Race Previews
Passing the Torch to Josh...
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Tuesday, 28 July 2015 07:10
29th BREWHOUSE PREVIEW - When one ponders the history of multisport racing by Duluth athletes one recalls Sara Hollingsworth, Robin Tedlund, Marlo Crosby. More recently, of course, the names Elaine Nelson and Jess Rossing come immediately to mind.
For the dudes, though, one need not ponder long, nor hard. Brian Bich, Rod Raymond and Rhett Bonner have been carrying Duluth's flag from more than two decades. Brian has won the hometown classic Brewhouse Tri an unprecedented 12 times. No other athlete in Minnesota multisport history has won a single race a dozen times.
Brian, now 49, will NOT be gunning for a 13th BH win next Saturday, but he'll be at the race. This time around, he'll team up with fellow legends Raymond at Bonner and rock the relay competition like it's never been rocked before. Gonna be so cool! And so fast!
But how much faster will they be than the individual men's winner? Hard to say, though they better be fast if they are going to distance themselves from pre-race favorite Josh Blankenheim (photo L)....
Protectors & Servers and Toughmen...
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Thursday, 23 July 2015 06:10
MINI RACE PREVES - There are five races next weekend and we'd love to preview all of them. But alas, we cannot. We only know who is racing at two of those events--Saturday's Walker Tri and Sunday's Toughman Minnesota, formerly the Chisago Half and Sprint. The other three races are Uncle Randy's Shell Lake Tri in western Wisconsin, the Moose Lake Tri south of Duluth, and the long-running Hoot Lake Tri near Fungus Falls, which is actually "Fergus Falls," but Angie Hop calls it Fungus Falls. We certainly hope that all these races enjoy great weather, good turnouts and satisfied participants....
North Country Buzz & Other Stuff...
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Thursday, 16 July 2015 00:10
4th Annual BUZZ RYAN SPRINT - This super-cool event takes place next Sunday at Island Lake north of Duluth at a picnic park that appears to have been designed with triathlon in mind. The race is a great prelude to Brewhouse, which had moved to the same venue three years ago, but its primary goal is to lure newbies and introduce them to the multisport lifestyle. Here's BRS' Mission Statement: ...
Epic Possibilities...Updated...
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Wednesday, 15 July 2015 00:10
HEART OF THE LAKES PREVIEW - The 30th edition of this classic event, the State Tri Championships since 1996, promises to be super competitive. On the men's side, it is possible for this year's field to match a record that happened in 2009: Six men broke 1:30 in the long course. Since '09, only one guy--DKT--has dipped under the magic 90-minute mark....
Minneapolis Tri XIV Preview...
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Tuesday, 07 July 2015 06:10
LIFE TIME FITNESS - MINNEAPOLIS TRIATHLON - The 14th edition of this annual classic will take place at Lake Nokomis on Saturday. The event will feature a regional collegiate championship with at least 38 athletes racing, and an Elite Amateur competiton with a similar number (40ish) of attendees....
An Original...
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Monday, 06 July 2015 06:10
TIMBERMAN PREVIEW - Timberman, Minnesota's original "Destination Triathlon," will celebrate its 31st birthday on Saturday (July 11). Like most races, it struggles to get its numbers of yesteryear, but unlike most races, it manages to come dang close to doing so. This means that, despite current trends, Timberman is "hanging in there" better than most events. Still, the MTN Guys want to encourage anyone who has not committed to a race on the weekend of July 11-12, to make the trip to Sugar Lake. Especially those folks who have never done this "experience" before. It's not just about the race. You don't just pop in, race and drive home. At Timberman, you also swim, fish, golf, barbecue and pontoon (verb form), as well as eat and drink at Otis' Grill, which has an awesome deck and is located on the north edge of the transition area.
It's a "destination" event....
