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August Athletes of the Month...
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Wednesday, 30 August 2017 23:10
Today we reveal Minnesota's ATHLETES OF THE MONTH for August. To be eligible, athletes must have turned in at least TWO outstanding performances. The AOM's are presented by Excelsior Running in Apple Valley, and MTN.
ROOKIE OF THE MONTH - JAKE BRAAM, 26, Elysian (photo below)
- A clear winner, the lanky Braam raced three times in August. The placed 2nd at Waseca and Green Lake, and 8th against a strong field which included several of our region's fastest collegians at Maple Grove.
JUNIOR OF THE MONTH - TAYLOR LUNDQUIST, 17, Maple Grove (photo L)
- Like Braam, Lundquist was a slam dunk selection. A prolific racer, she was the outright women's winner at Big Lake Sprint and Young Life Sprint. She set a junior CR at Brewhouse Sprint, where she placed 6th. She finished the month with a 3rd place (1st junior) overall women's finish at Lakes Country.
Mankato teen CARTER DEICHMAN also received serious consideration in this category....
State Record Falls at Superior Man...
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Tuesday, 29 August 2017 09:10
PRers - JORDAN ROBY (4:15:13) and CHRISTINA ROBERTS (4:37:04)
SUPERIOR MAN TRIATHLON VI - Despite the non-spectator-friendly conditions (cool, soggy and grey) on Sunday in Duluth, the sixth annual Superior Man Half, and its 41.5 companion, many athletes showed their appreciation for the racer-friendly climate with outstanding performances.
It wasn't just the meteorolgical stuff that helped produce fast times, the new outdoor transition location, just 25 meters from the swim exit, certainly shaved a minute-or-two for most.
But mostly it was the field quality that lent itself to the enhanced performances that produced race records and personal bests.
In a true breakout performance, MATT CYMANSKI, 26, of Des Moine, Iowa, left the 70.3 men in his wake. A tough guy, as he proved with his victory in horrendous conditions at Liberty last June, he showed that he possessed true speed. With favorable conditions Cymanski sped to a personal best 4:01:40, which was a 20-plus minute improvement on his next best effort at this distance. Even more impressive is the fact that his time is a Minnesota state amateur record for a half IM.
Four-time SM winner SEAN COOLEY took 2nd this time around, posting a 4:11:31.
The next record to fall was courtesy of DAN ARLANDSON, 41, who placed third in a Masters Record 4:12:59, lowering Winnipeg's PATRICK PEACOCK's prior standard by more than almost a minute-and-a-half....
Collegians Set the Pace at Maple Grove...
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Monday, 28 August 2017 19:10
MAPLE GROVE TRIATHLON - August was cancelled, thus Autumn came early this year. Last weekend's weather certainly proved this. It couldn't have been more Octobery than it was at Weaver Lake Park in Maple Grove on Saturday. It was chilly and drizzly and as grey as the greyist thing you can think of. (Insert your own simile here.)
Though a few hundred athletes stayed in warm and snug in their respective beds, approximately 700 triathletes, and 50-or-so duathletes descended on the otherwise gorgeous park and participated in the 8th edition of the Maple Grove Triathlons (Olympic, Sprint, Super Sprint and Duathlon).
And guess what? A lot of folks turned in terrific performances.
Setting the brisk pace in the Olympic race were a triumvirate of talented collegians from Iowa State University. Cyclones took the Top 3 places in the men's race, including REECE LINDER's winning 1:55:58, the second fastest men's clocking ever on this course. Even more awesome is the fact that Linder is only 18-years-old.
Bright future, huh!
Another ISUer, 2017 US Junior of the Year MAEGHAN EASLER, now 20, rocked the women's Olympic contest, winning is 2:10:37, which like LInder's performance, was the second fastest time for her gender here a the MGO....
Doobie's Race....
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Sunday, 27 August 2017 09:10
ED. Last weekend's races will be covered on Tuesday and Wednesday.
HOPKINS ROYAL TRIATHLON - This tri has so many unique and groovy things about it that we encourage you to visit the event's WEBSITE to learn all about them. Unfortunately, one thing you'll learn is that this year's race, like its first three editions, is sold old.
Enroll early for 2018, okay?
Also, the HRT was been nominated for "Triathletes Choice Race of the Year" in each season since its inception in 2014. It won that award in 2015.
This year's race will be staged, as always, as beautiful Shady Oak Park on Saturday, September 2. Even if you can't race, this is a great event for spectators, and every race could use extra volunteers, right? (FYI - The HRT does not have a volunteer shortage.)
As we do with many other races, we are going to share some event history and make some predictions.
HISTORY - Top 3 Sprint Times:
Men: 1. BRETT LOVAAS - 1:04:57 (2016), 2. ERIC HENDRICKSON - 1:05:57 (2016), 3. PATRICK PARISH - 1:06:16 (2015)
Women: 1. SUZIE FOX - 1:11:02 (2015), 2. SUZIE FOX - 1:11:16 (2016), 3. ANDREA MYERS - 1:13:49 (2016)
Age Group Records ...
"It Wasn't My Day"....
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Saturday, 26 August 2017 23:10
By Erin Klegstad (sweetsweatlife.com)
The short of IRONMAN Canada: It wasn’t my day.
I gave everything I had and then some, but came up short of my goal (which was, no surprise, a Kona spot).
I know I should be proud – and I will be eventually – but when you have really high expectations of yourself, set big goals and train your ass off for months, to come up short… well, it hurts. A lot.
But what did I expect? My race was the outcome of the stories I told myself for much of the build: that I would have rather lazed in the hammock than slog through three 80-minute intervals during a long ride. I fought for so many of those intervals, my internal dialogue I have to do this rather than I get to do this. I lost the bike love. I focused too much on things out of my control, which took the joy out of the journey. And I let myself get in my head – the worst possible place you can be.
I never want to go into a race feeling like that again. And you can bet I never will.
Onward.
With that, a few race day details on my second slowest IM ever…
