Grande Prairie Triathlon

I think my favourite part of photographing the Grande Prairie Triathlon this past Sunday was watching the athletes celebrate as they crossed the finish line. Their smiles were contagious. Family and friends were beaming with pride. Children were waiting by the side lines with homemade signs and flowers for their moms and dads participating in the race. There were embraces, tears, laughter and no doubt, exhaustion! There was every range of emotions all within a few feet and I got to see it all. All that positive energy made me so giddy that I almost considered doing a triathlon. Almost.

Here are some of my favourite moments. I hope it captures some of the energy and love that was present that morning and it makes you smile wherever you are!

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Notwithstanding the 5:30 AM wake up time, photographing the Grande Prairie Triathlon this past Sunday at the Eastlink Centre was a complete joy for me as a photographer.

The were triathletes of all ages and shapes taking part in the race and many had their family and friends there to cheer them on. Even though triathlon is an intense sport, you could tell there was a great camaraderie among the athletes and that most were having a great time!

Of course, you can’t plan everything. The weather was completely unpredictable – sunny one minute and practically raining the next. It was so windy the arch at the finish line almost blew away! I was constantly tweaking my exposure and white balance to adjust to the lighting conditions. Getting photos of everyone as they crossed the finish line was a bit difficult since it was facing into the sun, but luckily we had some clouds blow over just when we needed it. Big kudos to the organizers, the Pomeroy Inn and Suites, for hosting such a smooth event. It’s always a pleasure working with them!

With a triathlon a lot of action is happening at the same time, so I needed someone to help me. I hired Shari to give me a hand. She took photos of the swimming portion from the stands and the wide shot of the triathletes coming across the finish line, as well as lots of other random photos. I couldn’t have done it without her and she did a great job!

I guess in summary, I can’t ever see myself doing a triathlon, but photograph one? Just let me know the ungodly hour I have to get up and I’ll be there.

Here’s some of my favourite photos from Sunday.