Race Previews

Weekend Mini-Preves...

r-fest-logo.gifROCHESTERFEST OLYMPIC & SPRINT - We hope that these excellent races, the pride of the Rochester community, get a giant enrollment bump this week. Heck, we hope that happens to all of the weekend's events.

PREDICTIONS: We think that Chap Achen, who is coming off a great Masters Record-setting effort at Trinona, will win the men's Olympic title. We think that either Julie Hull or Bridget McCoy will share the Winner's Circle with him.

We're anxious to see how fast Chris Lam, now 17, goes in the Sprint. He won last year. He's very talented and the MMA Selectors wish he'd race more often. Yes, we think he'll repeat as champion. WEBSITE

MANITOU SPRINT TRIATHLON - Based on the registration list we saw, we believe that 2013 Most Improved award winner Brian Sames will collect his 8th career win. Ukranian transplant Lydia Novotny hasn't won a multi since early July in 2012. We think that will...

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Epic Amenities...

cap-city-logo.gifCAPITOL CITY TRIATHLON - The MTN Guys think that it's a major bummer that last weekend's racing calendar was so light--three races in which less than 200 Minnesota athletes raced. (A large percentage of those that raced at Fairmont and Canby were from South Dakota and Iowa.) Next weekend there are EIGHT multis, only one of which--Lake Minnetonka--will pull in the numbers of prior years.

The new Capitol City race (Sunday) will not be large, perhaps 200-250 entrants, but organizers are confident that it's execution, courses and amenities will make the event an "Instant Classic." ...

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One of Minnesota's Premier Venues...

LMT-bikers.gifLAKE MINNETONKA PREVIEW - With 600+ entrants, the LMT will be the best-attended of the EIGHT Minnesota multis that are slated for next weekend. A consistently outstanding race at a premier venue (Excelsior Commons on Lake Minnetonka), the 11-year-old event is one of a child's handful of races that appears to be impervious to the current trends that affect race attendance, things like long course popularity and that newer triathletes, i.e. those who have come into the lifestyle in the last 6-7 years, race less frequently than their more grizzled veteran counterparts.

Also in LMT's favor is its astonishing recidivism rate. A higher than normal percentage of its participants return to this race year after year.

This is certainly apparent when you look at its list of past champions. Saturday's event will feature eight of them, four men--Brooks Grossinger (2013, 2012), Brett Lovaas (2009, 2006, 2006-BOUS, 2005), Steve Sander (2011, 2010) and Tony Schiller (2008)--and four women--Heather...

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New Bri Turns 9...

beer-bike.gif(Photo - Matt Payne's bike. FYI, this pic has nothing to do with the New Bri preview. We're posting it because we think it's cool.)

RACE PREVE - Can you believe it? The New Bri Tri will celebrate its 9th anniversary this Saturday. Despite the fact that it shares the weekend with a pair of perennially well-attended races--Liberty and Trinona--it will, as always, have a nice turnout (400+) thanks to its high percentage of annual recidivists.

High recidivism rates means that the organizers are doing something right.

Last week, we peeked at New Bri's registration list. No favorites on the men's side leapt out at us. We suspect that several local eite males have since sign-up up, or will do so this week.

The women's field, on the other hand, is deep and has probably gotten even deeper since we looked at last week's list. Based on what we saw, we are willing to make the following predictions:

- The women's tittel will go to either Cathy Lee or Sarah Mercer....

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Trinona 2014 Preview Stuff...

trinona-panorama.gif

 

RACE PREVIEW - Since its inauguration in '09, TRINONA has been a Top 5 finalist for "Triathletes Choice Race of the Year." In 2010 and 2011 it actually won the award....

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Lofty Expectations...

ab-girl-liberty.gif(Minnefotamoments PIc - A woman with awesome abs crosses the shady finish line at the 2012 Liberty Half.) 

LIBERTY HALF PREVE - We're really excited about next Saturday's Liberty Half, which will be celebrating its 9th anniversary and its fourth year at the Lake Rebecca venue. The field is strong and, weather permitting, we could see overall and several AG course records fall.

There are at least five registered guys that can dip under 4:10, a feat that has never been accomplished at Liberty. In fact, only one dude, Matt Payne (4:07:39 - 2013), has cracked the 250-minute mark in the past. This year, however, we wouldn't be surprised to see Matt, former Canadian pro Danny Morwood (PR-4:07), four-time IM winner Dan Arlandson (PR - 4:06), 2013 Libert Runner-up Patrick Peacock (4:12:06) of Winnipeg, and Brian Sames (PR - 4:16 on a long course), who almost caught amateur champ Payne last year at Chisago, do that.

Jason Crisp, Kyle Serreyn, Justin Manning, John Heinlein and Chap Achen will provide a sturdy push. If all goes well, these guys should post times in the 4:11 - 4:20-range.

We don't expect to anyone to break Kortney Haag's CR-4:35:45, but we do expect a great race with a record number of women breaking 5-hours, which is to say, we think that more than six women will dip under the...

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