Jenna Smith, a 34-year-old athlete from Terrace in northwestern B.C., is on the Team Canada at the 2024 World Triathlon Championships in Torremolinos, Spain from Oct. 17 to Oct. 20.
Smith, who qualified in the 2023 Americas Triathlon Cup last summer in Edmonton, is competing in two events — the Age-Group Sprint Distance Triathlon Championships on Thursday, Oct. 17 and the Age-Group Mixed Relay World Championships on Sunday, Oct. 20.
Triathlons consist of three endurance sports in a continuous sequence, including a 750 m swim, a 20 km cycle and a 5 km run. Smith said she enjoys triathlon because it is a combination of her favourite sports.
She competed in her first world championships in Hamburg, Germany last July, placing 50th.
"It was an awesome experience meeting athletes and seeing them at other races since," she said.
Ahead of the championships, she has been getting ready with a structured training, nutrition and recovery plan.
"It's not always easy balancing that with work and kids, but my parents have been a huge support," said Smith.
Already in Spain, she has been getting familiar with the course, running, cycling and testing the water, while also enjoying her experience abroad.
"It is my first time in Spain, and it's very beautiful," she said. "I'm enjoying the warmer weather."
Smith, whose best sport in triathlon in swimming, said that since the swimming event is in the Atlantic ocean, "it's a little different than what I'm used used to with the salt water."
She said she has been doing more open water swimming this summer in preparation.
