The first weekend of June was a busy one for Yukon triathletes as Yukon Triathlon had athletes travel to two races in B.C.; the Oliver Half Iron and Aquabike and the Subaru Ironman 70.3 in Victoria.

The Oliver Half Iron and Aquabike, which was celebrating its 16th anniversary, had the most Yukoners competing with 12, and ranged from youth to open and master triathletes. They competed in Aquabike, Olympic, Half-Ironman and Relay distances.

The Oliver Half Iron a two-kilometre swim in Tucelnuit Lake. After leaving the water to the transition area, the triathletes got on their bike for an 89-kilometre ride through the lower Okanagan Valley. The race finished with a 21-kilometre run through some residential areas and along the banks of the Okanagan River.

Of note, John Berryman had the best result in Oliver, coming in second place in the M60-64 class. Overall, he came in 61 and was the 52 fastest male.

Berryman completed the swim in 38 minutes, 26 seconds. The 89-kilometre bike took him two hours, 53 minutes and 51 seconds and he spent one hour, 59 minutes and 32 seconds on the run course for a total time of five hours, 40 minutes.

The slightly younger Rob Rees had the fastest time of the competing Yukon triathletes in Oliver. In the M50-54 class, he placed 13th. Overall, he was 57th and the 48th fastest male.

Rees needed 39 minutes, 29 seconds in Tucelnuit Lake, two hours, 48 minutes and 43 seconds on the bike course through the Okanagan Valley and two hours, three seconds for the run. His total time was five hours, 36 minutes and 27 seconds.

Valerie Girard, the "unofficial chef-de-mission" for Yukon Triathlon, and who competed in Oliver, said the weekend was a great success, and when the team travels, they turn heads.

"When we travel, we have lots of attention on us," said Girard. "They see us cheering each other on, and when people learn where we are from, they are more respectful and give a lot of support."

The Subaru Ironman Ironman 70.3 swim was 19 kilometres in Elk Lake. The triathletes were allotted one hour and 10 minutes to finish the swim. The swim featured a rolling start so triathletes entered the water based on assumed skill level seeding themselves with athletes of similar abilities.

The timer started when the athlete crossed the timing mat.

The bike course was 90 kilometres, starting at Hamsterly Bay. While on the course, they enjoyed views of the Haro Strait, the Coastal Mountains and Saanich Inlet.

The run was 21.1 kilometres and followed the shores of Elk Lake through wooded parkland. The trail had minimal pavement for the triathletes to run on.

The triathletes had the traditional eight hours and 30 minutes to complete the entire event.

The notable Yukon finisher was Paul Moore, who competed in the M55-59 category finishing 41st. His total time for the event was five hours, 58 minutes and 35 seconds. He ranked 696 and was the 507 male to finish.

Yukon Triathlon began in 2011 when Girard moved from Montreal to Whitehorse, where she was part of a triathlon club and wanted to share the same feeling in her new Yukon home.

“Triathletes were difficult to find even if most people either swim, bike, run but never together. At the time, there were only two meetings at Icycle Sport on Saturday morning for a brick (spinning followed up by a run),” said Girard. “Eight years later, Yukon Triathlon is an active group of triathletes traveling for different races in 2019.”

Girard said, Yukoners are naturally fit and Yukon Triathlon continues to grow as more people become aware of it. She also notes the club has a good base of seasoned triathletes to help the newcomers.

"They are all experienced triathletes," said Girard, "and they share that experience with the new triathletes. They talk about some little tricks. It is great that they share."

There are no more plans for the team to travel this year but they are in talks about their plans for 2020. On Aug. 10, Yukon Triathlon will be hosting their own race, the Ric Janowicz Long Lake Triathlon, which honours the late territorial hydrologist.

Girard said the race is "real familial" and more of an extera triathlon, so it will include mountain biking and trail running.

"It is a typical Yukon friendly race," said Girard. "It is good for people who are shy or scared of triathlon. It is accessible to everyone."