Race Previews

A Lot to Get Excited About...

Thursday, 07 July 2011 03:00

(Photos L - R - Julie Hull, Cathy Lee and Claire Bootsma)

Event Preview - Cathy Yndestad shouldn't win the Life Time Fitness - Minneapolis for the 6th time on Saturday. No way. Surely she needs more healing time and a few more racing experiences to knock off some rust, right?

We're not sure.

Cathy's muscles, especially that big pumpy one in the middle of her chest, are full of LTF memories, nine years worth. Memories of...

holding off Iowa's Tami Ritchie in 2010 (Win #5). Memories of dominating the likes of 2010 USAT Athlete of the Year Mandy McLane (FL) and two-time AOY nominee Lindsay Whalen (IL) in '09 (Win #4). Course record-setting memories in 2008 (Win #3). And victorious memories from 2007 and 2006, too.

If her fitness is most of the way back, and her wealth of muscle memories kick in hard, can she outrace healthier prohibitive favorites, Cathy Lee (the only member of last year's Top 5 to NOT get a pro license), super soph Claire Bootsma, and Massachusetts' Catherine Sterling, who was dominant against a strong field at Rev3-Quassy Olympic (CT) earlier this season?

We don't have that answer, but can't wait to find out. We called the men's Elite Amateur race "Epic" in a Tuesday post. The girls contest may even be Epic-er.

Why?

'Cuz CY is not the only comeback athlete in the field, i.e. she is not the only elite wild card. Kortney Haag and Julie Hull are entered and though their minds may not carry super-lofty expectations, their bodies--their memory-rich muscles--may beg to differ.

Unlike Cathy, though, Kort's and Jules' muscles will not be drawing upon a long history of actual LTF-Mpls memories. Haag will be making her second Life Time appearance on Saturday, and Hull has not had the best of luck on this particular course, especially in 2010, when she heroically opted to crash her bike instead of bowling over a pair of toddlers and their criminally inattentive mother. In 2009, she finished 8th against what was arguably the best Elite Amateur women's