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Buffalo XVII Preview...

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BUFFALO TRIATHLON PREVIEW - The 17th edition of the Buffalo Triathlon will take place at scenic Sturges Park on the eastern shoreline of Buffalo Lake next Sunday. Weather Underground forecasts favorable conditions and an early look at the registration list tells us that,once again, Buffalo will be one of the most competitive races of the season. Let's talk about that, starting with the Olympic event....

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30 Years of Free Pizza, Store Pets, Immeasureable Riches...

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Gear West. The Pig. Thirty years ago.

By Jan Guenther

Thirty years ago, Gear West Ski & Bike opened their door into a tiny, rented 500 sq foot building behind the Domino’s Pizza building in Long Lake.  We (Brian Knutson and me, Jan Guenther) invested $11,000 to stock basic bicycle repair items. A sprinkling of Bridgestone bikes and a few Fischer xc skis rounded out the offerings. I remember our first sale, a shift cable. Our building had a connecting door to the Domino’s pizza palace and all order mistakes were ours to eat.

Fast forward two years later, one location change and a lot of hard work, we purchased our own building, the old Long Lake State bank. Complete with an up and downstairs airless Safe room, the old bank was retrofitted to house a lot more skis and two additional bike lines. We built an enclosed boat yard to offer Wenonah canoes and to house a small potbellied pig. I had always wanted a tiny pig and this was my grand opportunity. Hoover, the piglet ate a lot and grew into a rather sturdy midsized  pig  with tusks, which elicited many comments from Long Lake’s residents. ..

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Old Bogie's Bar & Bikes Leaning Against Trees....

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By Jason Larson

Triple R Triathlon Race Report - Flaters resort in Holcombe, WI put on their 33rd annual Triple-R triathlon on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Due to being an early season event, the Flaters triathlon is formatted as a run-bike-paddle race, with racers starting off right at noon. The course is one large loop with a start/finish, separate T1, and still another T2.

The race starts at Flater's Resort in Holcomb, WI. The weather can be variable and this year it was 74 and sunny at the start. A little warmer than most would like but still manageable. The run is approximately 2.5 miles through both pavement and offroad trail through the woods. It ends at Old Bogie's Bar, where the bikes are mounted. This is a fairly small event, so no racks or transition zones here - bikes are all staged leaning against trees, fence posts, or just right on the ground. There aren't even any timing mats at the transitions, just one timing mat at the start/finish. This year's run took place after a couple of recent rains, so racers were navigating muddy ATV tracks on the way to their bikes.  About 100 racers total set off from the start, but that doesn't include the relay racers who were already staged at T1 and T2. 

The bike course follows sawdust road for about 11 miles (shortened this year) until racers reach River's Edge Park where the canoes or kayaks are staged. Again, this isn't a large scale event so boats are staged right on the river's edge and bikes are usually left in the grass along the riverbank or along more...

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40th Anniversary Apple Du Kicks Off 2022 Multisport Season...

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ED. SC Times always posts their Apple Duathlon coverage on the afternoon of the race. That is so cool. The photo here is of men's winner Andy Zabel approaching the finish line, and setting PR in the process. Here is their coverage of yesterday's run-bike-run, the oldest du in the US:

Story & Photo By Brian Mozey  (SCTimes.com)

A cool and breezy May morning greeted competitors to the 40th Apple Duathlon on Saturday. 

Standing near the transition area was Daryl Stevens, reflecting on the history of the race. Stevens co-founded the Apple Duathlon in 1983 with Rich Schwegel as a health promotion for  St. Cloud Hospital....

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USA Triathlon Applauds Apple Duathlon!

 

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By Chelsea Montes (usatriathlon.org)

For decades, the Sartell Apple Duathlon has established a legacy of enriching the lives of people by helping them get active, stay healthy and grow together as a community through biking and running.  

Located in Sartell, Minnesota, the duathlon is the oldest-standing duathlon in the U.S. as this year celebrates its 40th anniversary.  

The race was founded in 1983 as a run-only event as a part of a program through the local hospital aimed at improving heart health. Biking was added in 1985 and was originally called a biathlon. Today, the event has adopted the run-bike-run format, featuring a 5-kilometer run, 33k bike, 5k run and welcomes over 500 athletes. 

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