The 2023 edition of the Tri-O-Lacs was held this Saturday, August 6, at Parc Paul-Stevens in Coteau-du-Lac. This year, the organizing committee recorded a record number of participants: 135 athletes, including 39 under-18s, donned their sportswear to take part. 

The average age of participants was 31. Twenty were under 9 and 21 were 50 or over. 

How do you explain the record number of participants this year? "The reputation we built up last year enabled us to attract several new entries this year.  We've maintained the family spirit of the challenge, with music and an inflatable game on site that was much appreciated by the kids!  We also kept registration fees among the lowest of all Triathlon Québec's scheduled races.  The organizing committee says 'mission accomplished' for achieving the objectives of the Tri-O-Lacs 2023 challenge, which aims to encourage young people to practice triathlon, but also to invite the not-so-young to practice physical activity," says the event's vice-president, Thomas Koniuszewski. 

He continues. "By holding the event, we're trying to show that triathlon is an accessible sport, and that it can fit well into anyone's schedule even with a busy family and professional reality!  This is even truer when you practice your activities as a family." 

Why is Parc Paul-Stevens in Coteau-du-Lac the ideal location for a triathlon of this kind? Because, according to Mr. Koniuszewski, the site is enchanting, with facilities facilitating access to the canal for swimming under the AutoForce arch, peaceful neighborhoods for a running circuit, and the Chemin du Fleuve for the bike course, which offers beautiful views of the St. Lawrence River. 

The bike course had to be modified this year due to ongoing work on the bike path, which was inaccessible, but the team of volunteers worked hard to provide a safe course for all participants.

What were the highlights of the competition? In the Sprint Triathlon category, where participants had to complete 750m of swimming, 20km of cycling and 5km of running, it was Corentin Provost from Montreal who finished in 1st place with a time of 1h05 min and 35 seconds, ahead of Olivier Koniuszewski from Saint-Lazare and Michel Galarneau from L'Île-Perrot. 

On the women's side, Véronique Bernard of L'Île-Perrot edged out Monica Kauf of Saint-Lazare and Julie Munro of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.

There were also 20 participants in the Sprint Triathlon Initiation category. This category is designed to encourage athletes who wish to try a triathlon with shorter distances.  They completed 375 m of swimming, 10 km of cycling and 2.5 km of running. 

The Tri-O-Lacs 2023 challenge was presented by Caisse Desjardins de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, and the organization was able to count on the participation of several local sponsors to ensure the smooth running of activities. 

Snacks for participants and volunteers were provided by IGA Drolet, IGA Paquette and IGA Déziel in Saint-Lazare. 

Participation prizes were also offered to runners and volunteers. 

Volunteer Francois Lemieux and Pierre Curodeau won a golf tee-off for 4 at Club de Golf-Rivière Rouge. 

Finally, 5 participants and 8 volunteers won a gift card to Pharmaprix donated by Souren Bedrossian Pharmaprix in Saint-Lazare.