active junior road and mountain bike racing scene and numerous junior road and track clubs, races and meets.

As well as training once or twice a week with the triathlon programme juniors are encouraged to participate in local swim clubs and swim meets, bike racing and running clubs and races. Many believe that this initiative in the early years has had a big impact on the development of triathletes with the technique, confidence and overall physical development to compete internationally. Duffy competed for Bermuda as a swimmer and held a number of national national records, and was one of the island’s leading junior runners. She participated as a swimmer in the Youth Olympics. Butterfield was, for a time, a professional cyclist for Garmin Cervelo and was an outstanding junior runner. More recently Tyler Smith finished eleventh in the 2017 World Junior Triathlon Championships but has also in recent years medalled in the Caribbean Cycling Championships and competed for Bermuda as a swimmer and runner.

As juniors developed, and began more intensive training programmes teams, they left Bermuda’s shores to compete in national championships, with one of the first groups racing in the British Junior National Championships in 1999 where Jonathan Herring finished fourth despite crashing. Herring, along with Kris Hedges and Butterfield, was already competing at senior level, and

Left to Right: Tyler Smith, Flora Duffy,
and Erica Hawley

all three juniors were winning Bermuda national championships whilst still in their early teens.

By the start of the new millennium Butterfield and Duffy had emerged as the most talented of these juniors and both of them eventually moved abroad; Butterfield to school in Australia and Duffy to the UK at Kelly College, to work with former leading triathlete Robin Brew. Their determination paid dividends with Butterfield, despite tripping whilst in contention for a gold medal on the finish straight, taking bronze in 2002 at the Junior World Championships in Cancun, and Duffy taking silver in the 2006 Junior World Championships in Lausanne. Adam Smith, Hedges and Herring also represented Bermuda at Junior World Championships.

Since then a new generation of juniors have taken inspiration from Butterfield and Duffy. Tyler Smith, who in addition to his performance at the Junior World Championships, was last year a bronze medalist in the Central American and Caribbean Junior Triathlon Championships and finished third in the British Triathlon Championships.

He is now enrolled in Leeds University which has a leading elite triathlon programme. Erica Hawley took silver in the 2016 and 2017 Central American and Caribbean Championships and as a freshman last year at Boulder University won the US Collegiate Triathlon Championships. More recently Matthew Oliveira and Khamari Greaves have also represented Bermuda at the junior worlds.

Other young triathletes to watch include Nick Pilgrim and Caleb Ingham, who have been racing in North America, in particular in the competitive USA FI 13-15 Youth Series, with Pilgrim having achieved a podium this year and Ingham also in contention. Lyndsay Palmer has also emerged as a very good prospect and is competing as a junior elite on the US circuit for the second year, while Jessie Marshall is showing promise in the junior elite ranks.

There is also a host of younger juniors making a name from themselves including Tristan Narraway who placed 3rd at US Nationals in 2014. Blake Oliveira who won silver in 2015 and 2016 in Canadian Nationals and Jasmin Hasselkus, who took silver at these championships in 2016, are two younger triathletes showing huge promise.

Above all the junior initiative has brought the enjoyment of triathlon to many juniors but it has also allowed many of them, and a new generation of very talented juniors coming through the ranks, to showcase their talents on a world stage.

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