Back in May, David shared his story on our Blog about how he was preparing for his third World Police and Fire Games. Now read about how he got on in the cycling events and 5k cross country competition.....
It’s hard to believe that one month has
already passed since we returned to Canada from our trip to Belfast, Northern
Ireland and the 2013 World Police and Fire Games. I've been reflecting on how
well things went overall and how glad I am that we decided to go. I travelled
with my wife Jen, and our teenagers - son Alex and daughter Katie.
We arrived on July 28th and went
directly to our rented cottage near Crossgar in County Down. What a beautiful place
and area we found ourselves in. We spent the rest of the day exploring the
immediate surroundings, recovering from jet lag and generally just settling in.
We went into Belfast on Monday the 29th
and registered for the Games at the Waterfront Registration Centre. As soon as I saw the other athletes milling about, the reality
of the competition began to sink in. It’s that familiar mixture of optimism and
nervous energy that strikes me before all events…....
I definitely took advantage of the amazing
surroundings for cycling as each morning I went for a solo ride in the early
hours, exploring Strangford Lough, Newcastle, Downpatrick and down towards the
edge of the Mourne Mountains, amongst other spots. Despite the narrow roadways,
without much allowance for cyclists, I found the road surfaces to be excellent
and people to be generally courteous as I did my best to ride consistently on
the left hand side of the road!
As a family we had decided ahead of time
that we definitely wanted to see certain areas of Northern Ireland during our
stay - Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, the coastal route, the Mourne
Mountains, Strangford Lough and to definitely take the black cab tour of
Belfast. There were also the important shopping trips that kept certain members
of the family in a more supportive frame of mind when it came time for me to
compete!
The first race that was on tap for me was
the Cycling Hill Climb taking place at Stormont Estate on July 31st. We arrived
in plenty of time to warm up for the evening start. This was the first day that
we really experienced a Belfast downpour! We parked the car and I went to sign in. All of the assembled cyclists were
soaked and probably thinking the same thing – was this precipitation really
necessary?! I found out my start time and went to prepare as best I could. We
were to go off two at a time – each in one of the two lanes of Prince of Wales
Avenue, up and around the roundabout at the Lord Carson statue and ending at
the top of the hill in front of the stately Parliament building. The pain began
immediately after the sound went to start our race. I made my way up thinking
not only of the finish line ahead but also how hard I had trained for this very
event. The race was over before I knew it and after several minutes of catching
my breath, I rode back down the hill and met up with my family. I had no idea
how I had done so we gathered at the results area and waited. The wait was well
worth it as they called my name for the silver medal in my age category. What a
great start to the Games!
The week went by very quickly and before we
knew it the Road Race, Time Trial and Criterium were completed and on the
evening of 6 August we were at Stormont Estate once again with all
of our luggage packed in the car – including the bike, as this time I was to
rely solely (no pun intended!) on my foot speed.
It was the 5K Cross Country
event. I went down to the playing field to watch the end of the 10K Cross
Country and began my warm-up. It was exciting to see so many other competitors from
all over the world and unlike most of the bike races, we would all be starting
at the same time. There were well over 120 of us at the start and after hearing
the gun, I fought quickly to gain a good position in the crowd. That
unmistakeable feeling of pain in my lungs and legs brought home the reality of
this hard event. There is no coasting in a 5K – it is pure effort from the
start. The biggest challenge is to remain focussed on breathing and pacing.
After the first of the two laps I knew that I could maintain the current pace
but was unsure how close behind my next age group competitor was and how much
of a kick they might have. Jen and Katie were able to tell me that so far I was
in second place for my grouping. I did my best to ignore the pain and kept
thinking of the finish line ahead. I also didn’t look back but only gauged how
close the next pack behind me was by the shouts of the crowd to them several
seconds after I had passed by. I crossed the finish line in second for my age
and 9th overall with a big smile on my face. A second silver medal
to join the first one!
This was the first of three Games that I
have attended that I have won a medal at, but was also the first Games in which
I really felt that I had competed at my best, not only representing Toronto
Police Service but also Canada as well.
As a family we really enjoyed the
hospitality of the country and look forward to a return visit one day. My
thanks to all of the organizers and volunteers in Belfast and Northern Ireland for
making this truly the best Games yet!
