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Lindsay's Journey...

Friday, 28 August 2026 00:10

Lindsay Nauen to Participate in Worlds

After 20 years of triathlons and several times competing at Nationals, Lindsay Nauen of St. Paul,MN, will be part of Team USA in the World Triathlon Championship Finals being held in Pontevedra, Spain in September. She will compete in the 75–79 age group of the Sprint Tri. This will include a 750-meter river swim, a 20 km bike leg, and a 5 km run.

In 2006, Lindsay was struggling with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle and facing severe health risks. She decided to make serious life-changing commitments and has followed through, losing almost half her body weight and keeping it off. This became the basis for her book, “No Quick Fixes: A Fitness Journey for the Real World.” Today, she is a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach.

Lindsay began her triathlon journey at an Alexandria, MN, event in May 2007. Since then, she has competed in over 100 triathlons, plus duathlons, 5 and 10 k runs, half marathons, and other road races. She just returned from competing in the Age Group Nationals in Milwaukee of August 9 . 

“My goal in Spain is personal,” Lindsay said. “But the message I bring back is universal. Your goal doesn’t have to look anything like mine. It just has to be yours.”

Follow her journey on LinkedIn.com/in/lindsaynauen and Instagram @Lindsaynauencoach.

Emptying the Tank...

Wednesday, 26 August 2026 00:10

By Nick Jasmer

Northwoods Sprint Triathlon Race Report - What an absolutely picture-perfect day to race! The swim started hot and fast, but I was able to find some feet early, settle into a good rhythm, and put together a swim I was really happy with.

Once I hopped on the bike, it was time to get to work. I knew there were guys ahead of me I needed to catch and some strong athletes behind me that I needed to create a gap on. So I put the hammer down. With fresh pavement on the course, it was FAST, and I ended up putting down probably one of my best power outputs ever in a sprint triathlon.

Coming out of T2, I knew Spencer (set another course record!) was up the road and out of sight, but as I turned onto the Heartland Trail, I could see Brett (Winkelman) ahead. I settled into my pace and slowly started closing the gap. 

At the same time, I knew David (Lewis) and Andrew (Moen) were behind me and could RUN. At one point I looked back and could see David closing. Once I hit the turnaround, I knew there was absolutely no letting up.

From there it was all gas. Empty the tank and get to that finish line.

Those final minutes honestly felt like an out-of-body experience with how deep I was digging, but I was able to hold on and cross the line 2nd overall out of 170 athletes! 

Splits: 

Swim - 7:02

Bike - 33:52

Run - 19:14

Finish - 1:02:17

Place -  2nd Overall

Such a phenomenal day racing against some amazing triathletes. One of the things I’m most thankful for in this sport is the friendships it has given me. It was also awesome sharing the course with teammates from Branden Scheel Racing. Everybody crushed it!  Huge thank you to the race directors and volunteers who make this event possible. Thanks to my coach, for pushing me and believing in me.

And the biggest shoutout to my wife Abby and my little guy Noah for being there from start to finish cheering me on. Racing has a whole new meaning for me now. Every time I cross that finish line and get to see my little boy there looking up to me, I’m reminded that this is about so much more than a finishing time or a podium. 

What a day! 

Preston, Heather, Kyler & Bette...

Sunday, 23 August 2026 00:10

2026 MAPLE GROVE OLYMPIC CAPSULE COVERAGE - In 21 starts on Minnesota soil since his return to the state in 2022, Preston Youngdahl has only been beaten twice, and yesterday's  race at  Weaver Lake Park was not one of them. It was his fourth MGO title and his margin of victory over fellow elite / runner-up Joe Adriaens was 2:17.

Placing 3rd overall was the ever-amazing Heather Lendway, who was coming off her 4th (!) National Championship victory in Milwaukee the previous weekend. Her time was insane: 2:03:03, bettered only on this course by her 2:01:30 record set back in '22. 

Finishing 2nd for the women was last year's Minnesota Women's Triathlete of the Year Paige Schulz. Her time was a fine 2:07:43.

The final podium steps for each gender were earned by two-time Green Lake Olympic winner Jacob Niemann (2:03:20) and 2025 Most Improved nominee Amy Preusser  whose time (2:14:07) kept her slightly ahead of Trinona Olympic winner Jessica Taylor (2:14:22) and arguable the #1 female Grand Master in the country, Juliia Weisbecker, 60 (2:14:47).

We'll also mention 6th placer Elena Jasper, who is 18-weeks pregnant. Though formal records aren't kept, Elena's 2:15:26 has to be the fastest "Pregnant Lady" time in the 17-years of the Maple Grove Olympic Triathlon.

MAPLE GROVE SPRINT CAPSULE COVERAGE - Brian Sames' course record 56:59 has stood since 2014. It was taken down yesterday by emerging national talent Kyler Williams, 17, of Zimmermann. His time was 56:21, 38-second fater than Sames' clocking and a chucky 6:20 in front of MGS runner-up Michael Headlee. Before this season we knew that Kyler was good, we just didn't know how good. That became clear last weekend in Milwaukee where he dominated his AG and finished 13th overall in the brilliant time of 1:58:49. 

Bette Rowley's Maple Groove Sprint Debut yielded a victory and a 1:08 margin over 2nd-placing Adeleine Althaus-Kotila, 17, who was nominated for Junior of the Year in 2025 with another nomination likely to come her way at season's end. She has podiumed in all three of her in-state starts this year.

Placing third in the Sprint yesterday were Eau Claire's Trevor Bauer, 17, who has race often and successfully on this side of the St. Croix this season, and South Dakota's Brigitte Setness.

Almost 1200 athletes registered for this years Maple Grove Triathlon. RESULTS

"And I Finally Nailed it!"

Friday, 21 August 2026 00:10

By Cami Eckhoff

Race report - Northwoods Triathlon - This local race is always run so well and is definitely one of my favorites! The volunteers are great, the course is fun, and an Americano Muskie Waters Co afterward is the icing on the cake! 

The swim is also in my favorite MN lake, the lake our family cabin is on, so it always feels a little extra special. It was a little chaotic starting in the elite wave with a lot of men and a few women. I also got whacked in the face for the first time ever during a race. I was not prepared for that. 

Knowing how important quick transitions are in a sprint-distance race, I hustled up the big hill and made it out of T1 as fast as I could.

I’ve had a power goal on the bike for quite some time now, and I finally nailed it! I biked hard, the new pavement was awesome, and by the end I wasn’t totally sure how my legs were going to handle the run. 

David Lewis passed me early in the run. I looked down at my watch and thought, “Pick it up and go with him!!” So I did my best. I managed to average a 6:22/mile pace and finished with a PR and a new women’s course record in 1:03:20! 

It was awesome having Keith, our boys, and my parents there along with a great crew of racers from DL! I love seeing the Tri community continuing to grow! 

Hotel Shower Crying & Relocated Goalposts...

Tuesday, 18 August 2026 00:10

By Clare Saunders

When I became a mom six years ago, I realized I needed an outlet. When our first was three, I decided to dip my toe into triathlon after a nudge from my older brother, a former elite runner who had made the move to triathlon.

I fell hard for triathlon. And perhaps if my wife had seen this coming, she would have added an asterisk to our wedding vows:  "I, Clare, promise to not fall in love with three sports and throw money into the very deep money pit called triathlon."

Alas, she has stuck with me and even gave birth to our second kiddo, who will be two in October.

I have always been competitive. I have a twin, and I am one of nine children, so in order to get attention, being extraordinary was our ticket to recognition at the dinner table. I have also always been reflective—perhaps ad nauseum.

In an effort to find an outlet and show my kids that Mom has goals and that you need to work hard to achieve them, I have slowly moved my goalpost. First it was: show my kids I can do hard things and finish a race. Then: finish near the top of my age group. Then: qualify for Nationals. Then: win my age group at a state championship. Then: do a 70.3. Then: qualify for 70.3 Worlds (I have not checked that box yet). Then: qualify for age-group Sprint Worlds. And so on and so forth.

I have a thing where I don’t look at my results for a while after a race. I generally know how I did, but this sport is unique in that it is hard to be sure. Most of the time I have a goal, but I don’t tell most people what it is because, well, what if I don’t achieve it?

So after I crossed the finish line at Nationals on Sunday (August 9), I walked straight to my car. I was immediately disappointed in my result, despite not actually knowing what it was. I turned my phone on to see a message from my wife saying how proud she was of me. I sent her a message back saying I was going on Do Not Disturb, going to have a good hotel-shower cry, and sort out whatever I was feeling.

Without the data in front of me, I assumed I had not met my secret goal of qualifying for Worlds. I couldn’t have with that performance. Upon reflection, the swim felt good, not great. The bike felt hard. Tactically, it was difficult to find a rhythm while also being anxious about getting a drafting penalty, and the slow progression of the bridge was a touch more severe than I remembered. Biking has always been one of my weaker points. I’m 5'2", 115 pounds and have only had a bike-specific base for three or so years, so this year I was intentional about getting outside and riding as much as possible. Indoor training felt safe and controlled, but I knew I needed to change something.

And it worked. I averaged 19.1 mph this year, compared to 17.71 mph in 2023. I still thought about the week I had a GI bug and the Franklin Avenue repeats I was supposed to do but couldn’t. Maybe if I hadn’t gotten sick, I could have done that workout again. I thought about the month of February, when I was too depressed to exercise. Well, no wonder I couldn’t find that kick at the end of the run.

After I got out of the shower, I knew I had to either look at my texts or the results. I picked the text messages. The first one I saw was from my coach, a recently retired pro: “Top 11 out of the water!! Yoooooooo” — followed by several tear emojis. A second message came after the race. “LFG Clare!! 13th in the nation!!! Super proud of you!”

I was shocked. Puzzled by my immediate disappointment crossing the finish line, I started to wonder: What was that about? On the wet drive home, I recapped the race with a few of my brothers, as I typically do. One brother reminded me of his forever goal: finish with a smile on his face. That was it. For the first time, I had forgotten what my number one goal has always been: Finish.

In moving my goalposts further away from finishing the race, I had also moved them further away from the reason why I was competing in the first place. Remember, Clare, I said to myself, the kids don’t care what place I finish. My wife doesn’t care. My family doesn’t care. Even my coach doesn’t care.

As someone who has been sober for ten years, I’ve spent a lot of time learning how to set my ego aside, right-size myself in the world, and focus on being where my feet are, as they say. I realized I needed to apply that lesson here, too. I learn something new every time I race. It’s a gift that triathlon gives you if you let it. 

On Sunday, I learned that my first goal is always to show my kids that I can do hard things and finish a race. Somewhere along the way, I had sidelined that goal.I had also sidelined my 70.3 season because I knew I wouldn’t have adequate training time.

On August 27, I am having a double mastectomy, which will put a stop to training for some time. I’ve known for many years that I carry the BRCA2 genetic mutation and putting off this surgery any longer could be costly in many ways. I’ll race the Maple Grove Sprint Triathlon and have surgery a few days later.

Yet another lesson:Life is precious, and I want to be here for it.