By Khang Nguyen

25 years apart, mother-daughter duo complete double hat trick at Frank Dunn Triathlon

Aug 10, 2015 | 5:35 PM

Christina Charles is trying to follow in her mother’s footsteps, literally.

The 23-year-old won the Ladies Championship at the Frank Dunn Toyota Triathlon in Waskesiu over the weekend for the third time. Something her mother, Dulcie, did 25 years ago.

The mother-daughter duo biked, swam, and ran the triathlon together – something they’ve been doing for years.

“It’s kind of a family tradition around our household. We’re always looking forward to going up to Frank Dunn and doing that race because we’ve done it so long,” she said. “I grew up watching my mom, hearing their stories from the early days. It’s a family affair up there.”

Dulcie’s first Frank Dunn triathlon was in 1983, which she won. She won again the next year and again in 1990.

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“At this stage of the game I find it just an accomplishment just to finish. I get out there, I have a good day and if I’m able to cross the finish line then that’s great,” said Dulcie.

The 55-year-old took a break from the race for several years before giving it another shot after seeing her daughters compete.

“It gives us time to go out and train. It’s a great motivator to watch them. It is great that it give us something to do together,” Dulcie said.

Dulcie finished second in her age group with a time just over the four-hour mark.

Christina finished with a personal best – three hours, seven minutes and 57 seconds.

“Her times are a lot better than I was ever able to accomplish. There is a difference in the early years, we weren’t as high tech,” Dulcie said.

“It was pretty rustic training. We just went out for bike rides, a run and a swim. Now they have training programs, interval training and a lot of coaching. It does lead to improved performance,” she added.

On the way to winning her third consecutive championship, Christina also finished with the fastest swim and run times of the day. She placed seventh overall.

“I’m very excited to win for a third consecutive time. I had a personal best yesterday … I think that’s one of the fastest times to ever be done by a female so I was very happy about that,” said Christina.

She credits her mother and her active childhood as a main factor into her success.

“Physical activity has always been a major part of our lifestyle in the family. Ever since we were little our parents would take us out biking and lots of cross country skiing,” said Christina.

With a background in competitive swimming, Christina’s first experience with the triathlon was competing in the swimming-leg of the race as a team. With this being her fifth year competing individually, Christina says her strong-suit has begun to change.

 “I’ve kind of taken to the run. I personally find it easier to get out the door to for a run. Quicker and more efficient than going to the pool.”

The triathlon marked the last race of Christina’s season.

“That was the last race of the season. I’m just going to absorb what has happened. This fall I’ll probably set some goals for next year. Hopefully I’ll be back at Frank Dunn, that’s the plan.”

To view the full list of results of Sunday’s race click here.

knguyen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @khangvnguyen