A gold medal for the Squamish Triathlon was just what the doctor ordered.
That win was prescribed to Kate Foulds, a family doctor who recently moved to Squamish to take a job as a general practitioner at Diamond Head Medical Clinic.
Foulds was one of two locals who managed to place among the top three women during the event.
No Squamish men managed to make the top three in the overall men’s division.
For Foulds, who resides in Dentville, approaching training without actually making it feel like training was what helped give her the edge.
“We live in this amazing, beautiful place with these world-class trails,” she said, alluding to the philosophy that motivated her to put in the practice time. “Let’s get out and enjoy them.”
It seems to have paid off, as Foulds did more than enjoy the trails. She conquered them with a time of one hour, 34 minutes and 34 seconds, beating out her closest competitor, Nina Arnold of Whistler, who got a time of one hour, 37 minutes and 47 seconds.
Foulds said the victory was made extra special because it was just a day after her son’s first birthday.
Both she and her husband had planned to compete as way to also help mark their first year as parents.
The other local woman to earn a spot among the top three in the overall women’s rankings was Katie Mcintyre, who crossed the finish line in one hour, 37 minutes and 48 seconds – a bronze medal.
But victories for Squamish women didn’t stop there — in the championship division, a class reserved for the few athletes willing race an extra amount of distance, local women dominated the podium.
Gold, silver and bronze in the women’s class went to Zoe Dawson, Brandi Heisterman and Christy Drever, respectively — all of whom are locals.
Dawson landed on the finish line with a time of two hours, 46 minutes and one second.
Heisterman finished with a time of two hours, 54 minutes and 27 seconds. Drever ended the race clocking in at three hours, one minute and 53 seconds.
No local men made it to the top three in championship division, which had a combined 33 men and women participating in this class.
Aside from being the return of the event after a year-long hiatus, this past Squamish Triathlon also marked the first time cyclists went off-road for the biking portion of the race.
For the mountain biking segment, racers veered off into Squamish’s world-renowned bike trails.
As usual, racers had to swim and run their way to victory as well.
The event pays tribute to the memory of Bob McIntosh, a local resident who garnered worldwide respect as a triathlete and who was tragically killed in 1997.
The race has previously been held every year since 1998.
***Please note this is an updated version of the story, which now includes additional statistics from the championship division of the race.
