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Triathlete Amanda Regnier Competes at Worlds
For most athletes, dominance in one sport — running, swimming or biking — would be satisfaction enough. For Amanda Regnier, however, being the best at all three is her goal.
On Aug. 29, Regnier traveled to Edmonton to participate in the TransCanada Corp. World Triathlon Final against athletes from across the globe.
“It was amazing, it was epic,” Regnier said. “Just being at World’s was incredible. And the amount of talent that goes into the competition is amazing.”
The World’s Triathlon has two categories, one for regular competitors and another for elite athletes trying to qualify for the Olympics. Even though Regnier competed in the regular 20-24 age category, she was motivated by watching the elites compete.
“Their race was so inspirational to watch,” Regnier said. “It was so cool to see that I raced on that course and then they raced on that course right afterwards.”
But just because she wasn’t trying for the Olympics doesn’t mean her training to get to Worlds wasn’t rigorous. Regnier first qualified to compete in 2012 in London, England and her training for the competition was grueling. She would start off by running cross country with the Huskies track team, then incorporate swimming and biking to her training, doing it as often as six times a week. Adding strength training to round out her routine, it was hard for her to balance school, work and training all at once.
“I took all of September and most of October [2013] off… It’s really hard to do during the school year which is why I have so much respect for anyone who does the elite category — to be able to do that during school or during their work. But I just can’t fit it all in with work and school.”
Regnier’s training also put a lot of stress on her body, leading her to have a hip injury during her training to compete this year in Edmonton.
Her doctor “wasn’t really sure, he thought it was a muscle strain. I had to take some time off of training for that, but it’s going good now,” Regnier said.
Even with the difficulties, Regnier still has time to coach the Triathlon Club at the University of Saskatchewan.
“Most people say, ‘Oh I can’t swim, I could never do a triathlon,’ but I’ve had people come that can barely swim 50 metres and by the end, they race the Subaru Saskatoon Triathlon in the lake with no wetsuit. So that just goes to show, if you really want to do a triathlon, you can do it.”
Regnier herself started her triathlon career by doing the Masters at the Physical Activity Complex, with no previous triatholon experience. However, in just three years she has been able to work hard and train herself to where she is today.
“If you put in the work, you can definitely get the outcome. The triathlon club here at the U of S, I try to make it very inclusive. So if you want to be a very competitive athlete, I offer as much knowledge as I have to try to push you to however good you want to be and if you want to do it for more fun and social, I can definitely help you with that too.”
She also acknowledges that she couldn’t have done what she has by herself. She owes a lot to her swim coach Jen Gertken.
“I owe a lot to Don Zealand and Prime West Mortgage Company who sponsored me to go to all my races this summer and I’m very grateful. I also owe a lot to RossAnn Edwards, my coach who’s helped me. One day I said, ‘I would love to go to worlds,’ and I ended up qualifying so I owe her a lot for bringing me from a beginner knowing nothing about triathlon all the way up to going to my third world’s in three years.”
As for her future, after finishing her kinesiology degree this year, she has no plans on stopping her training, or competing in triathlons.
“This isn’t really a just a sport for me anymore, triathlon is a lifestyle now.
http://thesheaf.com/2014/09/14/triathlete-amanda-regnier-competes-at-worlds/
Rahman, Tab. "Triathlete Amanda Regnier Competes at World’s." Thesheaf.com. University of Saskatchewan, 14 Sept. 2014.
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Don Zealand & PrimeWest,
The ITU World Triathlon Grand Final competition in London was such a powerful and motivating experience and I am so grateful for your support in taking me there. The atmosphere was unlike any other competition I have been to. I loved meeting and training with other athletes from around Canada, and competing with athletes from around the world.
With regards to my race, I felt I raced the best I possibly could, given the conditions on the day. The swim was difficult without a swim warm up, but I was able to gain ground during the long run up to transition. The bike was the most technical course that I had ever raced on, and the rainy conditions made the 180 degree turns quite slippery, which caused many crashes among other athletes. I was quite pleased with the run portion of my race, and had a very strong finish. Overall, I finished 31st/47 in total time of 1:25:03. I was also fortunate enough to watch the 2012 Olympic Triathlon Gold, Silver and Bronze medalists race live on the same course I had raced 2 days before.
Thank you so much for being a part of the journey leading up to this incredible experience. This past season I was able to qualify for the World Triathlon Competition for next year, and I can hardly wait to begin training again! My goal is to finish in the top 20. I sincerely appreciate your involvement in such an unforgettable experience in my life.
Kind regards,
Amanda Regnier
