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Big Impact Weekend....
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Monday, 04 September 2017 23:10
PREVIEWS - Next weekend is arguably the most impactful two days on the 2017 multisport calendar. Two local races --Blaine and Square Lake--happen on Saturday, September 9, then Ironman Wisconsin and 70.3 Worlds in Chattanooga, Tennessee, take place on Sunday. How Minnesotans perform in these events will have a UGE effect on this year's Minnesota Multisport Awards nominations, and placement on Team MInnesota.
Let's start with Blaine.
The MMA Committee will have their eyes on, among others, JOSH MORK, CHRIS TATTON and TAYLOR LUNDQUIST. A win could land Mork a spot on Team MInnesota, and maybe a Most Improved nomination. A win, or a masters record, could propel Tatton to a Master of the Year nomination.
As for Lundquist, 17, who appears to be a shoo-in for a Junior of the Year nomination, an overall podium finish and a Junior CR, could make her the frontrunner for the award.
Moving now to Ironman Wisconsin. We predict that honorary MInnesotan DANI FISCHER will win the women's title, though that will not impact the MMAs. It will, however, make us very, very happy.
We adore Dani.
Some of the athletes we will be closely watching at IMOO are NATHAN ANSBAUGH, SHEENA DAUER and CHERYL ZITUR. Ansbaugh's position on Team MInnesota could be affected, as will his position among those who, like himself, will probably receive a Most Improved nomination. A great effort may be trophy-worthy....
Making Great Memories...Updated...
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Sunday, 03 September 2017 19:10
HOPKINS ROYAL TRIATHLON – SCOTT and ANDREA MYERS had hoped to accomplish what they had often done during their nine-year stint in Ohio: Share the Winners Circle. Both had the advantage of low bib numbers, which allowed them to get favorable placement in the TT swim queue. Both were out the water ahead of everyone else, thus they went off the front.
Scott was able to stay there, arriving in T2 well ahead of the next arrivee. Andrea was passed only by a handful of men.
With fingers crossed, the Myers waited to learn their fate. In the end, Andrea prevailed, winning by nearly a minute over women's runner-up SARAH HUNTER, aka “The Huntress.” For Myers, 41, it was her second victory of the 2017 season. Her resume appears, once again, to be Master of the Year nomination-worthy.
For The Huntress, the performance was a breakout. She finished 7th here in 2016 in a time that was almost seven minutes slower than her Sunday effort. Good stuff.
Finishing 26-seconds after Hunter was ANDREA JENSEN, who races infrequently but has demonstrated elite potential in the past.
Unlike his wife, Scott Myers would have to settle for 2nd place, just ten seconds behind defending champ BRETT LOVAAS, who despite a very scary surgery-requiring health issue earlier in the year, has won three of the four triathlons he's done this season. The win on Sunday, according to our records, was the 33rd of his multisport career.
Claiming the final men's podium spot was 2016 Junior of the Year, MITCH CLAYTON, now 20. Though a bit scraped-up from a crash the previous weekend at Superior Man, Clayton turned in a fine effort, his time was just seconds off his AG's record....
Blaine Brings the Fun....
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Saturday, 02 September 2017 23:10
BLAINE TRIATHLON - It's hard to believe that this fine event will celebrate its sixth anniversary this Saturday (September 9). It seems like it was introduced only yesterday.
As we've done with several previews this season, we are going to share some history and make some predictions.
TOP 5 Performances: Men (Note: Times from 2014 are not included. The swim needed to be abbreviated that year.)
1. CHRIS TATTON - 1:09:10 (2016)
2. BRETT LOVAAS - 1:09:15 (2013)
3. CHRIS TATTON - 1:11:08 (2015)
4. ANDY ZABEL - 1:12:38 (2016)
5. JEFF GREBNER - 1:12:46 (2013)
Top 5 Performances - Women
1. HEATHER LENDWAY - 1:16:30 (2013)
2. CHRISTINA ROBERTS - 1:16:69 (2015)
3. MARNIE WALTH, ND- 1:20:07 (2016) ...
Sara's Casual Approach...
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Friday, 01 September 2017 09:10
UPDATE: Great day for racing in Hopkins this morning. Coverage of the 4th annual Hopkins Royal Triathlon will post on Monday. RESULTS
LAKES COUNTRY TRIATHLON - SARA CARLSON is a lovely person all the time, but some of the time she is also a silly goose.
Via Facebook, Sara has let us know stuff about her competitive plans, noting that her main focus right now is running, i.e. qualifying for Boston, and that her tri racing is basically undesigned. She said, in effect, that if the spirit moves her, she'll make a last minute decision to pop into a multisport race.
What a silly goose, right?
Carlson's casual approach this season has yielded incredible results. She not only posted her first career tri win--Graniteman Clearwater Sprint--but went on to collect two more victories--Young Life Olympic and Lakes Country. Amid these great performances was a satisfying 4:55 / 6th place finish at wetsuitless Chisago Half IM.
Maybe there's something to this casual approach? Maybe Sara's not such a silly goose, after all?
Sara's most recent triumph was last weekend at Lakes Country in Baxter, where she outraced 2013 LCT champ / perennial podiumer here, SARA SAMPSELL-JONES, who placed 2nd, and the current frontrunner for Female Junior of the Year, TAYLOR LUNDQUIST, 17, who has won two races outright this season....
Cheryl Wins Again....
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Thursday, 31 August 2017 23:10
MAPLE GROVE SPRINT - Though her season has been fraught with injury and rotten luck, CHERYL ZITUR managed to race like her three-time Master of the Year self last weekend at the soggy Maple Grove Sprint, winning that event for the 4th time.
(Cheryl won her first multisport race when she was 49. Now 52, she has amassed 11 wins.)
Zitur's time last Saturday--1:10:49--appeared to be well off her 1:06:01 course record she set in 2015, but it was actually closer than you might think. Several GPSs agreed that the swim course was closer to 1000 yards than the advertised 820.
Zitur's typical margin of victory here had been two-or-more minutes, but not so this time around. Occasional elite amateur triathlete / body builder SARA RONDORF, now 40, threw down an awesome performance, posting a 1:10:51, just two seconds behind the winner. (Zitur and Rondorf started in different waves, thus they were unaware of their positions during the race.)
The men's race was won by 2014 Minnesota Most Improved nominee / Team Minnesota member / totally nice guy RYAN BAILEY, who seemed to disappear in 2015. This is because he got his pro license and raced on the ITU circuit. We're not sure if he is still a pro....
