I'm Competing For Canada In The Beijing Olympics

It's a time of race jitters and preparation.

Once my race is finished, I will be a fanatic spectator and hope to see as much as possible. For now it's still head down and focused on maximizing each day so I am as prepared as I can possibly be.

By Citizen Correspondent Carolyn Murray

Date Posted: 07/15/08

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I have been a competitive track and field athlete from a very young age. In 2008 I won my first World Cup race in Richards Bay, South Africa and have been selected to represent Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I’ve been training hard the last four weeks here in Les Angles, Pyrenees, and am getting to the last few weeks before I pack up and leave the mountains. We have all been working hard to get the most out of our training and be ready to go in Beijing. The weather is a surprise each day, but I don’t mind; we have been very lucky with our bike training and only had a few rough runs in the rain…This still doesn't seem real yet, but I'm sure soon it will.

I'm very excited to share the news that I have been selected to the 2008 Canadian Olympic team! My performance at the World Championships was not as planned with a disappointing swim, but a strong bike and run.

In just over two weeks I will travel to Turkey and race an ITU Continental Cup to get out the race jitters and a prep for the big one. From there I will travel to Jeju, South Korea, joining the Swiss Olympic team for the final prep and heat acclimatization.

I will stay for nine days and then to Beijing, ready for business! Our race is the 18th, so I will be near our race venue until after the event and then will go to the athletes’ village to experience the Games…an amazing reward for the hard work.

I am trying to stay focused on training and the race, but am very very excited to watch some of the other Canadians in their events! Once my race is finished, I will be a fanatic spectator and hope to see as much as possible.

For now it's still head down and focused on maximizing each day so I am as prepared as I can possibly be. The Tour de France is very close to where I am so the energy is helping us all stay motivated. We are also surrounded by many world class athletes; Darren has definitely found a great spot for us to train.

I will do my best to represent Canada well in Beijing!

*****

Follow Carolyn's journey at CarolynMurray.ca