History of the Race
Our Origins
The Garrison Edmonton Triathlon Team (GETT) was established in November 2022 to create a collaborative, high-performance training environment for military members of all levels at CFB Edmonton. By sharing expertise across disciplines, the team fostered a culture of growth and challenge. As the team expanded during the off-season, a desire grew to provide these developing athletes with their first taste of competition to kickstart the year. However, a significant gap existed in the Alberta racing calendar: there were no early-season triathlons available. Faced with the need to give new athletes race experience—and the requirement for elite members to submit qualifying times for the CAF National Triathlon Championships by mid-May—the Beat-the-Base Triathlon was born.
A Mission Beyond the Finish Line
The event is driven by a deep commitment to the military community. Race Director Eric Henderson, who grew up on a base during the War in Afghanistan, has long understood the resilience required of military families and the pivotal role sport plays in coping with life's challenges. Envisioning an event that would champion these values, he approached Soldier On. They enthusiastically partnered with the race, allowing us to directly support their mission of aiding serving and retired members with physical or mental health challenges.
Partnership & Growth
In seeking technical experience, Race Directors and GETT Head Coaches Eric Henderson and Colin Munson sought the guidance of Miles Gibson, Race Director of the St. Albert Triathlon. Miles joined as Assistant Race Director, establishing a lasting bi-club partnership between GETT and the St. Albert Road Runners and Triathlon Club (STARRT) that continues to flourish today.
The inaugural race on May 11, 2024, was a resounding success, executed by a dedicated team of volunteers—many active Canadian Armed Forces members—despite a compressed three-month planning window. The event quickly gained momentum: our second race on May 10, 2025, saw a 60% increase in registration, hosting 185 athletes.
Impact
In just two years, Beat-the-Base has raised over $10,200 for Soldier On. As we enter our third year, our goal is ambitious: to match that cumulative total in a single season. With competitors praising the event as "the best organized and fun race around," we are proud to offer a unique racing experience on the historic grounds of a military base.
The Race Director Team
Head Race Director - Major Eric Henderson
Major Eric Henderson’s entry into competitive sport was a masterclass in irony: he joined his high school Track & Field team simply to get in shape for "real" sports, only to realize he was far better suited for the world of Type II Fun—that specific brand of suffering where the goal is to endure more than everyone else and pretend it was a blast after the fact. After competing in OUA 10k Cross Country and 1500m indoor track, he traded thin singlets for a 32lb rucksack to tackle Ex MOUNTAIN MAN. This brutal military ultra involves a rucksack run, a canoe portage, and a river paddle, followed by a final run on "dead legs" that have spent the last hour cramping in a canoe. Over nearly a decade of grit, Eric secured five consecutive team titles and four individual gold finishes, proving he is exceptionally good at moving heavy objects through unfavorable terrain while questioning his life choices.
In 2019, Eric turned to triathlon because apparently, running himself into the ground on land wasn't enough; he wanted to try his hand at the open water. While Eric possesses high-performance legs on the pavement, his early swimming career was a struggle against gravity, with his lower half acting more like submerged ballast than a propulsion system. While his debut in the sport was defined by the self-deprecating mantra "Sink, Bike, Sprint," recent years have seen him evolve into a "slightly faster sinker." This marginal progress was apparently enough to carry him through a breakout 2025 season where he nabbed 3rd in his Age Group at Challenge CAP Québec and was crowned the Overall Olympic Champion at the Great White North Triathlon. As the founding Head Coach of GETT and Race Director for Beat-the-Base, Eric is dedicated to helping athletes transition from simply surviving the swim to dominating the race.
Deputy Race Director - Captain Colin Munson
Captain Colin Munson is a 23-year veteran of the British Army who clearly didn’t get enough "hurry up and wait" in the UK, so he brought his talents to Canada. He first discovered triathlon while stationed in Germany, even briefly training alongside world-class pro kat Mathews—an experience that mostly taught him exactly how fast he wasn’t. During his final UK posting to CFB Suffield, he celebrated his arrival in Alberta by convincing his comrades to ride the Icefields Parkway from Hinton to Banff, proving that "scenic views" are the best distraction from burning quads.
After his family grew accustomed to Canadian life, Colin "retired" as a WO class 02, only to immediately join the Canadian Armed Forces for what he calls his "retirement gig." When he isn't mentoring athletes as a GETT Head Coach, he’s busy making the rest of us look slow as a dual-threat member of both the CAF Long Course and Short Course National Triathlon Teams. His 2025 season was a podium tour, featuring a 1st place Age Group finish at Challenge Esprit Montreal P113, 2nd place Age Group finish at Ironman Calgary 70.3 and 3rd overall at St Albert Sprint. Colin brings an international flair and a "stiff upper lip" to the Vaincre la Base leadership team, proving that you’re never too old for a second career—or a faster transition.
Assistant Race Director - Mr Miles Gibson
Miles Gibson is a dedicated civilian triathlete who serves as the former President of STARRT and the current Race Director of the St. Albert Triathlon. To be honest, Miles doesn’t actually have a life outside of triathlon; he is essentially a swim-bike-run algorithm contained within a human body. (Hint: he also cross-country skis!) Despite being in his mid-60s, Miles maintains the cardiovascular engine of a 30-year-old—though his knees are currently appealing that status, firmly identifying as a seasoned 50. This "vintage" suspension system is most visible during the run, where his grit (and perhaps some WD-40) carries him to the finish.
A true nomad of the sport, Miles will travel anywhere for a great race. This relentless pursuit of the podium saw him take 3rd in his Age Group at the Vancouver T100 last year, 2nd at Calgary 70.3 (two loops), a finisher at IronMan California, and he is currently on an obsessive hunt for a Kona slot. As our Assistant Race Director, he brings decades of experience and a complete lack of hobbies to the Beat-the-Base team, ensuring that every detail of the race is as dialed in as his own training log.
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