Triathlete Feature - Nikki Skaug

Triathlete Feature with Nikki Skaug

I was born in Wolverhampton England and came to Canada at age 12. Have lived In Calgary

since 1976!

I got into Triathlons after being exposed to the sport through our daughter Emma who took up the sport post soccer. In 2014 I was riding my bike to work and would stop at the river on the way home and run then finish my ride home. Winter came and I put the bike away along with the running but wanted to maintain my fitness so my husband Whit ,who had signed up for Tri training a year earlier, suggested I just come to the swim part of Tri training for the winter and so I did and as winter ended I decided I liked the Tri environment and so then signed up for all the disciplines of Tri training, doing my first race in 2016 at age 52.

I calm my nerves by being as prepared as I can ahead of time so I can just focus on the race itself when the time comes. Things like knowing the points of entry and exit in transition and familiarizing myself with the course. If you cant physically get on the course, you can still familiarize yourself with it on paper and planning your nutrition and hydration is very important too.

My inspiration comes from my family especially because 3 out of the 5 of us do the sport and just recently our youngest daughter has shown some interest!

My friends and people I train with, admire me for doing the sport and so I get inspiration from them too! To do my best every time I race.

My favorite event has been Heart of the Rockies Triathlon in Invermere BC. I have done that

Sprint race every year since I started Triathlon. Good things have happened there. I qualified for Worlds there and one year all 3 of us raced at the same time, (my husband, daughter and I) and we all came first in our respective categories. The Trifecta! That was cool! But also, the course is scenic and challenging( a bit hilly). So, it draws me back every year.

Plus it's a well run event with lots of familiar faces every year.

The challenges in preparing for Adu Dhabi was definitely the heat. The best I could do was spend extra time in the hot tub and sauna to a point of being a bit uncomfortable. I also did some indoor cycling in front of a heat vent in my house wearing a sweatshirt!!! It certainly helped. You also want to get there a few days in advance to get over the jet lag.

My races went well. I knew I wasn't at the caliber to podium. So, the races ( Super Sprint and Standard) were for me. I've never done a Super Sprint before and only one other Standard so for me it was just to challenge myself and put out my best effort which I did and was very mindful of the heat as I didn't want to not finish because of heat exhaustion so I planned out ahead of time, what I would take at each aid station to keep me cool until the next station. It was all about survival on the run!!!! And of course, to race in Abu Dhabi was quite spectacular!

My future plans are to just keep what I'm doing. Its a great way to stay in shape and the social aspect is fun too. We are all so supportive of each other and it's great being around like minded people. I think the Sprint distance is most suited to me overall so I'll stick with that. It would be great to try some new destinations.

Fun facts! For my first year of Triathlon I signed up for 6 before I even did one! I've done some other cool stuff like cycling up the Haleakala volcano in Maui. It took me 8 hrs. including stops. I have done the "swim across the lake" (1.2 km) in Kelowna. I did a 100km cycle in Turner Valley area. (An MEC event.) I've done a couple "winter relay's" in Canmore and I did the fat bike portion. Both times were terrible conditions!! First time was too icy, second time there was too much snow!

I also did a 5km paddleboard race this summer in Calgary. That was hard!!! I've hiked the West Coast and the Juan De Fuca trails in BC. It's great to take on different challenges.