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Ron Boucher hasn't weighed 168 pounds since he was 18 years old.

But at age 65, he has reached that goal weight in anticipation of the world triathlon championship race in China Sept. 11. The triathlon includes swimming, biking and running.

It's been a banner year for Boucher, owner of the Erie Belle Restaurant in Kincardine and a triathlete for 30 years. He has placed first in his age group, at five of the past seven races, and took second at the Niagara race, running against his coach from Newfoundland.

"He told me I didn't have much competition so I was getting complacent," says Boucher. "He said I needed to be challenged so he ran against me, and he beat me in our age category. That simply pushed me to do better, and I have.

"When I reached that goal weight last week, that night I ran the fastest I have ever run," says Boucher, who admits the running portion of the triathlon is his biggest challenge.

He is a sprint triathlete, meaning he competes in short, fast races: 750- to 1,500-metre swim, 20- to 40-kilometre bike ride, and five- to 10-kilometre run.

His next race is Sunday (Aug. 21) in Orillia, and three weeks later, he is racing in China. "The weather around here over the past few weeks - hot and humid - has been good training for China," he says.

It will be up to his coach whether he runs the Sept. 3 race in Guelph, he adds.

Boucher has qualified for the world championships for the past 10 years, and he qualified again mid-July in Peterborough, meaning he's off to New Zealand in October, 2012.

His first world competition was in Mexico, followed by New Zealand, Portugal, United States (Hawaii), Switzerland, Germany, Canada (Vancouver), Australia, Hungary, and now Beijing, China.

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Friday, August 19, 2011