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Local triathletes earn top results at home

Sports Briefs: Youth racers solid in annual Kids of Steel gathering
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swimming start Whistler's Eric Smith gets his Kids of Steel triathlon underway in the Meadow Park Sports Centre pool on Saturday, May 24. Smith finished fourth in the boys' 12-13 race, and was one of many local racers to post strong results. submitted photo by john legg

More than 100 multi-sport athletes of all ages put their skills on display Saturday, May 24, for the Whistler Kids of Steel and adult SuperSprint Triathlon, with many local racers securing top results.

Competitors completed their swim sections in the Meadow Park Sports Centre pool, the cycling leg on Alta Lake Road and their run portions on the Valley Trail.

Whistler's Skylar Beauregard earned a runner-up finish in the boys' 12-13 age group race, finishing his 300-metre swim, 10-kilometre bike and three-km run in 42 minutes, 41.2 seconds. Beauregard, 12, finished his race faster than any competitors in the boys' 14-15 race, too.

Not far behind Beauregard were Whistler racers Eric Smith (fourth place), Callum Clarke (sixth) and Jaedon Chase (seventh). Squamish's Nicky Klimchuk-Brown placed second in the boys' 14-15 event.

Racing the same distances, Whistler's Mila Wittenberg and Jennifer Lafreniere each earned podium finishes in the girls' 12-13 race. Wittenberg finished in 44:25.5, putting her 5 ½ minutes back of winner Ainsley Greffard of Surrey.

Other locals earning strong finishes in the age group were Mount Currie's Naomi Prohaska (sixth), Whistler's Olivia Ellott (seventh) and fellow resort residents Summer Sprenger and Amy Ertel (10th and 11th).

Under-12 athletes raced a course with a 100-m swim, two-km bike and one-km run. Whistler's Kaila Lafreniere was the fastest of them all, topping the girls' 10-11 group at 14:52.6, nearly a full minute clear of the rest of the field.

Whistler's Georgia Strim was 1:45 back of Lafreniere for third place, and fellow locals Corinne Haasen and Holly Clarke rounded out the top five. Saylor Sprenger finished eighth and Kristin Wheeler placed 10th.

Local girls were strong in the 8-9 age group as well, with Sofie Hill of Garibaldi Highlands taking top spot in 18:08.0. Whistler racers Isabella Ellott and Robyn Minton rounded out the podium, while Squamish's Hailey Gagne placed fourth. Also earning impressive results were Whistler's Embyr-Lee Susko (sixth) and Merin Regan (seventh).

Sea to Sky competitors swept all the top positions in the boys' 8-9 race as well, with Felix Shorter in first place (16:42.2). Oliver Strim and David Peatfield crossed the line in second and third place, respectively. Local racers held the next six spots as well — Aiden Bayliffe was fourth, followed by Tommy Lafreniere, Kieran Higgins, Thomas Legg, James Tait and Jake Nicholas.

Matthias Shorter finished second in the boys' 10-11 division, placing just ahead of fellow Whistler racer Mason Gautrey, who was third. More strong results belonged to Whistler's Rowland Legg, who was fifth, and top-10 finishers Stephan Lindsay-Ross, Matthew Susko, Gregor Tait and Cain Susko.

The girls' 16-18 and adult races featured a 300-m swim, 10-km bike and four-km run. Norm Strim had the top local men's time, placing fifth at 59:19.1

Whistler's Natasha Strim (48:32.8) topped the women's race, while locals Joan Paterson and Lucy Pocock captured top-10 results.

Finally, Whistler's Cassidy Deane finished second in the girls' 16-18 race. She finished in 51:30.6, less than one minute behind winner Natasha Darc of West Vancouver.

Full results are posted at www.webscorer.com.

PHAT WEDNESDAYS UNDERWAY

The first Phat Wednesday, presented by Kokanee, of the season got underway after press time on May 28 in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.

If you missed the chance to ride the first race of the series, don't worry — there are eight more on the schedule this summer, the next coming up on June 4.

Additionally, the park is hosting three Phat Kidz races this year for riders aged seven to 12. The first one is planned for the evening of June 25.

Meanwhile, the PhaSt Enduro Series is kicking off on Friday, May 30, with more races scheduled for June 6 and 13.

The bike park is also introducing Test Your Soul on June 21, an event celebrating the longest day of the year with a 12-hour endurance race. Solo competitors and teams of four will try to complete as many laps of a set course inside the park as possible.

Visit bike.whistlerblackcomb.com for full details on all bike park events and races.

BETTIES BACK IN ACTION

The Black Diamond Betties will host their second flat-track roller derby bout of the season on Saturday, May 31, at Meadow Park Sports Centre.

The Whistler team will welcome the Brick House Betties from Comox in a match-up billed as "The Battle of the Betties."

Whistler's Betties are 1-0 on the season after knocking off the Sunshine Coast's Red Tide Warning.

Tickets are $12, available online at bettiesbattle.brownpapertickets.com, or in person at the Whistler Brewing Company, Evolution, Elevation Salon and the Meadow Park Sports Centre front desk. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door for $15, but the bout is expected to sell out.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and the bout gets underway at 7 p.m.

SUMMER BOBSLEIGH STARTING SOON

The Whistler Sliding Centre's new Rolling Thunder summer bobsleigh experience will be available to the public starting in late June.

Much like the 2010 Olympic venue's winter public program, guests will have the opportunity to ride down the ice-less sliding track on a special bobsleigh outfitted with rubber wheels.

Although the summer sleds aren't quite as fast as their winter equivalents, reaching top speeds of 85 km/h, participants will experience the same adrenaline rush as they rocket down the track, said a May 24 press release.

The experience is open to individuals aged 12 and up, and booking will be available starting June 1. Visit www.whistlerslidingcentre.com for more info.