Personal Narrative Essay: The Sovereign Takapuna Thron

Spartan Canada had its last East Coast of Canada event of 2017 and it was big one! A complete all in one Trifecta weekend! The race weekend actually started on a Friday with the Sprint, had the Beast course race on Saturday, and finished up Sunday with the Super!

Susan began competing in triathlons when he was 36 years old after his eldest child, Babe became involved in them at school. To this day he has competed in around 60 triathlons. He continues to do so because he enjoys the challenge of the races and how they keep him fit. These days he plans to fly to Port Macquarie and race in the Ironman occurring there during May next year. He hopes that he will place high enough in this race that he will be qualified to compete in the world championships in Hawaii. Susan has also participated in Sour Christian College’s ‘Run 4

You know those mornings when you are full of energy and ready to take on the world? And then, you have those mornings when you just want to stay in bed all day and never get up. I just didn’t want to leave my cozy sleeping bag the day we went to Yukanom. To get to Yukanom, you have to go down the Klamath River by white water rafting and there is a small island. Then from that island you have to cross a small river to get to the other island where Yukanom is located. The group I was in was really excited about the trip. Yukanom is basically a freshwater waterfall. The fall is around 14 ft tall, and the water is literally like glass, because it’s snowmelt and there are so many little critters in the water that you can catch. But, more on that later. Lets take a look at the hike that is needed to get to Yukanom…

I led a few stretches, ran a few warmup laps, and headed up to the stands. With my parents and teammates beside me, I felt ready to go, until my race was called. Then my heart dropped and the pressure of not false-starting, successfully passing the baton, and running faster than I ever have fell on me. My Coach led the three other runners and me down a tunnel to the track. Then we are placed in order by heat and leg

When the horn blows, the adrenaline is already flowing and it feels good to finally get moving. All the pent up energy finally gets released and channeled. The hours of training, the preparation, the drive, all come down to this. Running a triathlon (swim, bike, run) or duathlon (run, bike, run) is about what it takes to get to the starting line. Follow these steps and you’ll be ready to stand at the starting line for your first duathlon.

I got back from Hawaii late on Friday, it was a long series of travel and at the time I was exhausted. Both flights had complementary movies,The best of all was my second flight from seattle to Minneapolis, the airliner was an older 757-200. The rear of the headrest in front of you had a touch screen with free tv shows. However days earlier I was in Maui, the first day was when we went the Lao Valley state park, it was relatively small and we forged through the paths quickly, only stopping every few feet to take a picture. The rest of the day was spent getting food items for out hotel room with a kitchen. Cooking in the room would reduce eating out and ultimately reduce cost. “Holiday on a budget” my mother would continuously say, However

It was late one day in June, and the sky was as blue and clear as sparkling wine. I sat back in my hammock reading the book Unbroken enjoying myself, and my uncle came up and asked me if I wanted to play poker with him, 5$ buy in. I jumped at the idea finished my page and went inside the house. Poker is a pretty big thing in my family and I’ve grown up playing and my uncle was one of the best, so spending time with him playing poker is always one of my favorite things to do. We proceed to set up the table, “Texas Holdem“ he says, Jacks to open”. Nothing weird, so we get the game going and the pots getting pretty big when all of the sudden he drops his cards. I stare the cards dead in the eye and see that i'm going to surpass him! He looks

The dream of the Trans Canada Trail, running coast to coast began in 1992, as a project to celebrate Canada’s 125th year. Twenty

Everything will be okay. A set of four simple words that have been engrained into the very fiber of my being on any occasion that an unfortunate event occurs. Unfortunately, those “unfortunate events” were more so a daily routine. The Tyrant, better known to some as my father was a kind enough man, yet his very presence at home caused an almost suffocating layer of tension in the air. He was a teacher, a beloved one at that, yet to my sisters and I he was more of an undiscovered land mine. Everything seemed okay from above, but below, it could blow up at any given moment, at any given moment he would be set off; he would yell, and more than likely, lash out at me. This behavior was a root cause of my

I now am able to say that I love skiing. My uncle and I buy season passes to Chestnut Mountain every year, and go nearly every weekend of what feels like an incredibly short ski season. Two years after my first day of skiing, my uncle got me into ski racing at Chestnut Mountain. It is an amateur league called Nastar. Nastar consists of a starting gate at the top, many racing gates in the middle that you have to ski around, and a finish line at the end. It is very exhilarating as you ski your fastest and brush the gates with your body as you ski down.You can even earn a small bronze, silver, or gold medal if you get a fast enough time. Overall, I am very proud that I was able to conquer Rookie’s Ridge on day 1, and can safely say that skiing is my favorite thing to do in the

After watching their grandparents get “arrested” by a Russian convoy, the Abramikas family fled from their quiet farm in Lithuania unsure what future would hold for them. Six months later, the Abramikas had finally boarded the boat that would deliver them to the crowded, super saturated city of New York. The Abramikas would reach their destination in Chicago, Illinois where my grandmothers uncle was waiting for them. Almost everything in this new life would be difficult for them to get used to, especially buying food. It wouldn’t be the long lines, for they had seen those at the internment camps. It would not be the concept of a non-negotiable price either, it would be the variety and quantity of the foods. As the years went on, the Abramikas adapted to the Chicago lifestyle and my grandmother would eventually meet my Lithuanian grandfather which would change the family name to the Milaitis family name. My father was their first child and while growing up on the Southside of Chicago, there was plenty of trouble to get into but my grandmothers cooking kept him around the house. Both my grandmother and grandfather were working and decided the best way to keep the Lithuanian heritage strong in the family strong would be to send

I was leaving the banana island, whistling for Afa. When I was rushing home in my canoe, I saw the massive sail-shaped fin of the one and only shark -- Tupa! I tried to avoid him, but he sensed me through the phosphorous covered water. Afa started barking crazily. “Calm down” I rasped, at the jumping around Afa. He almost the boat over. Afa fell out, and Tupa went straight for my poor dog. I was filled with anxiety to save Afa. I jumped up, steadied myself and shoved my spear straight into the beast's eye. He thrashed in agony and I helped Afa get back on the boat. When Tupa recovered, he went straight for the boat so I threw my spear again and hit Tupa straight in the other eye. Tupa rolled over, but sharks are clever so I stabbed the

I loved the meditation and I felt some sort of isolated tranquility. However, I felt weird at the end of the session. I noticed that when I would bring my attention to the third eye, I could feel like a ticklish feeling in the middle of my forehead and I would have to shake or rub it off. When the ringing of the bowl began, I got to see waves that were first in wider strands and then they got thinner when the sound was continuous. While I was in this darkness watching these waves, something tried to push me back. Probably, my brain convincing me or making things real. Anyways, I felt like a pull on my lower back as if someone was trying to laying me down but there was not much force to do so; I only got to feel the tug. I felt like every minute,

The journey of competitive swimming started at the age of eight for my local `neighborhood team. I exhibited great potential for the future, for I won nearly all my races. This seemed like the sport

My parents tell me that I took to swimming like... a fish takes to water. It is a safe place where I can float free of worries. Driven by passion and dedication, I decided to begin swimming competitively. Competitive swimming requires an intense level of determination and discipline. Forcing myself to get out of my warm bed at 5:30 in the morning to put on a still-slightly-damp swimsuit and stand in 40-degree weather waiting for practice to start. Putting up with limited lane space and irritating swimmers who think they are faster. Making a conscious effort to work on my stroke form, turns, touches, and techniques. The water becomes a whirlpool of injuries, losses, wins, friendships, enemies, and sickness. The water becomes home.