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"It Ended on a Good Note"...
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Monday, 21 September 2020 23:10
By Jason Larson
Square Lake Race Report - It definitely feels good to be racing again. To jump in the water, start your watch, put your bib on, and be out there with all the other competitors. This year's Square Lake sprint tri was unlike any other year. That's a good thing though because instead of having to be canceled due to covid, it was able to be held in a special distanced style.
The weather was excellent at Square Lake Park: Overcast skies but moderate temperatures, no rain, and no sun in your eyes. The water was cool and felt great. Racers entered the water in a serialized start, approximately one person every 5 seconds. The swim was a little over 1/2 mi and then everyone transitioned in specially arranged transition zone that spaced people 6 ft apart. I've never had so much space! We were arranged alphabetically, and I racked next to my neighbor in (similar) name Dwight Larsen. He was also back to the races after having completed 40+ tris himself. I know he was also glad to be out on course again...
Buffalo Within Touching Distance...
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Saturday, 19 September 2020 23:10
By Katy Bloomquist Freytag (Lawyer, triathlete, horselover - still sad that "House" was cancelled)
Wildlife Loop Half IM - Race report.
Swim: air temp around 40... water was in the 50s. Some said 50 some said mid 50s. It didn’t matter either way, it was cold.
I thought I had warmed up as adjusted. Not so. Got a migraine and asthma attack quickly. I was in pain and couldn’t breathe - usually swim is my happy place. It was not today. It was survival....
DKT's Back! But For How Long?....
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Wednesday, 16 September 2020 23:10
SQUARE LAKE SPRINT - Thanks, Thad!
Thad is THAD INGERSOLL, who convinced his next-door neighbor DAVID THOMPSON, the famous former "DKT," the pro triathlete who retired in 2016 after winning at least 108 multisport races, to particpate at the Platinum edition (20-year) of the Square Lake Sprint, which sure doesn't feel "sprinty" when you're doing it.
We were among the many who were anxious to watch David. At 42, we wondered if his waistline had expanded a bit and his hair was either getting a tad thinner or greyer, or both. Could he throw down like he did back in the day? we wondered.
Turns out he can. Four years have not added or subtracted much. He looked the same. And he basically raced the same, too.
So yes, he won the race rather handily, and looked great doing it. Very fun to watch....
Breakout Performances....
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Monday, 14 September 2020 23:10
SQUARE LAKE 70.3 - Circumstances dictated that this year's swim be shortened from 1.0 to .5. However, when this race was reconfigured in 2018 the bike and run distances actually exceeded the standard 56 and 13.1, adding perhaps one-and-a-half combined additional miles. So, if one wants to be a tad closer to precise, a term that which does not apply to most triathlon courses, you could say that last Saturday's Square Lake race was at least 70.3. (One Garmin estimated that the 2019 race mileage was in the 71.8 range.)
This race is a true toughie. The hills have hills. Making things even more arduous on Saturday were wet, chilly conditions. Swim temps were in the low-to-mid 60s, which was abuot 10-degrees warmer than the air temps. Early rain gave way to spitty mist which made the bike course greasy. It was understandable that the DNS and DNF rate axed about 25% of the field.
But 96 hearty souls went the distance and were able to, despite the chill, bask in the respctive glows of their respective feats, knowing that Square Lake 70.3 has our state's "hardest-to-earn" finish line....
Campfire Songs & Yelling Feet...
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Saturday, 12 September 2020 23:10
By Jennifer Martone
Square Lake 70.3 race report:
To begin, a big shout out to Judi at MMR for putting on a safe and socially distant triathlon this year! Not an easy feat with park regulations and a forecast of steady rain making attracting volunteers a struggle. Kudos to everyone that helped on 9/12, a sincere thank you....
