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Rudy_Honoured

Feature Article September 25

Feature Article September 25, 2002

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Triathlete Rudy Hollywood honouredBy David Brison Rudy Hollywood of Sharbot Lake has recently been called the Godfather of Triathlon in the Running Room magazine. He also has been given a Bob Rodale Golden Shoe Award by the prestigious Runner's World - one of the most widely respected running publications.Rudy_HonouredRudy Hollywood in Sharbot Lake preparing for a training run. The tattoo around his calf has logos from many of his triathlons. -file photo Rudy, now 57, has been entering triathlons ever since his sons Brandon and Rustin began training for the triathlon, with Simon Whitfield - now the Olympic gold medallist in the triathlon. He and his wife Joan started directing the Sharbot Lake Triathlon in 1984. In 1986 they added an event for children, called the Sharbot Lake Mini-Tri. The Mini-Tri was one of the first triathlon events for children in eastern Canada. It predates the better-known Kids of Steel events. Simon Whitfield first entered the Sharbot Lake Mini-Tri in 1987 and competed every year until 1992, when he left Kingston to go to school in Australia. Rudy is an accomplished triathlete - five years ago he finished 7th in the 50-54 age group at the Ironman world championships in Hawaii. He has made national teams in both the triathlon and the duathlon and has many other high finishes and wins to his credit.Runner's World and The Running Room both mention his recent prominence as a mentor for triathletes. He has a website TriRudy.com which is an important part of the training for many athletes -primarily those from Eastern Ontario, but by no means limited to that geographic area. There are now over 1,000 registered daily subscribers to the free service on the web site. Rudy and Joan also run a four-day summer boot camp at the Hollywood cottage in Sharbot Lake. On Day One they bike 120 kilometres from Ottawa and then have a one-hour run and a swim. There is a 120-kilometre ride with a run and a swim on the second day, followed on the third day by a four-kilometre open water swim and a run with an afternoon off for shopping and golf. On the fourth day, there is a relay swim and a short run before biking back to Ottawa. Rudy also has other plans: he would like to see a national triathlon centre established in Sharbot Lake. Given his prominence in the field and his contacts, this could very well get off the ground with a little local support -- or maybe even without it, as anyone who knows Rudy and Joan can attest.Runner's World says that Rudy is from Ottawa, British Columbia. They then say that the Sharbot Lake Triathlon was held in Sharbot Lake, Ottawa. Finally in a litany of mistakes they say that Rudy finished Ironman France this June, whereas it was one of the only triathlons that Rudy was unable to finish. But then - The Frontenac News makes its own share of mistakes; perhaps we shouldn't so gleefully point out those of others.
With the participation of the Government of Canada