Race Coverage
Hosch Hammers...
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Tuesday, 28 July 2015 10:10
6th WALKER TRIATHLON - Being the first of your gender to cross the finish line does not always mean that you've won the race.
Last Saturday, Matt Radniecki and Jacquelyn Bacigalupi (pronounced "bah-chee-gah-loop-pee," we think?) were the first man and woman to cross the finish line on the scenic western shoreline of Leech Lake's Walker Bay. They were, in golf parlance, clubhouse leaders. Talented athletes in later waves could rob the twosome, who shared the Winner's Circle the previous weekend at Heart of the Lakes Sprint, of their titles....
Palmer & Lendway Are Tough, Man....
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Monday, 27 July 2015 06:10
TOUGHMAN MINNESOTA SPRINT - Devon Palmer's signature monster bike split propelled him to his 3rd victory in four starts this season last Sunday in Chisago City. The caffeinated spokesmodel (photo L) had a slim lead on Kevin O'Connor coming out Chisago Lake and picked up a couple more ticks in T1.
On the bike, though, his margin over the eventual runner-up grew by an additional 2:09. The mustacheod Palmer needed that time to hold off Kevin during the 5K run. KO's run split was 1:21 faster than DP's thus Devon's eventual margin of victory was trimmed to 53 seconds. His winning time--1:16:04--was the event's 4th fastest ever.
Both Palmer and O'Connor had prior wins here, Devon in 2012 and Kevin in 2011. By our reckoning, the victory was the 17th of Palmer's tri/du career. For the 44-year-old O'Connor, it was his 7th podium effort of the season. Four of those performances were victories....
"...Bemidji...Always a Special Place..."
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Friday, 24 July 2015 00:10
By Ryan Wippler
PAUL BUNYAN TRIATHLON RACE REPORT - Race Day: I was feeling a bit beat up still from Granite Man Clear Lake, but the only bummer of the day was that due to road construction we were not able to run past the giant Paul Bunyan and Babe statues. That trivial disillusionment aside, Bemidji will always be a special place for me; I guess because I probably wouldn’t exist without it. My parents met at Bemidji State, “the university on the lake”, as my late father, Patrick would reminisce. Growing up I remember attending a myriad of fairs, festivals, 4th of July fireworks, parades, picnics, days on the lake-heck, even hockey camps, in this fine city. [Fun Fact #1: my mother, Diane Wippler, was voted Miss Congeniality of the 1971 Miss Bemidji Contest.] Although, the weatherman had threatened severe storms with damaging hail overnight, the early morning ambience at Cameron Park could have not been more agreeable with the sun rising and reflecting off Lake Bemidji bathing the triathletes in a warm morning glow as they busied themselves with transition setup. Times like these make me forget about 3:45 a.m. wake up times followed by 2 1/2 hr drives. Man, I love our state. ...
Crispy & Micah's Mom Rock the Buzz...
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Wednesday, 22 July 2015 00:10
Photo - Accomplished triathlete Leanne Bronson--front row in red shorts, can you believe she's 45?--hanging out with several of her self-medicating friends.
4th BUZZ RYAN SPRINT - We knew that this day would come. What are we talking about, you ask? We knew that Jason Crisp, who had won his share of multisport races during his residencey in South Dakota, would eventually start winning on this side, the right side, of the border as well.
Yes, Jason Crisp won the 4th annual Buzz Ryan Sprint Triathlon at Island Lake last Sunday. His time was brisk, a 53:03 on the elongated route. (The bike portion had been lengthened by two miles.) Had he been racing the old route, his time would have been a sub-50, which would have crushed the previous CR....
More Milestones For Matt...
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Tuesday, 21 July 2015 00:10
30th HEART OF THE LAKES - THE MEN - Riding at least a mile-per-hour faster than anybody else means that you will catch those that outswam you and power into T2 all by your lonesome. You probably won't have to bust your hump too much on the run, but that's no reason not to. Especially when you want to win the National Championships three weeks hence.
That's how Matt Payne picked up his second consecutive win at Heart of the Lakes last Sunday, which was his 7th victory in as many starts this year. More impressively, it was the 40th W of his career. So you know, his first win was at the original Graniteman in Rockville back in 2008. The dude's come a long way in a relatively short period of time.
Though unsurprising, Matt's win was exciting to watch. Similarly unsurprising, yet concommitantly thrilling, were the performances turned in by Matt's podiummates, Josh Blankenheim and Kevin O'Connor. For Blank, it was his 3rd 2nd-place effort of the season and his time on the HOLT...
Deb Pumped Her Fist...
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Monday, 20 July 2015 06:10
By Warren Peece
30th HEART OF THE LAKES - THE WOMEN - As Deb Roberts approached the finish line at HOLT on Sunday, she pumped her fist in celebration. She did so not because she had raced well, though she had (placing 2nd in her AG behind that pesky six-o-genarian, Pammy Stevens), but because the announcer guy told her and everyone within earshot, that her daughter Christina, had won the overall women's title.
Christina Roberts raced brilliantly at Annandale. She followed her signature strong swim (2nd fastest of the day for the women) with her best bike performance to date. The MTN Guys had contended in recent posts that a little more bike speed was all that was keeping Christina out of more Winners Circles. Well, she more than held her own in the saddle on Sunday. Only top tri cyclists Suzie Fox, Kortney Haag and Lisa Lendway, had faster splits. When Roberts came into T2 with those women, she looked energized. She was smiling. She knew something that the rest of us would know soon enough....
