| There
was a time when Georgia Lepage was known solely for her
prowess in the pool, a very competitive up-and-coming
swimmer with the Nickel City Aquatics.
These days, her summer schedule is crammed
full of key triathlon races and various games qualifiers
and meets, while her year-round calendar is replete with
tri-sport training sessions, whether that be in swimming,
running or cycling.
“I’ve gotten a lot stronger
and I have a different mindset; I’m not as nervous
going into the races anymore,” said Lepage, now
15 years old and into her fourth year working alongside
coach Mike Nawaleniec and the Sudbury Triple Threat Triathlon/PSP
Multi-Sport crew.
“It just kind of changed this year.”
The results speak for themselves.
Heading into Grade 11 at St. Benedict
Catholic Secondary School, Lepage ranks first in the Triathlon
Ontario Junior Cup standings after capturing the Caledon
Kids of Steel race and placing second at the Canadian
National Development Race earlier this summer.
This past weekend, she was among the youngest
competitors participating at the Canada Summer Games qualifying
races in Gatineau, a nice warmup as she leaves next week
for the Ontario Summer Games in Mississauga, with the
triathlon set for Jack Darling Park on July 22 and 23.
Mixed in with the female U16-19 age bracket
as an underager in Quebec, Lepage ranked 16th of 38 overall
in her division, all while sliding in as third-best Ontario
racer in the group. That’s a whole lot of rapid
progression for a young lady who is still trying to expand
her overall base of athleticism in order to allow her
to match up across the board with some of the better junior
triathletes in the province.
“Swimming is still my main sport,”
said the current member of the Sudbury Laurentian Swim
Club. “The swim training helps, no matter the training.
Even with butterfly training, you build up more endurance.
My run has always been the weakest — we’ve
been working on that.”
Of course, this is all relative as Lepage
captured the junior girls 3,000-metre title at the city
high school track and field championships, chopping another
18 seconds off her team while taking part in her very
first OFSAA meet just a few weeks later.
“I’m getting a lot faster
now that I am running with Dick (Moss, Track North coach),”
she added. “He’s been working with me a lot.
I need to work on my technique. I run on my heels and
he wants me more on my toes — and I’m hunched
over when I run. He’s working on my posture because
I use a lot of energy when being hunched over.”
“I’ve gotten a lot stronger
on the bike and that has bumped me up places,” Lepage
continued, posting a final time of 1:08.13 at the Gatineau
race, her division captured by 19-year-old Noemie Beaulieu
(1:01.30), competing on her hometown course. “I
have a lot more control over my bike.
“I’m not afraid of using my
bike going around sharp corners or coming to a harsh stop.
A couple of years ago, that didn’t work out so well.”
Still, the fact that Lepage has been able
to hit the ground running as competition resumed in earnest
this summer has been more than a little encouraging, a
testament to the dedication that the young woman has demonstrated
in coming out of the pandemic as competitive as ever.
“You just had to keep a good mindset, keep motivated,
know your priorities and know where you want to get to,”
she said.
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