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Victoria Triathlon gets an Olympic boost

Olympians to race Victoria Triathlon at Elk Lake on Sunday
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Victoria’s Adam O’Meara hopes to repeat as the Half Iron winner of the Victoria Triathlon at Elk Lake on Sunday. Last year O’Meara broke the coveted four-hour barrier

Brent McMahon will compete in the Saunders Subaru Victoria Triathlon on Sunday (June 17), just five days after officially being named to the Canadian Olympic team going to London.

Triathlon Canada released the five-member team on Tuesday, with McMahon, Simon Whitfield, Kyle Jones, Paula Findlay and Kathy Tremblay.

McMahon is in the midst of his pre-London training regimen. Because of it, he will partner with 2008 Olympian Carolyn Murray, a locally based coach, rather than competing in a full Olympic distance race on Sunday.

Approximately 1,000 participants will make a mass start for all three events, the Half Iron (1.9 kilometre swim, 90km bike and 20km run),  Olympic (1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run), and sprint (500m swim, 20km bike and 5km run), at 6:45 a.m. from Hamsterly beach.

Sunday marks the start of triathlon season in Victoria, with the 33rd Self Transcendence Triathlon set for Aug. 5, also at Elk Lake.

Also in early August, all eyes will be fixed on Whitfield’s last stand as he attempts to add to his Olympic gold and silver medals in London. The Olympic women’s triathlon is Aug. 4, and men’s is Aug. 7.

Defending Victoria Triathlon Half Iron champ Adam O’Meara is the favourite to win Sunday’s Half Iron. O’Meara won the first Subaru Western Triathlon series race at Shawnigan Lake on May 27.

New to the Victoria Triathlon this year is a family walk and kids run, which take place Saturday at 2 and 2:30 p.m., from Hamsterly beach.

The kids’ run is three distances depending on age: 300 metres  for three to five years old, 800m for ages six to eight and 1.5km for ages nine to 12. The family walk is 1km, 3km and 10km.