Above
all else, the Beaton Classic is truly a celebration of
healthy living.
Athletes of all ages and shapes conglomerated
this past Sunday morning at Moonlight Beach, with their
efforts in the uniquely northern quadrathlon (a standard
triathlon with a paddling component mixed in for good
measure) ranging from solo competitors to duos and teams
of four.
Yet for as much as the smiles that accompany
any sense of sporting accomplishment were plentiful throughout
the morn, there was also sadly a sombre overtone to the
festivities.
A participant on at least a handful of
previous occasions and well-established member of Masters
Swimming Sudbury, high-school teacher Sylvia Donato tragically
lost her life in early August, struck by a boat while
out on an open water swim.
Somehow, through their grief, family and
friends of Donato managed to assemble a team entry for
the 2025 Beaton, the Four4Sylvia quartet a testament of
strength and courage – and a very personal tribute
to a woman who was dearly loved.
“Today was really special,”
said 65 year-old Robert Masih, a friend and teammate of
Donato who stepped in along with Jocelyne Heneberry (friend
and cyclist), Ryan Lafraniere (friend, co-worker and runner)
and Randy Donato (spouse and paddler) to tackle the challenge
that would take the foursome some two and a half hours
to complete.
“I told Randy that when Sylvia and
I would do open water swimming together, she was always
on my right side,” Masih continued. “Because
I breathe on the right side, we could keep an eye on each
other. I felt her next to me the whole swim – and
I had my fastest swim of the summer.”
The team came together early last week,
with absolutely no hesitation from those who were approached.
“I was surprised, but I was also really pleased,”
said Masih. “I think Randy is pleased with the decision
that we put a team together.”
While many were the participants on hand
who had become acquainted with Sylvia Donato over the
years, newcomers to the scene were greeted equally with
open arms, covering the spectrum from very experienced
rookies (more on that in a moment) to very elite athletes
taking that leap of faith in testing the physical limitations
of their bodies.
At 63 years of age, Don Gunn stressed
first and foremost that he has never identified as an
athlete, certainly not a competitive one – all of
which did not stop him from jumping aboard when a foursome
of folks who live on the same street decided to form the
Hunter Street Blues.
Though the likes of Chris Gore (bike),
Stacy Halonen (paddle) and Shelley Walushka (run) bring
an impressive array of athleticism to the mix, Gunn was
more than pleased simply to secure the traditional t-shirt
– without have to pay for it.
“All I had to do was finish my swim
so that my team could continue to roll,” said Gunn,
who took on this test with gusto, practicing for his opening
leg by tackling the 18-inch waves of Providence Bay in
training sessions leading up to the big day.
“I finished – and I wasn’t
last,” Gunn beamed.
Self-deprecating humour aside, the retired
businessman did seem to be hooked on the notion of making
this a regular part of his summer schedule, if all goes
well. “Now that I’ve experienced it, I am
looking at the other disciplines,” he said. “This
is a good start for the next phase in my life.”
As anyone who has ever taken part in the
Beaton – or any triathlon or similar undertaking,
for that matter – there is always that sense that
for the remainder of your life, no one can ever take that
accomplishment away from you.
Laurentian Voyageurs’ nordic ski
co-captain Margot West will forever be able to add her
solo effort in the 2025 Beaton to a growing list of impressive
sporting accolades – and not just any solo effort.
The 20 year-old from Ottawa finished second only to perennial
women’s champion Sara McIlraith, her time of 2:38:44
more than respectable for the Mechanical Engineering major
who earned a top-ten finish at the OUA Nordic Ski Championships
last winter.
Like many of those whose ages fall between
perhaps 15 and 25 or so, there is often enough of a varied
athletic base to give reason to the notion that completing
the Beaton is not complete silliness (as it would be for
myself and the overwhelming majority of the Greater Sudbury
population, for instance).
“I spend all summer running and
(roller) skiing to be ready for cross-country skiing,”
said West. “And I grew up with canoe trips. Swimming
was the one area I wanted to focus on. I taught some swim
lessons for a bit but I wouldn’t call myself a competitive
swimmer.”
“I hopped in the pool a few times
and went open water swimming once and thought I was good
to go – and I was.”
Come time for the annual Beaton, Steven
Gonder is always ready to go.
An accomplished runner with many a marathon
under his belt, the 47 year-old Sudbury native remains
constantly thankful for the efforts of race organizer
Neil Phipps and a host of amazing volunteers, allowing
him to return to the venue of his very first (running)
race about a decade ago.
“Over the years, I’ve had
many different partners with many different teams,”
said Gonder, his current entry (Scrambled Legs) featuring
the likes of Chantal Laakso (swim), Luukas Ovaska (bike)
and Anthea Bradley (paddle). “It’s a lot of
fun to mix it up. We’ve had people from different
fitness circles or different social circles involved.”
Given his race experience, little surprise
that Gunn had the foresight to understand how best to
tackle the 8km trail trek he would make on a day when
temperatures soared above the 30 degree level. “It
was a situation where you had to pace yourself from the
beginning,” he said. “And, of course, the
hills are brutal so there was a little bit of a slow down
there – and some hydration at the halfway mark.”
The fastest time of the day would come,
quite impressively, from one of the solo entries as Dan
Whalen captured his fourth straight Beaton in a time of
2:06.10, some 35 seconds ahead of Still Not Dead Yet!
Just a few minutes back again were Bursey’s
& Kendyn (2:10.26), Quad Goals (2:10.33) and Kaeden
Ward (solo – 2:11.04), with remaining category winners
as follows:
Fours – Women – Quadzillas
(2:25.40)
Pairs – Coed – Two Peas (2:35.51)
Pairs – Men – The Mudskippers (2:39.19)
Pairs – Women – The Dales (2:41.56)
Such is the impressiveness of completing the entire event
in the solo category that I always feel compelled to provide
a full listing of those who both undertook the challenge
- and prevailed:
Women - Solo
Sara McIlraith - 2:22.33
Margot West - 2:38.44
Sarah Booth - 2:52.01
Erin Kennedy - 2:57.34
Maija Nener - 3:03.2
Kristin Zazelenchuk - 3:13.32
Men - Solo
Dan Whalen - 2:06.56
Kaeden Ward - 2:11.04
Clinton Lahnalampi - 2:22.59
Eden Abols - 2:25.22
Colin Ward - 2:26.52
Julian Luoma - 2:27.07
James Mann - 2:31.37
Hudson Green - 2:38.26
Tyler Buckingham - 2:56.34
Dave Richardson - 2:57.06
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