 |
Mont Tremblant Ironman Camp Wrap Up
by Coach Philippe Bertrand |
|
| Jun 06, 2012 |
|
Mont Tremblant, Quebec, hosted the first LifeSport Half Ironman and Ironman Camp on the new course the weekend before last. Thanks to an exceptional spring, conditions were very nice for specific course preparation, not only on the bike and the run course, but also in the water.
Some of the athletes arrived a day earlier in Tremblant and were able to enjoy the "Ironman region" as Dominique Piché, the Ironman Race director, calls Mont Tremblant. On Friday night, the participants, a superb mix of first timers and experienced long distance triathletes, were given a 90 minute session on specific fuelling for the 70.3 and Ironman distance. Each of them was able to leave the session with all the tools and knowledge to build their own specific hydration and nutrition plan. Thanks to PowerBar, they all left with plenty of products to test on the road on Saturday.
We started the day early on Saturday morning with an overview of the Ironman bike course and how to pace the bike leg. Even at 8:30 in the morning, the weather was warm enough to ride in short sleeves and bibs. The group was given a specific set for the 90km ride to test their nutrition plan at specific intensity. Thanks to our assistant coaches, all the groups had their own coach with them. Head Coach Philippe Bertrand was able to give technical cues on the major climbs and help the refuelling with the support vehicle, and also enjoyed some time on his Blue AC1 road bike!! What a fantastic opportunity to ride the entire race course a month prior to the race. The short transition run reminded some of the participants of just how challenging that leg of this sport is and we worked on correcting running form as well.
After a well-rewarded nap, Dominic Piché, the Mont Tremblant Ironman race director, gave the group a 90 minute lecture on every detail of both the 70.3 and the Ironman Race. He was also generous enough to answer all the participant's questions. From everyone's point of view, the lecture gave them the answers and precious details that they wouldn't have had otherwise. We finished the day with a team dinner at one of the many restaurants Tremblant has to offer.
Sunday morning everybody was looking forward to running on the official Ironman run course. Again, the race committee did a fantastic job of offering a breathtaking run course. All the athletes were given a 15k to 20km run with 3 x 2km at specific intensity. They were able to mimic race day with feeding stations at km 6 and 12 and test different PowerBar products. From the run we headed to the lake and practiced sighting and drafting drills. Two essential drills for an efficient open water swim.
The camp finished with an easy ride and a debriefing of the weekend. All of the participants left Mont Tremblant with an exhaustive knowledge of the different courses and key tactics to have a winning nutrition plan.
"All the participants gained a definite edge for the upcoming 70.3 and Ironman races", said Coach Bertrand, "they will be able to race hard and also smart, and I am sure will have faster race times after this experience."
More News |
