A mother and son duo from Morden who have a passion for triathlons have reached a major pinnacle by qualifying to represent Canada at an international event next year.
Heather Francis and her son Levi will get to compete at the multi-sport championship in Edmonton after having competed and qualified through the Olympic cross triathlon at Birds Hill. Younger son Gideon also did well but is not quite old enough to qualify.
“It was definitely our goal to get towards the top placings so we could qualify to go to world multi-sport championships next year, so that was a big part of what we were striving for,” Francis said of their mindset heading into the season. “I thought, well, that’s a pretty cool thing if I could compete and represent Team Canada and get the official triathlon Canada race outfit and compete on behalf of the country … that’s perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Francis is no stranger to triathlons, having been an organizer of the Morden Triathlon for a number of years, so this has been a passion for the family for awhile
“The race and the triathlon group in Morden kind of petered off, but we’ve always been kind of into it since the kids were little, so I figured I need a goal to work towards, and the cross triathlon was introduced at Birds Hill,” she said.
“So I asked my boys if they wanted to get back into triathlon too because they also did triathlons when they were little, and they jumped on board, and we all decided to train together and work towards doing the triathlon at Birds Hill, and there’s a couple more we have this planned this summer too.
“I really just like challenging myself,” Levi said when asked attracts him to it. “I always feel like I can do better, and so this was one of the ways I felt like I could do something to actually challenge my body. And working with my mom and Gideon both really helped me stay motivated.”
The fact the whole family is involved in it makes a big difference.
“With them, you have the support right in your house. You have the motivation,” Levi said. “You have people pressuring you to get better, work out every day, and if someone’s expecting you to get up and go for a bike ride, it’s harder to sleep in and go, nah, not today, right?”
“I think triathlon is a really cool sport because it’s a challenge in not just one area but three different areas,” said Francis. “So that keeps all the muscle groups challenged, and, honestly, on race day, it’s the most exhilarating feeling to go from one to the other and have your spectators cheering you on and to cross the finish line. It’s just a really cool feeling.
It’s a challenge to be involving a lot of different components.
“For sure, it’s the swimming, the biking, the running and even knowing how to change quickly from one sport to the next, your legs need to adjust and you go, oh, okay, now I’m not biking, now I’m running. It’s always a bit of a weird feeling in your legs when you switch from one sport to the other,” Francis said. “And it’s something that you need to constantly kind of train for. You can’t just suddenly, okay, I’m gonna do a triathlon.
“Since I hadn’t done them for quite a few years, it was definitely something that I had to train for, and it gave me a goal to work towards, and I’m really happy to be doing it. It feels really good.
“I think Levi and I are both really excited to see what an international competition is like and what an international level race course will be like,” she added. “Unfortunately, Gideon is still a little bit too young; you have to be 18 to qualify, but it will be really cool to do it together with Levi.
“I guess the men’s and women’s races might be different, so we could maybe even cheer each other on, but at this one [at Birds Hill], it was really cool to stand at the start line together, and it was the last I saw of him. He’s way faster than me now. “
“I just really enjoy spending time with my mom, so whether it’s training or lining up at the start … I really appreciate it when we can do stuff together like that together,” Levi noted. “It really makes me feel happy doing it with her.”
At the moment, they are planning to do the Clear Lake Triathlon this summer and then gear up for Edmonton next year.
