"It can get a little rough out there," said a woman as we stood knee keep in the water waiting for the 10 second announcement, "and especially as you round the buoys, watch out. People can kick you in the face or shoulder, but Just don‘t panic." The nerves were already tinâ€" gling as we drove up to the race, slowly joined by dozens of other cars all with bikes affixed to the roof. All, of them â€" to my novice eye â€" looked to be heavy into triathlon gear. Everyone looked either pumped up or in a state of paralyâ€" sis. And this was supposed to be fun? Neophyte competitor hooked on the triathlon We‘d already been there a few hours. We‘d picked up the race package, pinned on our race numâ€" bers for the run part of the race, gotten our bodies marked for the swim, and laid our bike gear out on small towels. " COMMENT We were a sea of orange caps, all looking towards the two buoys we had to go around before makâ€" ing our way back to the beach and up the long hill towards our bikes for the second leg of the race. ompeting in a triathlon is, in a word... aweâ€" n some.Standing on the beach, one of 500 swimmers ready to launch in a mad dash into the lake for the first part of the triathlon was a test of my notâ€" soâ€"steady nerves. ly 7, 1993 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Monday, July 12, 1993, 730 p.m. Council Chamber * Friday Jazz Pizzazz * during the Downtown Oakville B.1.A.‘s Midnight Madness * Taste Tour Downtown Style ® offered by various restaurants featuring live bands and great food * Childrens‘ "Jazz Hazz" Workshop « in a fun, informal setting * Art ‘N Jazz Plaza * is a collection of art works in a musical environment, courtesy of the Oakville Arts Council TOWN HALL MEETING CALENDAR | DNE PHONE CALL845â€"5585 OAKVILLE JAZZ FESTIVAL JULY 23â€"24 A joint partnership between the Town of Oakville, Downtown Oakville B.1.A. and the Oakville Beaver NE People of all ages will enjoy this upcoming cultural experience of music and festivities. Watch the paper for further details A PROGRAM OF NOTE Well, this was one person not worrying about times. I only worâ€" ried I‘d be last out of the water. In fact, at this point, I truly wonâ€" dered if I‘d survive the race. Another woman, her wetsuit hanging casually just about ready to zip up, stood relaxed and spoke of how she did all her triathlons last year doing the breaststroke and â€" surprisingly enough â€" got pretty good times. Thrilling. _ Don‘t Panic. Whatever had I let myself in for. Highlights include: 1225 TRAFALGAR ROAD + OAKVILLE, ONTARIO + L6J 5A6 (As part of the Town‘s strategy to meet the terms of the social contract, general discussion will include staffing of the Glen Abbey fire station.) TOWN OF OAKVILLE 345â€"6601 PuUD The transition area, abuzz just a few minutes ago as athletes talked, stretched, and tried to relax, was now busy as people stripped off their wetsuits, slipped on their shoes and helmets, and Up on the beach, hundreds of spectators watched as we pulled ourselves out of the water and ran up a long hill towards our bikes. Halfheartedly, I wondered if this run up the hill towards the transiâ€" tion area would count as part of the later run, but no such luck. This little jaunt up a grassy incline was just added in for the sheer fun of it. Hoorah, says I, panting up the incline. water," he added just before the gong sounded. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER I was glad I didn‘t see that as I panted up one hill and panted down another. That‘s what you do in these things... pant a lot. "And think of the pints later!" said one woman before the race. One guy, in part shock, had crashed his bike and walked bemusedly across the finish line, scraped and raw down one side of the body. Another guy I heard about later blew a tire and ran barefoot (his cleated bike shoes made running impossible) all the way to the finish line. Race marshals egged everyone on as we ran our bikes out of the transition area and began the bike portion. were off to face rolling hills around Guelph. NOTICE OF THE PASSING OF A ZONING BYLAW LEGEND FOR ZONING MAP SYMBOLS TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Oakville passed Byâ€"law 1993â€"105 on the 28th day of June, 1993 under section 34 of the Planning Act, 1983; AND TAKE NOTICE that any person or agency may appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board in respect of the byâ€"law by filing with the Clerk of the Corporation of the Town of Oakville not later than the 27th day of July, 1993, a notice of appeal setting out the objection to the byâ€"law and the reasons in support of the objection. The Purpose and Effect of Byâ€"law 1993â€"105 is to change Part 1, Section 16 of the Town of Oakville Comprehensive Zoning Byâ€"law 1984â€"63 to incorporate a legend to identify symbols for the existing zoning designations which are shown on the Maps of Section 91. The complete byâ€"law is available for inspection at the Town of Oakville, 1225 Trafaigar Road, Oakville in the Clerk‘s Department during regular office hours. Any questions may be directed to the Town‘s Planning and Development Department at 338â€"4190, extension 3027. f DATED at the Town of Oakville this 7th day of July, 1993. Judith Muncaster Clerk of the Town of OAKVILLE The Corporation of the Town of Oakville DURING OAKVILLE COMMUNITY DAY at the SkyDome Football Game July 22 â€" 7:30 p.m. Toronto Argonauts vs Hamilton Tigerâ€"Cats Tickets only $5.00, available at Town Hall Kiosk And yet, there were mountain bikes doing pretty good times and the odd oddity; the one on a penny farthing doing the race for a lark. His race waiver must have been even longer than my own, as I signed away any responsibility just a few minutes before the And the gear. You have to sit in a transition area and just look at the gear â€" the noâ€"lace running shoes, the wet suits lying on top of the latest bikes, Scott handleâ€" bars. The range of people in any triathlon is amazing, from the old guy who swam with his Nikes on to save time in the transition area, to the elite athletes tearing up the race course, aero bars, and aeroâ€" dynamic everything. It did feel great to finish. Four months ago, on a snowy March day, I‘d sat in hospital recovering from a spot of surgery and wonâ€" dering truly if, after also having pneumonia in the winter, I would ever get the opportunity to do a triathlon. The finish line looked great. In fact, it looked magnifiâ€" cent. "But isn‘t it great to finish?" said one woman breathlessly after the race as we poured gallons of water over ourselves in the blisâ€" tering hot sun. race. Things did go wrong... my goggles leaked, I cramped up in the hot sun making for a painful run, and I almost forgot to take my helmet off before the run. by Steve Nease