Characterized once as being "genetically blessed" to do the Hawaii Ironman triathlon - the official world championship of that long-distance event - Lori Bowden won that grueling event twice, in 2003 and 1999, and placed second or third five other times between 1997 and 2002. Having grown up in a Toronto-area household where both parents were into triathlon, Lori ultimately became the undisputed Canadian queen of the sport, winning five national titles from '97 to '02. Her overall record of 12 Ironman victories rank her third in the world. It'll likely be tough to keep Lori away from racing, even as she moves into her 40s. Consider that at age 39 in 2006 she came back from a nearly two-year Ironman hiatus to take second in Austria. That was where, in 2002, she posted the second-fastest women's time ever in the event of eight hours, 51 minutes, 22 seconds, a mark that still stands. Considering she didn't win her first Ironman race until she was 30, it's a good sign that she's made of different stuff than the average triathlete.

Judging by how well his high school athletic career went, it would've been a solid bet that Bob Hutchison would go on to bigger and better things in sport. A prominent rugby, soccer, and track athlete at Oak Bay High, Hutchison proved virtually unbeatable at school track meets in both sprint events and the broad jump. A sign of things ahead came when he narrowly missed going to the 1948 Olympic trials, despite having won the provincial 100-yard title and, also being part of the "Flying Y" team that won the 4x110 relay. Hutchison continued to perform well when he became part of the University of Washington team, setting the B.C. 220-yard record, and running the 100 in 9.7 seconds at the 1952 Summer Olympics trials. That earned an invite to the nationals in Hamilton. With a slim chance to land the one remaining spot on the Olympic team, he made the most of his opportunity. Hutch placed second in the 100, and third in a 200 photo-finish, to earn a trip to Helsinki. He advanced to the 2nd round in each event and competed in the 4x100 relay, leaving Finland with no medals but with plenty of high-level experience. The future judge later passed on his expertise while coaching numerous young "Flying Y" athletes.