Triathlon Celebrates Athletics

Triathlon celebrates athletics

Derek DeBono, Special to The Windsor Star
Published: Thursday, July 24, 2008

The visitor stood near the shore of Lake Erie trying to identify the tree that stood before him when the horn sounded, sending the swimmers into the water.

The swimmers were triathletes, starting the first leg of their three-part journey to the finish line. The tree was a magnolia, planted in memory and celebration of the life of Elena Loaring.

The Loaring triathlon began in 1999 by Charlotte Loaring and her brother James amid the lush surroundings of the family cottage near Colchester. It has evolved into an intimate and charming fundraiser for research into breast cancer, the disease that claimed the life of Elena in 2004.

The charm of the event is in its simplicity. It's a shorter version of the Olympic distance, which makes it achievable for beginners. Experienced triathletes looking for a greater challenge complete the course twice.

The Loaring Triathlon has left the complexities of science behind. It isn't about the mechanics of swimming, personal bests or podium potential. It is anti-elite in its design, yet manages to maintain the professional standards of a top sports event. It takes you back to the spirit of athletics, to a time when a footpath, a lake and a country road provided the perfect sports environment. Swimming, biking and running are natural cross-training sports we have always done for recreation.

It's about first-timers like Joe Fornitron, 14, who slipped out of the transition area and past the magnolia tree as smooth as silk, and about Heather Douglas, who rode the 11-kilometre second leg of the race on a borrowed bike. It is about having fun and being a part of a gesture of love for the sport of triathlon that has grown into a larger gesture of love and support for friends, family and the survivors of cancer.

Athletes, regardless of age, size or ability, develop a strong and rarely seen intimacy even when they don't know each other but when the venue they're competing in has significance. Elena Loaring passed away at the cottage, surrounded by family, her favourite music and magnolia trees. It's that kind of history that awakens one's sense of mortality and rekindles a zest for life.

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