Lake Chaparral tethered tri!

It's been a whirlwind weekend of travel and triathlons for our family. Shortly after Fraser's first triathlon, we high-tailed it to Calgary in preparation for Lowell & Warren's first open water tethered tri at Lake Chaparral.

Warren-- wearing his orange cap that stands out among the light caps-- is pointing out the swim course to Lowell.

Hi boys!

Warren isn't wearing a wet suit because he didn't need the speed advantage (as he is some sort of super human hybrid), and they theorized that the transition would be quicker if he didn't have to remove a wet suit as well. I think they theorized right!

Allow me to zoom in on that there tether for you folks.

And let the mass entrance into the open water begin.

They're out there somewhere!

Killing time.

Coming out of the water!

Lowell very much appreciates Warren's support coming out of the water because not only does he struggle visually, but he often feels light-headed and disoriented exiting the swim. That Warren sure comes in handy!

Off on the bike!

Unfortunately, the chain fell off shortly after they began. Even after fixing it, they just sort of clickety-clacked the rest of the way. Not ideal, but at least they looked good AND still managed to whiz by many competitors!

Team Handsome coming through! Eeeeeee!

Warren's wife, Becky, and their FIVE kids.

A close up of Becky oh-so-casually simultaneously feeding the baby twins on the grass while supervising three other kids AND cheering on her husband. Such a rockstar mom!

Here we are... Warren & Lowell's families (aka their biggest, hugest, most loving fans).

Here they come! That's Liz on the left cheering them on!

Lowell, you punk. haha.

Coming in off the bike.

They experimented with Warren putting Lowell's tether on to see if it would speed the transition up. It wasn't super successful, but worth a try anyway. Liz is in the background recording their transition so they can review it and see what improvements can be made. Thanks Lizzie!

Smoke show!

Fruit snacks, shade, and mulch kept these tired, hot boys preoccupied and happy for a surprisingly long time!

The running route wasn't super clearly marked, and Lowell & Warren were unsure whether they were even on the correct route most of the time.  It was also a little more narrow and curby than ideal, but hey... good practise right?!

This is all I got of the finish: Lowell's upper body, Warren's hand, and this gentleman... darn those congested finish areas. 

The boys finished sixth overall (following their fourth place finish in Stirling last weekend). And that's with stopping to fix the bike. So great! I'm confident that as Lowell's training progresses, there will be some top three finishes in there. ;)

Awwwww!

Our crew!

Way to go boys! 

Thanks to our awesome hosts in Calgary! Warren & Lowell stayed with Warren's cousin, Randy, who lives right on the lake. He was very hospitable, and also extended an invitation for the boys and me to stay. He insisted that the kids wear their shoes and eat ice cream bars on his couch, and even generously gifted the luxury of ringing the doorbell as much as they wanted (very big in their worlds- haha). We very much appreciated the offer, but chose to leave the racer boys in peace and crash Theo & Liz's pad... also very gracious, entertaining hosts. Thanks guys!

Lowell and Warren's next race together will be the ITU World Qualification Race in Edmonton in less than a month. Even though Lowell doesn't feel ready (as he isn't even a full year into his training), they're going to leave it all on the line and hope for the best... I can hardly wait!!