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Beware of Fast Teenagers...UPDATED...
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Saturday, 22 June 2019 23:10
GRANITEMAN CLEARWATER SPRINT - The original Graniteman Triathlon happened in 2004 in Rockville, a bucolic berg southwest of St. Cloud. JOHN SHELP and SARAH FOLEY were the winners that year.
The race soon outgrew its venue, and organizers wanted a site that was closer to the Twin Cities. So, after just six years in Rockville, the event was moved to Warner Lake near Clearwater. 2019 marks the 16th anniversary of the event, and 10th anniversary of it at its current venue.
According to the race website, the event features the following:
It offers both sprint and olympic distances and features a unique point to point sprint distance swim, a beautiful bike ride through rolling country roads, and finishes with an out & back run that includes both paved and natural surfaces. There is also a park for the kids, live music, great food, fantastic race swag, great awards, and awesome door prizes!
In other words, Graniteman Clearwater is awesome.
It's fun for us to make some predictions, which we do to stimulate interest and conversation, so, according to the registration list we saw last week, let's do some name-dropping....
"I Became Stronger"....
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Thursday, 20 June 2019 23:10
By Erin Ladendorf
"It never gets easier, you just get faster...."
IRONMAN MADISON 70.3 (NOT A) RACE REPORT - Thank you Greg LeMond for that amazing quote. And thank you to coach Mike for reminding me of it post race. Because I have never actually felt those words truer than when I raced Ironman 70.3 Madison this last weekend.
I have been racing for going on 6 years. And every single year I am a better athlete than the year before in one way or another. Some year its speed. Other years its mental toughness. Other years it's just learning how to race and maintain my sanity. 2019 is another year of monumental gains for me in several areas of my racing. I am part of an incredible team of people on the Elite Wattie Ink team for starters. And knowing that group for the last year has given me more inspiration than I have had in the last 6 years combined....
It's For Everybody!
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Wednesday, 19 June 2019 23:10
GEAR WEST XXVI - For much of it's first quarter century, especially after the millennial turn, the Gear West Duathlon was recognized as one of America's most competitive run-bike-runs. That reputation served the event well until 2012ish, when multisport attendance stared to tumble. In 2018, the GWD left the calendar as had approximately half of our state's races over the last half-dozen years.
Thanks in part to positive signs concerning event enrollment, e.g. encouraging tournouts in 2019 were enjoyed by Buffalo, Trinona and Lake Minnetonka, and to a change of marketing focus, the Gear West Du has returned, it's 26th edition slated for thei Sunday, June 23.
It's very possible that focusing on "competition" has caused some race attendances to decline. It seems that a growing percentage of multisport newcomers are "recreational," in it for fun, fitness and the social benefits. Competitive races can be intimidating to this constituency; some may even conclude that they are not as welcome as those motivated by speed and placement....
Holden Wins Again! Sortland Surprises!
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Tuesday, 18 June 2019 23:10
Photo - Talented teens Natasha Sortland and Noah Billings.
FAIRMONT TRIATHLON - Since 2013, DAVID HOLDEN has won at least 10 multisport races. During this period he had been nominated for Master of the Year several times. And 30% of those wins had been at Fairmont, with another three Ws recorded there between 2007 and 2012. Holden's only non-win at the FT was a close 2nd behind talented tri-rookie TOBY HENKELS in 2015. Only seven seconds separated those men.
And yes, Holden, now 50, won the Fairmont Olympic race last Saturday. His margin-of-victory was substantial--3:42--though not as thick as in most years. And his time was a very solid 2:04:45.
Placing 2nd was South Dakota teen LIAM REESE, with 3rd going to North Mankato's KYLE KRAUSE, whose 2:12:27 was eight-and-a-half minutes faster than his runner-up time here in 2018.
Mankato's JULIE BUSCH, 45, winner of Fairmont's Sprint race in 2018, and Olympic runner-up here in 2017, led the women's field. Lakeville's JESSIE MEYER claimed the silver, with Sioux Falls' KAMMIE PETERSON filling out the women's podium....
Drama & Big Trophies...
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Sunday, 16 June 2019 23:10
LAKE MINNETONKA TRIATHLON - Fifty weeks ago, JOSH MORK sped out of T2 in first place at the Lake Waconia Triathlon. He was facing what was certainly the deepest men's field of the season, and though he was recognized as possessing "elite" credentials, it certainly appeared that he was, as they say, "in way over his head." The guys he was facing--PARISH, O'CONNOR, CRUSER, TREISE, BLANKENHEIM, ADRIAENS et al--were men he'd never beaten before....
