Cross triathlon success

Photo: Contributed

Professional triathlete Karsten Madsen was the first man to cross the finish line in the challenging cross triathlon event in Penticton, Friday.

His national championship win means he qualifies for the International Triathlon Union World Championship in the city in 2017. 

"I feel very good," he said after the race. "It's my second national title in cross triathlon. I executed the game plan I wanted and came away with the win, and I couldn't ask for more."

The event kicked off at the Peach with a 1,500-metre swim, followed by mountain biking on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail and Three Blind Mice Trail Network and a run on the KVR and trails.

Madsen, a Guelph, Ont., athlete who went pro in 2010, said the greatest challenge was to get through the race in one piece. 

"The course was so rough and the rocks were super sharp, and you had to be smart. You couldn't shut your brain off," he said.

In the run portion, competitors also had to run through water that was ankle to knee deep for 200 to 300 metres and take on some steep climbs.

Madsen will now spend his time readying for next year's world championship.

"I want to be the elite world champion," he said. "That is what I will spend the next year working on to become the cross triathlon world champion."

First place women's finisher Katie Button, from Victoria, was equally pumped.

"I'm super excited and ready to go for it next year," she said at the finish line.

Button, who likes mountain biking the best, said the cycling portion of the event had a bit of everything.

"The climb on the way up was a bit tough and the trail was a lot of fun, but there was a lot of technical biking," she said. "And the entire run was a challenge."

The next big event is the Challenge Penticton long distance race on Sunday.

For more information, go here.

Photo: Contributed