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Possible POY Nominations...

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By Simon

Garfunkel and I will select what we agree to be the three most outstanding overall performances for both the men and women. They will be our official 2024 POY nominatees. Here are the performances that we are considering:

Men:

SEAN COOLEY, 39, Stillwater

- CR win @ Square Lake 70.3 - 4:10:57

- 5th @ Ironman 70.3 Des Moines - 4:07:57 (Fastest half IM time of the season by a MN triathlete)

MARCUS DUVAL, 33, Minneapolis

- Dominant win at Manitou International (1:59:46 - 1 mi. - 27 - 10k)...

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More Names - Possible Male AOY Nominees...

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By Simon

Which three men listed here will lock up Athlete of the Year nominations?

JOSH BLANKENHEIM, 44 Duluth - With three wins and a 2nd in four starts, Josh proved he deserves consideration here.

TIM BONTRAGER, 31, Minneapolis - Two wins and a 2nd this season. Will it be enough?

SEAN COOLEY, 39, Stillwater - A 4:10 win at uber-challenging Square Lake, a 4:14 2nd at hot, windy Chisago and a 4:07 5th at Des Moines 70.3 could be enough for the former AOY to receive a nomination.

SAM HAUCK, 40, Eden. Prairie - Two big wins--Pigman Olympic and Timberman International--and a fast 7th (1:59) at Maple Grove. Enough for a second look?...

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More Name-Dropping - Possible AOY Nominees...

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By Simon

Later this month, Garfunkel and I will be selecting three male and three female nominees in several categories for this year's Minnesota Multisport Honors. Today, I'm looking at the list of women who deserve to be considered for Athlete of the Year nominations. Know that to be considered an athletes must have turned in at least three outstanding performances. Know also that some athletes have yet to complete their seasons, thus our list might require updating.

Here, in alpha order, are the current considerees for Female AOY nominations: 

KATIE DEREGNIER, 36, Farmington - Katie's highlights include two wins--Trinona Olympic and Big Lake Olympic--and a pair of 2nds--TriByKnight (IA) and Chisago Olympic. 

CAMI ECKHOFF, 38, Detroit Lakes - Two fast wins--1:05 at Northwoods and 1:00:54 at Young Life Sprint--plus impressive 2nds at Chisago 70.3 and Clearwater Olympic are Cami's 2024 highlights. Her improvement from year-to-year has been fun to watch...

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More Name-Dropping - Male Masters...

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By Garfunkel

In 2024, several men aged 40-59 (the “masters” category) rocked and will undoubtedly leap onto, or remain on, Team Minnesota. Before announcing Team MN and narrowing the field down to 3 official nominees for male Master of the Year, here are the highlights of the guys who caught our eye this year.

Dan Arlandson, 47, Burnsville:
Dan races exclusively 70.3s, and we’d love to see him hop into some competitive local short course races like Buffalo or Maple Grove. Nonetheless, he excels in the half distance, breaking 4:30 on 3 occasions this season.

Josh Blankenheim, 43, Duluth:
Josh has been the Northland’s numero uno for a while now, and this year he continued to show why. Three wins, 2 masters records, and a second behind Spencer Syvertson at Brewhouse olympic (who he edged-out a few weeks later at Lakes Country sprint)....

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Transition Practice & a New Bike...

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EDTiffany Kari Cizmas sent us these words about her return to triathlon and her likely nomination for 2024 Master of the Year: 

So here’s my secret as yes I’ve been out of the scene for some time!

After focusing on the marathon for many years I’ve found I really love triathlon and so missed the community! I started mountain bike racing last year and was shocked to find out how much it helped my overall bike fitness! With worlds going so well last year I decided to start working on my swim & bike more. Joined a masters program on Oct 2023. Dropped about 3 minutes off my time. Kept on mountain biking. Did more races this year. Upgraded my 2010 Tri bike (new bike a month ago). Practiced transitions for the first time....

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