News & Updates

June 3, 2011.

May 26, 2011.

Help Iron Warrior Sara Hillworth raise money for her ride to conquer cancer on June 3 at the Walkabout Pub. $10 gets you in and a free drink! All proceeds go toward Sara's fund-raising goal!

ROCK N' ROLL FOR A CURE
Location: Walkabout Pub
Time: ‎5:00PM Friday, June 3rd

March 29, 2011.

Thinking about doing a triathlon this summer? Join us Wednesday April 6 at 6:30pm at River Valley Cycle and learn some of the in's and out's of triathlon. Whether it's your first race or your a seasoned vet there will be a ton of tips and advice for your upcoming race season. Great product and race discounts will be availible for everyone attending.

March 21, 2011.

This year we are excited to announce the IRON WARRIOR TRIPLE CROWN. Race all three Iron Warrior races and be entered into a draw to win a $250 gift certificate for RIVER VALLEY CYCLE and a $250 gift certificate for FAST TRAX Run and Ski shop. That's $500 worth of sweet gear! There will be a men's draw and a women's draw to be made at our last race in August. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

Welcome to IronWarrior

February 26, 2010.

We would first like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the new website. We are extremely proud to be able to bring this medium to all those who have initially supported us since last year and all the new comers. We are looking forward to moving quickly with a jammed packed summer of events, fun and fighting breast cancer through the sport of triathlon.

There are a million stories out there of people who have been affected by breast cancer and cancer in general. Our goal is simple – do what we can to help raise awareness, get people to their doctors for annual check ups and raise money to help support the breast cancer foundation. We are lucky to have the support of the breast cancer foundation to help guide and hopefully we can do our part to support their initiatives.

Please take a look around the website, enjoy the videos and article. We also encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter throughout the year for up to the minute updates and all our activities and how our athletes are doing. Please feel free to contact us if you want to volunteer at any of our events, participate as an athlete in an event, or you have an idea to help Iron Warrior.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Making your first Triathlon Count

March 1st, 2010.

Whether you are participating in your first ever triathlon or your first Ironman, most experienced athletes would say the most important thing to do is enjoy it. Enjoy the atmosphere, the camaraderie between participants and the fact that you are doing something to help yourselves become a healthier person.

That being said, the best way to enjoy yourself is preparation. I don’t mean to prepare yourself to win the race or beat your best friend, but prepare yourself in a way to let that let’s you enjoy the race and complete the goal you have set out to achieve. The preparation should be the hardest part, not the triathlon itself. If you have gotten to the finish and feel that you have over extend yourself or you’re your butt hurts from your seat or your feet are sore from being in a tight pair of shoes that looked cool on the rack then it’s a good guess that your preparation was flawed in some way. The best way to remedy the situation is ask someone who has done what you want to do. Most triathletes would agree the vast majority of people in the sport are friendly and are more than willing to give you their input of their experience. Take advantage of those resources and make your first triathlon count. In this article, we’ll talk about the first part of preparation as part of a three part story. You can read the other two parts on our facebook page at

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=208920676508&ref=ts

First things first – the gear. This is definitely the best part of being a triathlete, getting the new toys, shopping around and making the right purchases. The most important thing is comfort and you are the best judge of that no matter what you may hear. The golden rule applies – if it feels good do it! So let’s start with the swim:

1. Goggles are the most essential part of doing your first swim in a triathlon. There are so many different options out there it should be easy to find something you like. To find a bigger range of goggles, go to triathlon specific shops or swim specific stores as their selection will be far superior to any other store and they will know their products better. When it comes to cost, don’t necessarily worry about that but be more focused on comfort. We know athletes who are some of the best swimmers in Canada and wear $4 goggles and some people like to have $50 goggles – again golden rule applies. Usually once you’ve selected your first pair, its ideal to stick with that brand as you they don’t necessarily change much from year to year. Some people chose to have a race pair of goggles and a training pair of goggles. This is not a bad idea but make sure you wear your race goggles plenty before an actual race.

2. Wetsuits are only necessary when entering into an open water swim, especially in Canada! Again there are a wide variety of choices out there and to be honest you just need to try as many wetsuits as you can on and see what fits best. Again a triathlon specific store is better to see what is out there and they usually know what will work for you. Generally speaking, you want as little space as possible between your lower back and your wetsuit in that area so it does not retain water. Unless your wetsuit is custom or you are lucky, there will always be a bit of space there. Another good option is to rent a wetsuit before buying to give a certain brand a try before spending $400-$600 on a wetsuit you may use 2-9 times a year. Get a wetsuit that feels comfortable in the shoulders as the material used for wetsuits will sometimes cause fatigue in the shoulders because of the elasticity or lack thereof depending on how you see it. Again, try on a multitude of suits in different brands to find want is best for you.

3. Next is probably your most expensive purchase – bike and bike accessories. The most important thing I can suggest is not to be intimidated by the expensive bikes you see out there. If Lance Armstrong was riding a tricycle, he’d probably still be able to be almost anyone on the bike – training hard will always outweigh expensive equipment. What you may want to look at for your first bike is purchasing a used road bike. Notice I did not say time trial bike because these types of bike are designed to go fast from A to B and not to turn or avoid collision or dodge traffic as well as a road bike. Generally speaking a used road bike is also cheaper that a used time trial bike. Also, if you feel comfortable, you can always add the tri bars onto your road bike to get a bit more speed and become more aerodynamic. The road bike will give you better stability to be able to go faster and gain confidence in a race before spending a couple of thousand on a carbon fibre time trial bike. My first bike was purchased at a police auction and I just keep upgrading the parts on the bike when I had the money before eventually converting to a time trial bike after 4-5 years. Taking this avenue will also get you to know bikes a bit better and what parts do what and how important some parts are rather than other parts on the bike. Again, don’t be intimidated by people riding a $10 000 bikes - a triathlon is about doing your race and meeting your goals.

4. Bike accessories are often overlooked but needs to be acknowledged as a big part of your preparation. A decent, comfortable helmet is a must but can be obtained for under $100. Don’t worry about getting an aero helmet either (look like cone head helmets to clarify), again they are a bit more delicate and most people never train with an aero helmet anyways. Next, H2O replacement on your bike is always nice to have so invest in one or more bottle cages on your bike but remember the more water you have on your bike, the more your bike will weigh so you have to find your balance. Also, you may want to invest in a small repair kit for your tires. This should include a spare inner tube, C02 cartridges with an inflator and Allen keys. Trust me when I say it is not fun to be caught on a road with no spare when you get a flat. Depending on your weight and how hard you ride your bike, you may also want to bring an additional tire in case you tear through a tire. The next item you’ll probably want to consider is cycling shoes. Although you may want to use simple cages that can be worn with regular running shoes, cycling shoes with proper pedals are probably one of the greatest cycling inventions engineers have come up with over the last 30 years. The advantage is that on the up stroke when pedalling, you can pull the pedal rather than just relying on the opposite foot to push down, therefore generating more power on every pedal stroke and significantly helping you on hill climbs. If there was one thing I would spend my money on initially it would be good shoes and pedals on a bike!

5. Finally we come to the run. Again, its not rocket science, wear what feels right. Most stores will let you try a pair for 2-3 days on a treadmill so they stay clean so take advantage of that policy. More and more triathletes are reverting to the mid-sole to ball of the foot strike so be aware of your running technique and wear your foot lands in relation to the shoes you buy. We’ll cover running technique in another article but be sure to buy a shoe that suits your running style and not cause it looks great on the wall.

6. We’ll conclude with general accessories that you may want to consider. A watch is never a bad idea to help yourself stayed motivated and keeps a gauge on your progress during the race. Often times your plan for the race can change and a good planning tool is a simple watch. Next, you’ll probably want to invest is a pair of sunglasses for the bike and run portions of the race. They are not a must but you need to see and some glasses will not only lessen the impact of the sun on your eyes but will protect them from any debris you may encounter. Next, you may want to invest in a race belt to wear your bid number. During most races, you are required to wear your number on the back for the bike and on the front for the run. The race belt just makes life easier so you can flip the belt around instead of using safety pins. These usually go for under $10 and last the rest of your life. Finally, bring a hat or something to put on your head for the run especially if it is going to be a hot day. It will help prevent heat stroke and dehydration and usually can be bought for $10-$20 so again a worthwhile investment.

Hope this tips help out and please check out other articles and videos on our facebook page. Just search for IronWarrior and become a fan!