On August 24th, 14 of the top CF triathletes representing Canada's five geographic regions-Pacific, Prairie, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic-were at Ontario's Wasaga Beach, 30 minutes north of CFB Borden, for the 2002 CF National Triathlon Championship. The military part of the race, held in conjunction with the community's Citizen's Triathlon/Duathlon/KOS Weekend event, featured the Olympic distances of a 1.5-kilometre swim, 40-kilometre bicycle and 10-kilometre run.

A gentle breeze-not even strong enough to cause a ripple on the water's surface-cut the humidity to zero, and moved the air enough to keep the racers from overheating. Georgian Bay's calm water was ideal for the shoulder-deep water start that kicked-off the 2002 CF National Triathlon Championship.

"It was a great race. The bike part was very technical with lots of sharp corners," says Captain Jennifer Rupp, a nurse from CFB Halifax who was the first military woman to cross the finish line with a time of two hours, four minutes, and 24 seconds. Captain Rupp felt strong during the run but commented that the swim was difficult. "People were swimming close to each other and sometimes in different directions," she says. "A couple of times I was right next to someone going the opposite way. It was nice to start out ahead of everyone with that little bit of advantage and clear water."

Master Corporal Duane Bryson, a search and rescue technician from 8 Wing Trenton, was the first military man to cross the finish line. According to Master Corporal Bryson, who finished with a time of one hour, 53 minutes, and four seconds, says his six years of bicycle road racing came in handy for the cycling part of the race. "Some of the corners were really technical because they went through the residential areas," he says, "but that was where my road racing experience came in handy. I was able to bank and crank around the corners and power away from people."

Master Corporal Bryson adds that when he finished the cycling part, he was informed that he was really high in the standings. "It just clicked," he says. "I did not want to lose any ground, so I actually had a half decent run."