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Becky Returns. She and Preston Did What They Do...
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Wednesday, 14 August 2024 00:10
Photo - Women's Olympic podium and a baby.
20th GREEN LAKE OLYMPIC coverage - Eleven men have broken 1:50 on GL's Olympic-esque (.75 - 22 - 6) course, though never more than three in a single year, and that happened back in 2012. At the very least, that was destined to be at least matched last Sunday. 2023 champ COREY NYGAARD, who is faster this year than last, JOE ADRIAENS, a consistent sub-2-hour guy at full Olympic distance, and the seemingly invincible PRESTON YOUNGDAHL, a late registrant who has won 10 of the 11 Minnesota tris he's entered since returning to his homestate in 2021.
Talent wasn't the only factor that portended fast times for the men. The conditions were perfect. Mild temps, low humidity, negligible wind, flat water.
Only two woman had ever broken two hours here, and it appeared on paper that times closer to 2:10 would land on the podium. Then, like Youngdahl, BECKY YOUNGBERG showed up on race morning. Becky is the course record holder here, having done so back in 2018. She came into the race with three wins in five starts this season. Though the clear favorite, there were several Green Lake vets, like two-time winner MERILEA OSTERLUND, and BECKY LEIS, a two-time runner-up here, hoping to round out the Top 3. Additionally, AMY PREUSSER, who has been turning in very solid performances for the last two seasons, was enrolled....
Josh, Cami & the Law of Averages...
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Monday, 12 August 2024 00:10
21st NORTHWOODS TRIATHLON COVERAGE – BROOKS GROSSINGER did not win this sprint triathlon in 2005 and 200g for a very good reason. He wasn't there. His did win every other NWT, though, a total eighteen....
2024 July Triathletes of the Month...
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Saturday, 10 August 2024 00:10
Who were the most successful Minnesota Triathletes in July? Needing at least two outstanding performances to qualify, except for "Performance of the Month," here are the July 2024 AOMs.
PERFORMANCE OF THE MONTH - Men
SPENCER SYVERTSON, 28, Alexandria (photo L) - New Race Record at Allexandria Sprint
Josh Blankenheim's win at Buzz Ryan was also considered, as was UM student, Nathan KIm's huge win at Chisago 70.3. Kim claims Middleton, Wisconsin as his home, thus we were unable to determine his eligibility. If Nathan were recognized as a Minnesota athlete, he would have been honored here.
PERFORMANCE OF THE MONTH - Women
CARYN HERRICK WIKMAN, 34, St. Louis Park - Win @ Chisago Olympic - 2:10:45
A 2:10 is an awesome time for an elite amateur, but what makes Caryn's effort more remarkable
Is that she finished less than 9-minutes behind the elite male winner, and not the ususal dozen or more...
21st Northwoods Preview...
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Thursday, 08 August 2024 00:10
21st NOORTHWWODS TRI PREVIEW - Here are some of the talented athletes wh will racing at Northwoods on Saturday:
MATA AGRE, 31, Nisswa - Three wins here and a consistent Top 5er.
JOSH BLANKENHEIM - This could be the year that Brooks Grossinger doesn't win the Northwoods Tri. Josh presents him with his greatest challenge so far. Blank is racing lights-out this year, and we suspect that the Blankenheim / Grossinger battle will produce a course record.
MITCHELL CLAYTON - With a win, two 2nds and a 3rd this season, Mitch has a shot at a pordium on Saturday. We predict that the battle for 3rd place will be between him and Nick Jasmer.
CAMI ECKHOFF. 35, Detroit Lakes - Last time here, Cami placed 2nd. She's our pick to win this time around. She has two 2nds in 2024, both behind Minnesota's Triathlete of the Year frontrunner Elena Jasper.
BROOKS GROSSINGER, 47, Mayer - He's won this race seventeen times. To get #18, he'll need to outrace Blankenheim. Brooks has a win and a 2nd on his 2024 scorecard thus far.
MISSY HEILMAN, 46, West Fargo - Based on her consistent podium efforts at Alexandria and Northwoods, we think a Top 6 is doable.
NICK JASMER, 32, Menagha - Nick's been paying his dues for the last few years, now he's moved to the front of the race. He could give David Lewis a run for the 3rd podium. spot behind Grossinger and Lee. Nick placed 2nd last weekend at Hoot Lake....
M & Ms, Girlfriends & Katie's Gun Show...
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Wednesday, 07 August 2024 00:10
GRANITEMAN BIG LAKE OLYMPIC COVERAGE - We don't much about NATHAN LASSELLE, other than that he is young and wears a UM tri kit. He captured our attention in 2023 when he placed 2nd at Big Lake Olympic. So we did some research, starting by Googling the UM Tri Team. We learned at lot:
Nathan Lasselle - "I am this year’s Fundraising Coordinator. I am from Maple Grove, Minnesota, and I am majoring in Chemical Engineering. My hobbies include playing clarinet, being outdoors in nature, weight lifting, eating M&Ms and of course swimming, biking, and running. My favorite part of the team is the friendships that are formed. Many of my best friends were met on the team. My favorite memory of the team is when we went tubing after Pleasant Prairie Tri."
Lasselle, an exuberant clarinet-playing, M & M aficionado (Who isn't?) with fundraising skills is a faster in all three diciplines this year than he was in 2023, when he posted a 2:19:47 second place finish at Big Lake Olympic, which proudly features four bike miles more than standard Olympic routes. Last Saturday at this year's Big Lake Olympic, he won the race, though he needed to overcome a rather slow first transition to eventually track down and pass early leader NOAH BILLINGS, who would keep things close until the run, where he proved to be about 10-seconds per mile faster. Billings, whose girlfriend (phot below) was watching him race for the first time, was justifiably pleased with his effort. ...
