The 2024 World Triathlon Championships was the experience of a lifetime for local triathlete Lee Stewart.
The 61-year-old, recently retired teacher from Stonewall, has been competing in triathlons locally for over 12 years. In June 2023, she won the Triple Threat Triathlon, earning her a berth to the 2024 Worlds in Torremolinos, Spain.
After an 18-month training process in Manitoba’s warm summers and cold winters, Stewart finally received the opportunity to represent Canada in Torremolinos on Oct. 19.
With an overall time of 3:33:57, Stewart fulfilled her triathlon dreams and became the lone Stonewall native – one of seven Canadians to complete the gruelling World Championship Triathlon in the 60-64-year-old female division.
“It’s so amazing to be wearing your country’s colours,” said Stewart last Wednesday afternoon. “They gathered all the Canadians on the beach for a team photo, and we all started singing O Canada. It’s very emotional to realize you’re representing your country and all the Canadian flags around. Even though I’m in my sixties it was my Olympic moment.”
Stewart’s race began with a 1500-metre swim in the Alboran Sea, which is the connecting point between the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
After completing the swim in 37:17, Stewart biked 40km on hilly terrain in 1:34:18 before finishing off with a 10km run along the beach in just 1:11:01.
Despite racing in heats reaching 27 degrees C., Stewart’s most significant challenge came long before the start line.
When she arrived in Torremolinos, she found that her bike had been lost and damaged in transport. This forced her to track it down and get it repaired in Torremolinos only a few days before the race.
Once she finally reached the start line, Stewart was able to put all her struggles aside and complete the race for which she had spent the last year and a half specifically training.
Tribune Photos by Jo-Anne Procter
“The big difference in Spain was in the ocean,” said Stewart. “In Manitoba, most of our lakes, you can see the shoreline on the other side, so that was psychologically different along with the salt water and the waves, but I was happy with how the swim went. The bike course was far more congested. There were thousands of athletes rolled in five minutes apart to keep the course tight. It’s very busy so that was different for me. There were lots of turns and a few hills, but again, I felt good on the bike. The run course was along the beach in the sun, and it was quite hot, so I did struggle a bit on the run, but I finished, and it was pretty exciting. I’ve never had so many fans along the course.”
Living in Manitoba, Stewart’s training regimen was much different than most of her competition at Worlds.
With water season in Manitoba ending in late August, Stewart did a majority of her swimming at Pan Am Pool alongside other Manitoban triathletes three times a week, while biking on a smart trainer and doing runs outside in the summer and winter.
She initially began as a runner long before her triathlon days but switched to swimming when it became more demanding on her joints, which introduced her to the swim club at Pan Am.
After seeing her peers compete in triathlons, she decided to give it a try, and things began to escalate.
“My friends from the swim club were doing a triathlon in St. Malo, so I thought I’d join that. Then, the next thing you know, I was buying a bike and was getting into the local scene,” said Stewart. “It’s kind of a lifestyle. The community keeps me focused. I have some health conditions that I have to keep track of. I have Crohn’s disease and the physical activity seems to help me manage that. Just to keep moving. If I sign up for a race, then I’m more committed to my training and eating properly, and then again, I’ve found a really cool community in Manitoba, and it gets very addictive.”
Stewart plans to keep competing in triathlons in the near future but is unsure whether she will pursue a return to the Worlds in 2025, which are being held in Australia.
In the meantime, she will continue to compete locally in Sulong Triathlon Group events.
