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Family Support....
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Thursday, 01 February 2018 23:10
By Mike Buenting (from Facebook)
This morning while rocking my bike workout. I watched a documentary about Western States 100 mile trail run/race. The athletes featured in it talked about their family, their children and how they do this stuff to inspire and motivate their kids.
How they could not chase these crazy goals without the amazing support of family and friends around them. Then I started to reflect on how much my time training and racing with Bella means to me! and how I crave moments like the one in the photo where we hug at the finish line. And how Bella and I could not do any of this without the support of the amazing SW (Shannon Waggoner)! She is the brains and glue of this crazy family operation that makes it all go.
2018 is here and Bella and I have a lot of lofty goals! And I can't wait to share so many moments like this with her as it's what makes me smile and keep on going everyday! ...
Cell Phone Throwing is a Real Thing...
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Wednesday, 31 January 2018 23:10
LIFE TIME ST. LOUIS PARK INDOOR TRI - Though St. Louis Park's enrollment increase wasn't huge--7 addtional athletes in 2018--the general registration trend for Life Time's indoor events is encouraging. And we certainly hope that translates to larger fields this summer when the outdoor multi season gets underway.
A pair of guys with cool Scandinavian names battled for the top spot at SLP. Winning by a mere two points, thanks to his speed in the pool, was SOREN HUGGINS, whose first name should have a slash through the "o", shouldn't it? That would make it more Danishy or Norwegiany.
In 2nd was avid summer triathlete, JUKKA KUKKONEN.
What do we know about these guys? Huggins attended Bemidji State, where he studied business stuff. He's a mortgage underwriter now. A big Minnesota Wild fan, he loves Buffalo Wild Wings (Who doesn't?) more than life itself. He once drank a lot of Jager and dropped trow at a golf course.
As for Jukka, he's originally from the "Old Country," i.e. Savolinna, which is the 31st largest city in Finland. We're not making this up: Savoliina hosts the World Cell Phone Throwing Championships. In 2000, the event was won by Erno Riihela.
Jukka is a very cool guy with a very cool accent. He's a fan of John Mellencamp and is into fancy cars. He can jump pretty high, too, as he did at Square Lake in 2015 (photo)...
Being Better...
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Tuesday, 30 January 2018 23:10
By Erin Ladendorf (bikesandcatsrightmeow.blogspot.com)
Here we are. Late January. The time of year that every triathlete dreads. (Or maybe its just me. But I have a feeling I am not alone in this thought.)
It's freezing cold out. The days feel like they are 5 hours long. And getting into a pool at 5 am feels like what I would imagine walking the Green Mile to certain death feels like. However instead of lethal injection, it's set of 100s, 200s, and enough kick sets to make your hips pop out of their sockets. Plus running outside is like a really sick game of "don't slip on ice and break your face" every time you step out the door. So that is challenging in it's own right.
However I probably shouldn't complain. After Ironman I took an Epic trip to Costa Rica as a reward for all my hard work. And let me tell you, some days I really think I could have stayed there forever. It also turns out that surfing is great cross training for triathlon! I found that the vacation was a much needed mental break after the intense stress of 2017, and it set me up to tackle 2018 with a clear mind and open heart. Plus, I learned how to open a coconut with a machete, so that's pretty cool too....
Record Turnout at Chanhassen Indoor!
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Monday, 29 January 2018 23:10
LIFE TIME CHANHASSEN INDOOR - The Life Time Fitness January indoor triathlons happened on the 21st. Today, we are covering the Chanhassen event. These races are uniquely scored:
Scoring Overview: The Indoor Triathlon is based on time rather than distance – meaning you receive points for going further in a specific period of time, not going faster over a fixed distance. Participants are graded on a curve. The furthest distance in each category gets the most points (actual number is based on total participants), the shortest receives 1 point, and your “score” for the discipline is based on the points you achieve. All three disciplines count equally toward your final score.
The star of the show for the Chanhassen women was ERIN LAHTI, who was also victorious here in 2017. Erin finished 3rd overall in '17, and 8th overall this time around. What needs to be noted is that last year's event had 27 finishers, wheras 89 (!) athletes competed this year. Erin is into cool hats and headbands, and sometimes hangs out with another Erin, Erin Ladendorf (photo), who is a HOOT and has an awesome haircut.
Lahti was impressive at Minneapolis Sprint last July, cracking the women's overall Top 10....
Sir Sean and Other King B Stuff...
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Sunday, 28 January 2018 23:10
KING BOREAS WINTER TRIATHLON - SEAN COOLEY is rocking a cool new "look" these days. With his new beard, which his girlfriend adores, he looks a bit like Sir Walter Raleigh, the guy who invented cigarettes. All Sean needs to complete the 16th century image is one of those collars that looks like an automotive air filter.
Perhaps his new look is fitting. After all, he is one of our region's multisport aristocrats, i.e. triathlon royalty. His 2017 TOY award is the equivalent of his being crowned King of Minnesota's multisporters, is it not?
He has also proven himself to be the King of winter triathlon, a result of earning the title of National Champion two of the last three years. In his non-winning year, he finished a close 2nd to JOEL LAFRANCE, who couldn't race this year due to the flu.
With LaFrance on the sidelines, Sean was the clear favorite, and was expected to win by a sizable margin, which he did. It started with a very solid run, and finished with one of the Top 3 ski splits in the event. It was what happened in between those two disciplines where he truly exercised his supremacy. Throwing down 18.3 mph on a fat bike is crazy. His closest challenger on the bike, breakout multisporter, JACOB KEEHAN of Maple Grove, was 1.5 mph slower....
