Managed to make it up to Stoney Plain about 45 minutes before the Saturday registration for the 2009 Edition of the Great White North half-ironman was about to begin.
Despite competing with the Calgary Ironman 70.3 triathlon less than a month away, the GWN was sold out months ago and the waiting list was long.
According to Wade Church the race organizer there are no less than 749 entries in this years race plus 45 teams. It speaks volumes for the quality of this event and how well received it is by the tri community. There was a noticeable drop in out-of-country entries and this is just another indication of the ripple effect of the recession as fewer people are traveling these days.
There was quite a lot of interest in my books, "Ironstruck...The Ironman Triathlon Journey" and "Ironstruck? 500 Ironman Triathlon Questions and Answers."
As usual I met many great people and it was pretty special to talk to so many who had read my book or visited my website "Ironstruck." It seems that all the traveling and all the signings at bookstores and races are starting to have a positive impact.
As I type this blog in my hotel room, the weather is overcast and we had showers in Stoney Plain today. The temperature for tomorrow is forecast to be quite cool at race start, so the swim may be a chilly one. Weather permitting I plan on setting up at the race finish area tomorrow.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
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