Before I joined the Kal Rats in 2005, I was an occasional weekend warrior who tended to do physical activity in bursts and then hurt for a few days. I was heard saying, “I will never do a triathlon.”
Nobody was more surprised than I was, when I signed up and made the Kal Rats sprint tri, my first triathlon. The Kal Rats hooked me up with some excellent coaching. Since then, I have done some Olympic distance and even half-Ironman triathlons.
More importantly, at various times I have regularly gone running, trail running, biking, mountain biking and swimming, and, through the club, I have always found a group of people to go with to keep me motivated.
I am healthier and fitter thanks to the Rats and the club is an important part of my community here in Vernon.
That’s what the Kal Rats have done for me, but what I wanted to mention is what the Kal Rats does for Vernon.
The Rats put on three races every year — a 10-kilometre road race in February, a sprint triathlon in June and a trail running race in Kal Park in October. They also strongly support the Vernon Kids Triathlon that happens the same weekend as the Kal RATS tri.
There are new, first-time participants in each of these races every year.
These races promote a healthy lifestyle, they bring in out of town visitors to Vernon, they are inclusive to people with any level of fitness and they bring the community together.
These races take a lot of planning and volunteer commitment and the Rats step up to the challenge every year. In addition, the Kal Rats are providing equipment and volunteers to support the 10-kilometre road race event of the Vernon and Area 55+ BC Games Sept. 12 to 16.
With summer starting, there are weekly road bike and mountain bike rides, inclusive of all fitness levels. There’s the club barbecue at Kin Beach in May and track workouts will be starting in June.
I just wanted to say that I am proud of what this club does and I am proud to be a member. If you think you might want to join, check it out atkalrats.com or at facebook.com/kalrats.
One last thing, the Vernon Kids Triathlon (vernonkidstri.com) is June 24 and the Kal Rats Triathlon (kalrats.com/sprint-triathlon) is June 25.
If you have ever considered doing a triathlon, sign up. You can take on the whole thing, or you can form relay teams and challenge your work mates.
Or, if you just want to see what its all about, you can volunteer to help, or just come on down to Kin Beach and cheer on the participants.
Danny Kermode
Vernon