Twenty-two years ago, Kimberley Arsenault attended a triathlon to support a friend. Instead, despite a fear of the water, she was persuaded into participating in a relay, dog paddled her way through the swim and was last out of the water.Twenty-two years ago, Kimberley Arsenault attended a triathlon to support a friend. Instead, despite a fear of the water, she was persuaded into participating in a relay, dog paddled her way through the swim and was last out of the water.
Today, that fear of the water still exists, but that has not prevented her from completing a few Ironman races (Ironman Canada, and Lake Placid), and many triathlons of various distances. This is a great lesson for those entering the sport or for those with a similar fear of the water.
“I still hate the swim, I’m still very slow and I still have to overcome the fear each and every time I am in the water, there’s lots of internal talking the entire time in order to stay as calm as I can.
While her triathlon accomplishments are impressive and inspirational, it is as a duathlete that Kimberley truly shines. A cross-country runner in University, and a Boston Marathon qualifier, duathlons allow her to take advantage of her run prowess and claim a podium position at virtually every race that she takes part in.
“I had a great running past with multitudes of distances, racing in all kinds of great places around North America. I used to be in the airline industry so being able to run anywhere, anytime was amazing and a great way to check out a new city. I remember once being the last plane to land in a small airport in England (breaking their curfew) and the interior of the airport was closed with no customs to clear us. Rather than sit around waiting, I asked for clearance from the airport ground crew to go for what turned out to be a 30-minute run around the parameters of the closed landing strip. Got to love the simplicity of shorts, a t-shirt and running shoes!
We are all seeking to be faster and if you are looking for a few secrets to Kimberley’s success, you need to look no further than her day to day consistency (there is no off-season for her), strong home support, and her love of Eload.
“There are no real physical training secrets, you just have to do the work, but replenishment wise, I really think Eload is an incredible asset to my training, racing and recovery. I also have an incredibly supportive husband. Long hours at work and getting the training in can cut into our time, but he’s always been behind me. And now that he’s back training with me for 70.3 (Muskoka 2009) it’s fantastic! Sometimes I’m on the bike at 11pm, but you just make it work, balance may be stretched a bit, but I think it’s been the best of all world’s for a long time now, and I’m very lucky and grateful.
Kimberley loves racing in the HSBC Series because it is well run, safe and has great venues. She especially loves Lakeside (due to its quiet roads and changed out and back “T bike route), Gravenhurst (great energy/buzz and challenging), and Wasaga (fun running on the board walk and in the sand).
“John and his team genuinely care about the participants overall experience and are very open to feedback and/or constructive criticism (and take it to heart) and make the changes when they are valid suggestions.
As a veteran of the sport, Kimberley has seen a lot. From her days of the legendary training sessions with Kevin Mackinnon in High Park, to the many races she has competed in around the World. She cautions newcomers to the sport not to do too much too soon, to take it all in and enjoy not only the race but post race, and to thank the volunteers and race organizers. She also offers some important insight when it comes to cycling safety.
“It (crashes) doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it could be a season ender! If they truly don’t know the rules of the road, then we as fellow athletes should be able to say (constructively, not offensively) something as we go by (when a rider is in the middle of the road for example, or weaving from side to side as they look down to get something). But the most dangerous thing I see is intentionally passing on the inside, which mainly happens when people bunch up and get frustrated or when taking corners in order to pass someone.
In addition to the challenges of training for the upcoming season, Kimberley will also take part in a highly rewarding endeavor. The company she works for has partnered with Free the Children (www.freethechildren.com), where she and her colleagues will be raising funds to build a school in Africa and will then go over to be a part of the project this September. Kimberley admits to be “excited, honoured and humbled from this experience, and the same can be said about how fellow racers feel about racing alongside Kimberley.