Before Rosie MacLennan took part in her first triathlon, the prospect of having cycling shoes with clips on them was her biggest fear.

But the London 2012 Olympic gold medalist didn't end up having to use them - seeing as how she'd never used them before - and that turned out to be a good thing.

Because while cycling shoes were a worry at the start, it was Texas gates that proved to be the culprit that caused the most damage.

MacLennan fell when she hit the gates heading into town - but don't worry - she only had a scraped knee and hand as a memento of the Subaru Banff Triathlon. Oh, and her relay team of Olympians finished first in the Super Sprint. Appropriately calling themselves The Olympians, the team finished in 56:39.

"It was fun, very cool and different than what I'm used to," she said after the race. "Everyone was super supportive in the transition area."

Fellow Olympians Joshua Riker-Fox, who competes in the modern pentathlon and Alison McKenny, a synchronized swimmer, were on The Olympians team with MacLennan.

So, does a win in Banff's annual triathlon have her itching to switch sports and train for the triathlon for the 2014 Olympics?

"No," she says emphatically. "I'm much more comfortable on the trampoline than I am on the bike."

But it wasn't just Olympians on the race course this year, though there were quite a few.

Regular folk tried their luck at competing against elite athletes and held their own in the field of superstars.

Banffite Ellen Hunter raced in her first Subaru Banff Triathlon and came 31st in her age division. Though it wasn't her first ever triathlon, she said competing at home was inspiring, as she had so much support along the course.

"It was such an amazing experience," she said. "Beautiful views and beautiful day and there was amazing support from the community."

Racers had amazing weather for the event, and the water hovered around 14C making for a chilly but manageable swim.

Top Banffites in each division were Shera Nixon, who came in 23rd in the Super Sprint; Shelley Wallman, who was 90th in the Sprint and Rebecca Mottram who came in 92nd in the Olympic distance.

Winning the triathlon overall was Eddie Smith of Vancouver who came in first in the Olympic distance; second was professional triathlete Lisa Mensink of Calgary and third was Brendan Mackenzie of Regina.

larissa.barlow@sunmedia.ca