I was a bit nervous going into the ITU Edmonton World Cup on July 13th because it was my first World Cup Triathlon. The World Cup races are different from the normal ITU points races in that they are typically much more competitive (often having 6 or more of the top 20 in the world), as well as having much larger race fields (40 or more athletes compared to 15-20 athletes). World Cup races are also worth more points, with the points going through the top 50 places instead of the top ten places in normal ITU races. To earn points, athletes still have to be within 8% of the winner’s time. Needless to say, World Cup Races have the reputation of being very challenging.

I really did not know what to expect in the Edmonton World Cup. However, I did know that I was going to need a very strong swim. Many of the girls in World Cup Races are phenomenal swimmers. I wanted to make sure that I came out of the water well so that I would have a strong group to bike with.

The swim consisted of two loops around a small lake. I was not really looking forward to swimming in the lake because I had an allergic reaction after swimming in the same lake at Amateur Worlds two years ago. The allergic reaction was probably due to the chemicals that the race organizers pump in the lake to make it safe to swim in. Apparently, the race officials have to pump the chemicals into the water to kill all the bacteria from the duck excrement. Since I did not have a say in where the swim was being held, I decided that I would just do the race and then go straight from the finish line into a shower. My hope was that by washing my body as quickly as possible, I would be able to prevent a reaction.

I was able to put my concerns about the lake water aside and have a great swim. It was probably the best swim I have had so far this season, but it was about nine seconds off of the lead group of swimmers. I was encouraged by the fact that I was closer to the lead girls, but I was still a little frustrated because I was not close enough to start the bike with them. I ended up biking the six loop course with six other girls. We did not do a very good job of working together to make up time on the leaders. We actually lost time to the leaders as well as to the group behind us. It was definitely not the way I wanted the bike portion of the race to go, but by the fifth loop I was feeling pretty dizzy and weak anyway, so there was not a lot I could do to help my group.

I headed out on the three loop run course, knowing that because of the way I felt, it was going to be a challenge just to finish. I just tried to stay positive and keep moving. We got to run through the grandstands on each loop. There were close to 25,000 people watching the race, so all of the cheering really helped keep me going. Somehow, I managed to finish the race in 26th place. I was also within 8% of the winner’s time, so I got some ITU points. It was definitely not a good race for me, but I tried to focus on the fact that I had a great swim and that I earned some valuable ITU points.

Even though I was feeling pretty bad when I finished, I still made it to the shower quickly and I am happy to report that I did not have an allergic reaction to the water this time. I did end up going to the medical tent for an IV. My trip to the medical tent turned into a real positive because I was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Zeiger (Joanna Zeiger’s Dad) while in the tent. Dr. Zeiger suggested that I work on getting more salt in my normal diet as well as while I am training and racing. He felt that my problem during the race was due to not having enough sodium in my body to retain fluid and stay hydrated. I have since had a chance to work on this and I feel so much better! I am very grateful to Dr. Zeiger.

While I did not race as well as I would have liked to, I really gained some valuable experience from the Edmonton World Cup. The race made me even more excited about World Cup racing. I was extremely impressed with the organization of the race. It was definitely one of the most organized and well run races I have ever been to. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to race in Edmonton and I plan to use the things I learned to help me race even better in the future.