There are a few great reasons why race director Mick Maguire and the rest of the North Shore Triathlon crew have chosen to dedicate this year's race to North Shore Rescue and their fallen leader Tim Jones.
The popular race, scheduled for Monday morning, will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year and Jones and his team were there in the early days of the event, helping to make sure the athletes made it through the forests around Ron Andrews recreation centre safely. On top of that, triathletes spend a huge amount of time training in the mountains, sharing that space with the rescue crews who keep those same trails safe.
Those are good reasons but there's one that hits even closer to home for Maguire.
"I got lost in the woods one day and got rescued," he says with a laugh. In October of 2009 Maguire, then still a sprightly 72-year-old, went to Lynn Headwaters Regional Park for a training run for an upcoming half marathon but had to change course when his planned route was blocked by a swollen and fast-moving Lynn Creek. After turning around, Maguire lost the trail. When he didn't arrive home by late afternoon his roommate called it in and a search was on. Members of North Shore Rescue, including Jones, finally found him at around 10 p.m. - nearly 12 hours after he'd started his run - wearing just shorts and a light running shirt.
"I happened to see some headlamps on the other side of the river and I was whistling and shouting," Maguire recalls. "When we made contact they radioed to a crew that was just up above me a ways. They eventually found their way down and dragged me out of there."
Jordan Back, North Shore Triathlon's assistant race director and a close friend of Maguire, says the connections between the race and North Shore Rescue go beyond the fact they rescued his good buddy.
"They really contribute to the lifestyle that we all lead on the North Shore - it's just a good fit with what we're doing."
To that end the nonprofit organization that runs the race will be donating proceeds from this year's event to North Shore Rescue, as well as matching donations to NSR up to a $2,500 total and contributing $50 for every team that signs up for the new Police, Fire and Rescue Challenge. The Challenge, set to begin just after the final wave of elite racers gets underway Monday morning, will see emergency responders from departments around the Lower Mainland and beyond competing against each other in a team triathlon.
So far teams from Vancouver, Maple Ridge and Surrey have signed up along with the City of North Vancouver Fire Department.
"It's kind of hearkening back to the police and fire games that were held here in 2010," says Back. "There's a real community there and a built-in rivalry between the police and fire."
The challenge is one new wrinkle in a race that has grown steadily over its 25 years of existence. The triathlon was initially organized by a group from Ron Andrews rec centre led by Trish Holmes, John Hodgson and Paul Granger. After two years the North Shore Triathlon Club took over the race and has been running it ever since. The race, held every year on Victoria Day, has raised more than $200,000 for North Shore Charities.
"It just shows you that it's a great race and people support it," Maguire says about hitting the 25-year mark. "We've got a great crew that runs it."
Maguire and Back have both been key organizers of the race for more than a decade. Back says the sport has led him to do things he never imagined doing.
"I was 18 years old when I joined the club," he says. "I'd never been able to really swim or bike, so I never thought I'd be able to do a triathlon. That was my
first race, the North Shore Tri back in 2001, and I sort of never looked back. It really got me hooked in the sport, racing every distance up to Ironman, which I've done several times now."
This year the adult categories are sold out - for the third straight year - although there are still spots open for kids and in the Police, Fire and Rescue Challenge. For more information on the race visit northshoretriathlon.ca.
