A key reason this race was on my calendar this summer was because of its location. It’s a stunning place to go to escape the real world for a weekend or longer. Sooke is a small town of about 10,000 residents, tucked on the western edge of Victoria on Vancouver Island, accessible by ferry from locations north and south of Vancouver, British Columbia as well as Anacortes, Washington. You can also fly into Victoria and drive about 45 minutes west.
British Columbia’s tourism mantra is ‘Super, Natural’ and it aptly describes the area. Sooke itself is a bit sleepy, and that’s part of the reason to seek it out. There are old growth forests, a litany of national and provincial parks, and their accompanying beaches, with views of the Olympic Mountains across the Juan de Fuca Strait.
Sooke is a staging area to one of Canada’s best known hikes, the 75km West Coast Trail. But the equally formidable 47km Juan de Fuca Marine Trail awaits the adventurous too. Exploring either trail will require some pre-planning – you must book to get on the West Coast Trail – and some extra time post-race. But first, the Subaru Sooke International Triathlon (half iron distance) on August 7th, the fourth of the four half irons in the Subaru Western Triathlon Series.
Instead of swimming in the ocean, a private lake was chosen and it was a good decision – part of the no-hassles approach to racing which is why I like this Series.
Young Lake was so warm and the morning air so fresh that you could barely make out the swim buoys because of the early morning fog. It lifted for the start of the race before settling down for the second lap which made for a bit of a navigating challenge at times but it didn’t slow me down.
What proved to be a fast swim helped compensate one of the tougher bike courses that I’ve competed on for some time.
The bike course was new for this year and what made it so special was that the two-lane highway – the only road that connects Sooke to Port Renfrew – was closed for us. It was superb for several reasons. First, there was no need to fret about traffic. Second, we rolled by French Beach, Sandcut Beach, Jordan River Surf Beach and China Beach, tiny communities that are home to loggers, retirees and surfers. Check out the Pacific Marine Circle Route.
Race on this? Yes, please!
The challenge on the bike course was the rolling nature of the road, which must have been surveyed and built prior to the development of blasting caps and bulldozers. Alas, the road was the same for everyone and the course offered advantages to those who love to climb, who love to race down tight sharp corners and some decent relatively flat sections too. While a tough course to PR on, it was one of the fairest ones I’ve ever raced.
As a rough comparison, the fastest bike split was 2:29 at Sooke. At the Vancouver half iron in early July – one of the five half irons in this series – the fastest bike was 2:18. The 11-minute difference was repeated across the fastest athletes in several age groups with the gap widening as less efficient cyclists checked into transition. Sooke is a one-lap out and back course. Vancouver is a four-lap course.
The run course offered its own challenge as in generally dropped down to the water’s edge at Whiffin Spit – a great place for spectators to watch, which required climbing back to T2 before returning for a second lap.
The run course took full advantage of Sooke's natural beauty.
As a rough comparison, the top seven athletes went sub 1:20 on the 20km run course in Vancouver. At Sooke, just one athlete – the winner, Montana’s Jonathan Shearon, had a sub 1:20 time.
The overall winning time at Sooke was 4:17:17. Just 10 competitors finished in less than five hours. In Vancouver, the winning time was 4:02:09 and 55 athletes when sub five. The field was about half the size in Sooke from Vancouver even though it was the provincial long course championship event and a qualifier for the long course worlds for Canadians. Logistically it requires more effort to get to Sooke and accommodation is less abundant. In addition, many athletes may pass on a half iron ahead Ironman Canada later this month – I would have.
Course: B+ Great swim, challenging bike and run sections. As expected a few rough patches on the road and a few off trail sections on the run helps keep one focused. But all in all, great to have the highway closed for the bike and there was at least one volunteer at every intersection.
Organization: A- No hassle race package pickup. The complimentary K-Swiss tri jersey was a vast improvement over the muscle-man top at the Vancouver half iron. These guys know how to put on a race. Having two transition areas was a non-event on the day. Podium prizes for age-group finishers are to be mailed out and a K-Swiss package was mentioned.
Atmosphere: B+ There was a good vibe at the swim start even though it was tough for spectators to access. And given the bike course was one loop – on a closed highway – it was quiet for long periods of time, an incentive to find a group of competitors to keep within sight. The double lap run course with a swing through T2 and the finish area never hurts. Spectators and volunteers were enthusiastic though the course isn’t particularly spectator friendly, except for the run.
Logistics: B Sooke is a beautiful location, of that there’s no question. However, it requires some effort to get there and accommodation is tight. Fortunately the new Prestige Oceanfront Resort was the host hotel and athletes had a special $149 a night rate, comparable to hotels in Victoria (the rack rate on our room was $339). Victoria is about a 45 minute. If traveling from afar, you might consider spending a few extra days in the area and you’d be happy you did.
Overall: B+ I’d definitely race here again. Key to that would be another athlete discount at the Prestige. Everything else went very smooth.
-Tim
