Manitouwadge resident first in division at US & Canadian triathlons
by Karina Hunter
Ab Doyle running at the Guelph II Triathlon
Manitouwadge’s
Ab Doyle biking at the Guelph II Triathlon.
When asked if he has plans to take part in another Ironman, Doyle answered “
Right now I’d say NO but once the pain subsides I may give you a different answer”.
In August Doyle returned from the Petoskey Triathlon in Petoskey, Michigan having
won first in his age division with a total race time of 2:23:52. The race challenged competitors with a 1000m swim in the Petoskey Marina completed by Doyle in just over 21 minutes, followed by a hilly 25 mile bike course ridden by Doyle in 1 hour and 16 minutes and finally a 5 mile sprint in which they ran along the bay, then along side the Bear river before a very fast downhill finish which Doyle completed in 39 minutes 27 seconds.
Doyle removes his wetsuit transitioning from the swim.
Doyle, who often rides his bike to work at the corner of Hwy 17 and Hwy 614 approximately 54 km from Manitouwadge, says that living in Manitouwadge with its wide open spaces, surrounding mountains and minimal traffic, offers nearly ideal grounds for triathlon training. Last fall in fact, a mock triathlon was held in Manitouwadge to raise funds for the Manitouwadge Medical Clinic renovations where 3 or 4-person teams ran, biked and swam, each member of the team choosing one discipline, against Doyle who of course won though competing through all three legs of the race independently. Congratulations Ab on representing his community and Northern Ontario so well at these events, as we look forward to following his triathlon season next year.
Submitted to the Chronicle Journal 09.19.09
2008 Citizen of the Year, Ab Doyle, has returned from yet another triathlon having placed first in his age division (50-54 years of age). September 12th, just one week after competing at the Guelph Triathlon in Guelph, Ontario, where Doyle raced a 750m swim, 30km bike and 7km run, finishing with a time of 1 hour 48 minutes and 13 seconds, placing 13th in his age category and a respectable 140th overall among 588 competitors he competed in Montréal, Québec at the Esprit Triathlon, an Ironman event. Dolye won his age category at the Ironman in Montréal and placed 29th overall. On the Isle of Notre Dame, the triathlon consisted of an exhilarating 3.8km swim in the Olympic Kayak and Rowing Basin, 180km bike course on the Grand Prix circuit and 42.2km run of 9 laps around the Olympic basin which he completed in an incredible 12 hours, 22 minutes. To put the distance in perspective, Doyle explained that “It would be like swimming around Manitouwadge Lake twice, mounting a bike and riding to Schreiber than running on past Pays Plat” quite unbelievable that he finished this in a day especially since though he has run many triathlons this was his first Ironman and he was battling a serious ankle injury.
