Winter ITU triathlon St Donat-9th Overall for James-5th woman for Nat

I did this triathlon last year, or should I say a winter triathlon there last year.
Daniel Poirier, Endurance Aventure, contacted me last year two weeks before the triathlon to invite me to this triathlon. The distances were 10km run, 14km ski and an 8km skate to finish. I told him then that I didn't know how to skate and his answer was that I would be fine, I had two weeks to learn. So I did, poorly but I did. I went to the race and was able to stay up right on skates (barely). Thanks to the run and a little bit the ski I managed to win last year. This year would be a totally different story.
To start with the distances changed totally. This year it would be not even half running and with snowshoes this time, so 4,2km, followed by a 12km skate and to finish with a 6km ski so pretty much half of the disciplines that I can manage for almost double of the one I can't... Anyway I thought, I will give it a shot.
Well this is the story of how I got my ass kicked!

Winter-O-Tri 5th overall (1st women for Nat)

The two weeks prior to the race I (Nat) was injured. Due to the not so wonderful weather we had with freezing temperatures, ice etc, I managed to get an anserine bursitis.

Some pain I can take and keep training through but I couldn't with that one. That and a strain of my intercostal muscle.

Anyway, this was my first event planned for the season and I didn't want to miss it. So after icing and taking as much care of my knee and ribs as I could, I decided to race at the last second. 

This event was an orienteering winter triathlon composed by a few kms running followed by a few kms skating on the rideau canal, another few kms on foot and a couple of kms snowshoeing, for a total of ~14km.

Since I registered at the last second I didn't have a map so I tagged along with James who was nice enough to wait for me so I could race.

His navigation was spot on and he kept helping me all along, even on the ice that I found rough cause of multiple cracks.

We finished our little race in 1h58min in 5th position overall (James would have done a lot better without me I must say) and I got 1st woman.

The event was a trial to see if they would run the event next year. I personally thought it was great. And the best part was that there were different courses and even within a same category (long course for example) there was some differences in the order in which we had to grab the CPs.

An event to put in your calendar next year, by the Ottawa Orienteering club.

Nathalie