Mohawk College cross country coach Andre Simon
and former Mountaineer teammate Luc Seguin turned
in strong performances in the World Triathlon Grand Final in
Edmonton over the Labour Day weekend.
Simon finished 38th in his third age group championship. He
competed in the 25-29 category. Seguin, in his first world event,
wound up 51st in the 20-24 age group. Their races started at 7:30
am with an air temperature of 7 celcius and the water temperature
at 17.7 celcius and it was chilly for most of the day. That called
for wetsuits for the two-lap, 750 metre swim in Hawrelawk Park. The
bike course was two laps of 19.2 km and included two uphill and
downhill sections which broke up the groups, then some long flat
sections which allowed the competitors to hold a fast and
consistent pace. The running course had a variety of asphalt and
gravel roads over two 5km laps.
“Overall, I am happy with my performance on the day,
considering the elements of the cold water and air temperature we
had to deal with, as well as the level of competition that is in
our age groups,” said Simon. “The goal was to be in the
top 30, and 38th is not far off. (It was) a very solid
day.”
Simon and Seguin are regular triathletes that train year around and compete in the late spring to early fall months.
“Despite being a cold morning and a rough swim I got
through the day alright,” said Seguin. “I put up a good
time on the bike and with my cross country backing I put in a
great run. The cold really played havoc on my race, making it hard
to shift gears or grab my water bottle on the bike. For the first
3-4k of the 10k run it felt like I had bricks instead of feet. The
Canadian crowd really supported me through out the whole
day.”
“Running is definitely our strength,” said Simon.
“I had the 14th fastest run split of the day in my age group
and Luc was not too far off. For both of us we definitely have to
work on our swim. The swim isn't the longest portion of the race
but it's the most technical when it comes to body position and if
you can't swim well there can be a lot of time lost. To improve we
will plug away at the miles in the pool, join a master group for
some key workouts to help with technique, as well as speed and
endurance.” Simon said he has improved his biking skills but
both competitors need to improve more because the cycling
discipline is the longest part of the triathlon. Simon and Seguin
both use indoor wind trainers in the winter, then when the good
weather comes around they get out with a group and have speed and
endurance workouts.
Seguin, who studied Building Renovation at Mohawk and is now
project co-ordinator for a Burlington-based general contractor
GEN-PRO, said Simon was a massive help to him all week, showing him
how to handle himself before his first world championships.
“It makes it easier when you have a guy like Andre around
who has done three World Championships. He kept the mood light and
offered advice when I needed it. Not to mention he turns out great
results race after race. It’s great to see how I have gained
a couple of great friends through Mohawk varsity. I cant wait to
see what Andre does with the cross country team this year after a
couple years finishing fourth.I think this year could be the year
for a medal.”
“The experience was great, especially for Luc to get first
hand experience at what world class racing is about,” said
Simon. “We have to remember we are racing some of the best
triathletes around the world. Some of these guys we are racing do
this for a living and are trying to get to the top level of the
sport. For two guys that have full time jobs and do this sport
because we love it, and to compete at a high level, is an
accomplishment in itself. We both learned what we need to improve
on. We'll work on it during the off season and come back stronger
for the next year.”
The 2015 ITU Grand Final will be in Chicago.
Source: Mohawk Athletics