Race Coverage
Bringing Out Their Best...
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Wednesday, 21 September 2022 00:10
ONE LAST TRI COVERAGE - The MTN Guys love to "drop names." Put differently, we love to talk about people, especially those who set the performance standards in our region.
In most of our posts, we talk about the "ususal suspects," i.e. those that consistently race at the front, both overall and in age groups. It delights us when we have the opportunity to write about new people, those whose names we've not previously mentioned.
We get to do that here. Three of the four overall winners of last Sunday's One Last Tri are names that haven't been mentioned on this site in the past, and those athletes recorded their first career multisport victories.
Let's start with the OLT OLYMPIC, which was won by LEVI ARNEBERG and CHARLEEN STOECKEL, both of whom threw down breakout performances. Levi's previous best tri effort was his 16th at Chisago Olympic. A time comparison--yes, the distances were not identical--nevertheless demonstrated a significant improvement, especially on the bike. His final 2:13:31 gave him a narrow 27-second victory over runner-up KRISTIAN STOECKEL, another athlete we had yet to hghlight on our site. ...
"The Warning Lights Came on Again and Again"...
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Monday, 19 September 2022 00:10
By Ted Treise
Santa Cruz 70.3 Highlights – First off, the race is probably one of the best race locations I’ve traveled to. San Francisco is close and easy to fly into, the town is not a tourist trap and feels like there’s a sense of community, and finally the race course is just amazing. Only downside might be the housing situation. Dani and I got a dirt cheap AirBnB (hotels were $500/ night) that appeared to once be a 1 story home and has since been converted into 3 rented areas separated by plywood in a, ah, developing neighborhood. We kept the bikes close by and doors locked.
Swim
Santa Cruz is a typical Ocean swim course being 3/4ths of a rectangle from the beach. Ocean swims are my bread and butter – wetsuit legal, salty water helping with more flotation and typically a beach start with a run in. On race morning at 6:50, I lined up on the far outside of the start line behind Eric Lagerstrom and Matt Sharpe. TO was a few guys down but my hope was if I could get in there on the swim, catch their feet for as long as I could, then hopefully be a part of a pack with whoever also thought that plan was a good idea. At first, it worked like a charm. The run in created some natural separation right away making it less of a brawl once we all go horizontal and I was able to get on Erics feet. Of course, he gapped the group pretty quick, but I found myself in a good group on some feet and I was PUSHING to stay on. A little gap opened up with the swimmer in front of me and another swimmer was able to slot in. Unfortunately, said swimmer also lost the draft and we were in no mans land quickly. At the halfway point, I split a sighting Buoy with him and a few others, then put in a serge to swim solo knowing the pack I wanted was about a minute up. ...
One Pedal and an Altered Mindset...
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Saturday, 17 September 2022 00:10
ED. Earlier this week we recieved this email from SAMUEL RODEN, who became an Ironman last weekend in Madison:
It’s Samuel, the guy who sprints into every finish! Was recommended by my friend Darin Westfal to share my insane story from September 11.
I knew it was going to rain, but didn’t expect what was going to happen that day.
The swim went great. Enjoyed seeding myself a bit farther back and passing people. A very odd enjoyable moment for me was getting passed by the elite men as they were finishing. Here I was swimming at a fast pace and then I find myself getting climbed on by 4 bodies one after another. I then knew it was the elite pack going by.
Transition went well, was ready for the bike. Got on my bike and had a great ride out to the start of the loop, and then on the ride up for Mt Horeb besides having to go the bathroom really bad. Made it about 45 miles into the bike which was where the 3 big hills are on the first lap, and after the end of the 3rd hill, my pedal felt a bit weird. ...
Another Win For Sara & Blank...
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Saturday, 03 September 2022 00:10
LAKES COUNTRY TRIATHLON - SARA CARLSON, 44, and JACQUELINE BACIGALUPI, also 44, love their hometown race. And it is obvious that their hometown race loves them back. Jacqui has three Lakes Country women's titles on her resume, and Sara has two, the most recent of which was at last Sunday's 22nd edition of the LCT (including it's predecessor "Whipple Wave")...
Gnarly Conditions...
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Monday, 08 August 2022 00:10
Re: 34th Brewhouse Coverage:
Text & Photos - Steve Kuchera - duluthnewstribune.com
ISLAND LAKE — Nick Ellis was still smiling when he crossed the finish line for the Brewhouse Triathlon on Sunday.
Ellis, 36, of Minneapolis, was exhausted after completing his first-ever triathlon, but was proud that he had battled through some conditions that challenged everyone on the course...
Sloshing in Sherburne County...
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Sunday, 07 August 2022 00:10
GRANITEMAN BIG LAKE COVERAGE - The weather for the 2020 Big Lake Triathlon was ideal for racing; the conditions greeting the event's 2021 participants were not. Rain had made for conservative pacing.
The forecast for this year's Big Lake races (Olympic and Sprint) called for rain again, lots of it, and that's exactly what confronted the 300-plus entrants who arrived at Lakeside Park last Saturday. In fact, it, pardon the awkward metaphor, rained like a banshee and didn't let up, ironically, until almost everyone had sloshed across the finish line.
Naturally, the situation caused some attrition, but many of 231 athletes who ultimately perservered praised the event and were justifiably pleased with themselves for meeting the heightened challenge.
After a mandatory 30-minute lightning delay, the Olympic race got underway. Immediately, the men who would ultimately claim the Top Four spots broke into two groups. The first pair consisted of past champions PRESTON YOUNGDAHL, who would once again demonstrate that he is the frontrunner for 2022 Minnesota Male Triathlete of the Year, and 2020 Big Lake winner JOSH MORK, who is enthusiastically on what can be described as "the comeback trail."
The second pair consisted were recent Turtleman Olympic winner JASON LIEBSCH, and STEVEN VOSS, who like Jason, is enjoying a very successful 2022 tri season. In their last meeting at Graniteman Clearwater, Voss outswam and outran Liebsch, but was unable to overcome the deficit created on the bike. The result at Clearwater was a 4th place finish for Jason and a 2:58 margin over 6th-placing Voss....
