Race Previews
Minnesota's Du Season Opener...
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015 04:10
FALLS DUATHLON PREVIEW - Minnesota's 2015 duathlon season gets underway next Saturday in Cannon Falls. Aptly named, the Falls Du is the first of seven run-bike-runs leading up to USAT Du Nationals in St. Paul on June 6. Falls is a great event, one that will help you get a jump on your Nationals prep. And there's nothing like a duathlon to knock off your winter rust and reacquaint you with your pain threshold....
A Great Way to Help Grow our Sport...
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015 03:10
Final Stretch, Gear West Bike & Triathlon and MTN wholeheartedly encourage all veteran triathletes to make sure they introduce the multisport lifestyle to at least one, hopefully more, friend or family member this season. And the best way to do that is to get them involved with an exciting new program calle THE ROOKIE TRIATHLON EXPERIENCE. Check it out:
More Loot For Lendway?
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Monday, 20 April 2015 00:10
HEATHER LENDWAY podiumed in her non-drafting pro debut at Las Olas International last month. Can she do it again next Sunday at the iconic St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Florida? Maybe, but to do so she would have to outrace at least one recognized superstar.
Sarah Haskins, arguably the finest female triathlete that America has ever produced, is probably the best non-drafting Olympic distance female racer in the world. You just don't bet against her. At St. A's, she's won five times in seven starts. She placed 2nd in her non-winning efforts back in 2006 and 2007. Her course record is sick. 1:56:44.
Then there's Alecia Kaye, who won here in 2013 in 1:57:10. Haskins is the only American who beats her regularly.
Finally, there's Denmark's Helle Fredericksen, who, get this!, hasn't missed a podium since 2012.
To beat one of these women next Sunday would take at least a 1:59; maybe a 1:58. Is HL ready to go that fast? Good question. If she can, she'd take her place among the very best in the sport....
Crawfish, Jazz & a Paycheck...
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Saturday, 18 April 2015 00:10
DANI FISCHER, who was ranked #2 on Team Minnesota last year, won the USAT Duathlete of the Year award and was named AOY HM, will make her pro debut at New Orleans 70.3 tomorrow, and the MTN Guys are anxious to see how she fares. She's only raced once at 70.3, but demonstrated that it may be her best distance. In that single event, which was the 2014 USAT Long Distance Championships in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she won handily in a time--4:23:37--which proved to be the fastest legitimate half IM clocking by a US amateur woman last year.
A strong cyclist and an even stronger runner, we suspect that Dani's pro career will resemble that of Ruth Brennan Morrey's. In other words, we think she'll learn fast and develop quickly. Like RBM, she'll probably start WINNING major events in her second year of pro racing (2016), maybe sooner.
Ruth's first half as an amateur, like Dani's, produced a victory and a sizzling time (4:21!). Ruther's first pro half--Mallorca '13--was a "valuable learning experience" and she had to settle for 12th place, albeit with a terrific 1:18 run. Eight halves later, one of which was a podium effort (2nd at Augusta), she outraced British superstar Rachel Joyce for her first major win (Kansas 70.3).
Most pros need much more than a year to establish themselves as podium contenders. Ruther's rise to that point only took four months....
Tinman Turns 31...
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Friday, 17 April 2015 00:10
RACE PREVIEW - The 31st edition of the MORRIS TINMAN, our state's first outdoor tri (pool swim) of the season, will take place on Saturday, April 25. We thought it would be cool to share some of that race's podium history here. We hope that some of you who have never raced at the Tinman before, will give it a go this year.
2014 Morris International - 1100 yd swim - 19 mile bike - 10K run - 39 participants
MEN:
1. Matt Scmidgall - 2:02:45, 2. Paul Wymer - 2:02:48, 3. Steven Scott (SD) - 2:07:28
WOMEN:
1. Bett Rowley - 2:13:52, 2. Sarah Dens - 2:40:54, 3. Andelee Qyast - 2:40:52
2014 Tinman Sprint (Inaugural) - 450 yd swim - 12 mile bike - 5K run - 35 Participants
MEN:
1. Craig Harrison, 54 (SD) - 1:04:33, 2. Thomas Pahl - 1:08:59, Tom Schwartz - 1:17:40...
Making History...
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Saturday, 11 April 2015 00:10
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — On the heels of her 10th career ITU World Triathlon Series victory two weeks ago in Auckland, 2014 ITU World Champion Gwen Jorgensen leads an American contingent of 15 into this weekend’s series stop in Gold Coast, Australia.
Competing on a standard 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike, 10-kilometer run Olympic-distance course, Jorgensen and the elite women are scheduled to race at 9:05 p.m. ET on Friday, April 10 (11:05 a.m. local time in Gold Coast on April 11). The elite men will then race at 12:05 a.m. ET on Saturday, April 11 (2:05 p.m. Gold Coast local time). The races will be broadcast live on triathlonlive.tv, and will air on Universal Sports Network from 2-6 p.m. ET on April 11....
