In 2018, Dan Whalen entered the solo division of the Beaton Classic cold turkey – his words, not mine – with the end goal of simply completing the combo swim-bike-canoe-run multi-hour physical test.
Making his third appearance in that same category on Sunday (he also raced in 2019), the 35 year-old lifelong local resident had a very different vision in mind.
“The notion of actually trying to win it this year was kind of a cool goal for me,” said Whalen, following the race and having done exactly that, crossing the finish line in a time of 2:08.39. That was enough to edge out a pair of close competitors in what turned out to be a pretty tight battle, with Jeff Paul (2:11.18) and Clinton Lahnalampi (2:12.37) not all that far off the pace.
It’s been quite an ascension for the man who has always remained active, coaching cross-country and such, but diving into the deep end quickly in the general realm of triathlons as a means of offsetting the inevitable challenges of keeping just as fit as we age.
“When I signed up four years ago, it was kind of like to get in shape,” Whalen said with a smile, reminded that there are 5km race options out there that can also fill that void. “If I sign up, then I figured I had to get in shape.”
Where many cursed Covid-19, he would benefit.
“Through the pandemic, there was nothing else to do so I started biking more, I started mountain biking more – and I got better.” Knowing that he could likely make up ground on both the bike and the run, the key for the first-time champion would be the first leg of the Beaton.
“It’s hard when you see the other swimmers and they’re so far ahead and you need to stay with it. It’s hard not to hang your head when you’re still swimming and so many people are getting out of the water.”
Although he had little awareness of the threat that Jeff Paul would pose, long-time Beaton fixture Clinton Lahnalampi was another story entirely. “I knew he (Lahnalampi – two-time defending champion) would be ahead of me out of the water and I knew that he was fast on the bike, so my goal was to be within a couple of minutes on the run.”
“I figured I could make some hay on the run and that’s basically what happened.”
Wyler Whitmore did not have to worry about the run – well, at least not beyond running the distance that would follow his exit from the swim to the exchange area, tagging with cyclist Caden Sutton as the Team Nickel Rock finished second only to the powerhouse foursome of Tamara Flannigan, Frank Battaion, John Larmer and James Larmer in the four men’s bracket that accounted for the fastest time of the day (2:04.44).
“I knew that I didn’t have any other legs to do, other than the swim, so I went as hard as I could,” noted Whitmore, whose second place team (2:13.17) also featured Kirk and Jonas Petroski. Where the Larmers and company are always among the first to complete the annual early August challenge, the young man who turns 16 later this week has only recently discovered this world.
“I did the Conquer the Crater (in July) and loved it; it was so much fun,” said Whitmore, who been a lifeguard for quite some time but never felt compelled to race in the pool setting. “I’ve always loved the water but have never been a competitive swimmer.”
“I love hockey and in the summer, I’m always on my bike. I get out for a run in the morning before work and we’ve got a camp (on Big Caribou Lake near Port Loring), so I try and swim as much as possible at camp.”
Still, after tackling the Crater as a solo effort but with pretty much no background in canoeing, Whitmore would need a little bit of luck in putting together this team. “I had a couple of buddies who were talking about the Beaton Classic and I had never heard of it,” said the grade 11 student at St Benedict Catholic Secondary School.
“I texted Caden because he did the X-Terra (Conquer the Crater) with me – and then I was out for a bike ride towards Kivi Park and my buddy Jonas lives out there. He was outside so I asked if he wanted to be our runner and his dad was there and tells us that he used to teach canoe lessons.”
And so became their team.
On a whole different level, the Sage against the Machine four women’s team was also meant to be.
The connections that link Randi Ray, Renée Vaillancourt, Helen Bobiwash and Ghislaine Goudreau together are many – though the primary friendship is drawn from the fact that the quartet are all Anishinaabe kweok (women), compelled to compete in part as a tribute to the rich tradition of their common ancestry.
“We’re doing it for Mother Earth and the water; we’re not doing this for competing,” offered Vaillancourt, the cyclist of the group. “We’ve all been involved in the Anishinaabe water journey in the past.” Such are their teachings that the women are the caretakers of the water.
But they are also bonded by their involvement as indigenous drummers, with all also donning apparel of social conscience. Theirs is a journey of friendship that speaks to a far more spiritual priority, though the reminders of the athletic demands of this undertaking are ever-present.
“I trained a few times,” said Vaillancourt, just starting the get herself back into the groove following the most recent family addition a little over a year ago. “I did a 24 hour mountain bike race earlier this summer and didn’t train – and I regretted it big time,” she said with a smile.
“I do some mountain biking, but with this type of biking, there were pros passing me out there. I couldn’t always get my speed up, but I tried to stay strong and remember why we are doing this. We are so grateful to be able to do this as a team.”
Following is a breakdown of top finishers in some of the other categories:
Solo Female – 1st – Sara McIlraith – 2:18:15Two-Women Team – 1st – Keegan Anderson / Donna Smrek – 2:59:45
Two-Man Team – 1st – Kaeden Ward / Colin Ward – 2:10:53
Two-Person Mixed – 1st – Laura Young / David Crockett – 2:33:10
Four-Person Mixed – 1st – Jennifer Abols / Kerry Abols / Bridget King – 2:17:37
