Race Previews

Podium Sweepage?

Friday, 23 September 2011 03:00

(Photos L - R - DKT, Dan Hedgecock & Patrick Parish)

Peregrine Charities Triathlon - The 4th annual PC Olympic and Sprint Triathlon will be staged in Waterloo, Iowa, this Sunday. A record turnout will be on hand and the fields will be deeper than ever. Several of Minnesota's best multisporters will be there and we predict an Olympic podium sweep for the Loon State visitors....

For the dudes, we believe that despite post IM fatigue and soreness, David Thompson will grab the $1000 first prize. He should also lower the Olympic-distance record--1:53:26--set last year by Indiana pro / 2007 US Athlete of the Year Daniel Bretscher. The victory would be the 72nd of his illustrious career.

Next, we believe that Dan Hedgecock will take 2nd ($500), giving him the amateur win, which would be his 10th W of his sophomore season. We're also predicting that Hedge will receive a USAT Athlete of the Year Honorable Mention at the conclusion of the season. He should take his place among the super-talented likes of Adam Webber (PA), Karl Kahsar (CO) and Patrick Duffy (PA) when the announcement is made.

The final podium spot ($100) should go to Patrick Parish, who garnered an AOY HM in 2010 and a butt-load of MMAs. PP is coming off a 2nd place finish at the Best of the US Championships in Alabama and has 18 career wins.

Are there any guys who could prevent prevent podium sweepage for the Minnesotans? As of Wednesday, only one guy on the reg. list possessed threatening creds: 1st-year pro Chris Vander Linden of Iowa City. It is possible that some tough dudes, like Bretscher and new pro / 2010 AOY HM Patrick Davis from Ames, Iowa, may pop in. But even if they do, we would be reluctant to change our picks.

For the girls, we believe that Claire Bootsma (photo L) and 2008 PC winner (and two-time runner-up) Kortney Haag will claim the two tallest podium steps. A win for the toothy Claire-Bear, who adopted the tri lifestyle in earnest in August of 2010, would be her 7th of the season and 10th of her young career.

While we're predicting a win for Boots, we are not dismissing the possibility that Kortney could win on Sunday. She proved at St. Croix Valley Olympic, where she gouged Cindi Bannink's long-standing course record, that she's ready to rock n roll.

Who'll take 3rd place? We are going out on a limb and predicting that Joanna Hall, who's coming off a decisive win at TriHawks, will out-race fellow podium hopefuls Janet McCullough, a two-time winner here, Daniela Williams and Alaina Mertens, all of whom hail from the Hawkeye state. Hall, who has won four races this season and should be considered for a Most Improved nomination and perhaps a berth on Team Minnesota, is actually an Iowan now, having moved to Iowa City from Rochester in mid-season. Here at MTN, we're not ready to let go, though. For the sake of the 2011 multisport year, Jo is a Minnesotan as far as we're concerned.

As with the guys, we can't rule out the possibility that a few fast girls will register late. Someone like first year pro Tami Ritchie, or top Illinois amateurs Christine Anderson and Kathrine Warren.

We're going down to watch this race on Sunday. Care to join us? Whether you race or spectate, PC Tri is shaping up as a super event. And Amber, the race director, and her crew do a totally first-class job of staging this race. Go to the event's website and check out their outstanding Race Book.