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"Being on the Right Trajectory is Fun!"

Sunday, 16 August 2026 00:10

By Maggie Werba

Big Lake Recap - So I wasn’t even supposed to do this race, but the week of Buffalo Graniteman, I fell down the stairs and sprained my ankle & foot so thankfully Active Central let me transfer over to Big Lake! I didn’t know what to expect coming in because I hadn’t ridden my bike outside in over a year, let alone done a triathlon. But I did know I’ve been swimming more consistently again, doing solid indoor bike workouts, and trying to run pain free. Plus, I rarely do shorter stuff so figured a sprint would be a fun way to see where I’m at fitness-wise.

The swim:

To sum it up, as MTN said: “Swimming over slower swimmers is the curse of accomplished swimmers.”

Making the 29&under women start 2 minutes behind the 40+ year old men was a choice that I probably disagree with, and my swimming 602 yards instead of the 500-550 yards that everyone else swam (according to Strava) is proof. After catching the wave in front of me within less than a minute and having to fight elbows and go wide, I was just happy to be out of the water. My watch had my first half at 1:18s and second half at 1:14s per 100, but race results show otherwise because ya know… extra yardage. Ican continue to work on sighting & strategies for dealing with this in the future! For those that don’t know, I swam at the University of Minnesota & competed at Olympic Trials in the 200IM in 2016. Sometimes in triathlons I question why I’m not just doing masters swimming but then I get on the bike and breathe whenever I want and remember why :)

The bike:

I love biking inside. I am so afraid of biking outside! If you’ve ever been to a local race and saw someone riding with one arm in aero and one not, that was me. I simply cannot get myself to put both arms down in my aero bars. So for now, I just continue to keep building my strength and grit out some hard bikes even if I’m not very aerodynamic because it’s still fun and gets me far enough. Triathlon is supposed to be fun for me, not scary! This bike course was overall quite flat and fun and it was a gorgeous day and my feet didn’t go numb so to be honest that’s all I can ever ask for!

Again, I found myself in a pretty crowded part of the course, so that was some good practice with dealing with a few technical skills. I recorded my standard 20.8(?)mph, but really would love to break into the 21/22mph mark here soon.

The run:

Ended my race with a 5k pr (24:14)! I obviously need to get better at running but being on the right trajectory is fun! This was my first race back since going to PT for my vocal cord dysfunction - a condition where your vocal cords close for no reason and make you feel like you’re suffocating. I did my breathing exercises when things got tough and it helped me stay calm! Shoutout to friendly folks on course too. Iwas near the front of the race the whole time so had quite a few folks run near me / give fist bumps / share encouragement. This on-course camaraderie is really what it’s all about!! Helping each other with positivity when we are all pushing our hardest.

Overall a very fun day and this showed me that I’ll be good to go to race the Square Lake 70.3 in a few weeks before prepping for marathon training! RESULTS

ED. Maggie finished 3rd overall inthe women's Sprint.

"...The Best Family Race Site"...

Friday, 14 August 2026 00:10

By Mary Deeg & Jeff Gilmer

Nine Awesome Things About Graniteman Big Lake Triathlon - August 1, 2026 - It was a great day to race Big Lake Sprint Triathlon. We arrived at Lakeside Park located on Big Lake just north of the Twin Cities and not far from St. Cloud. The morning delivered perfect weather of clear sunny skies, a light breeze and temps in the 70’s at race start.

#1 The Venue: In transition we noticed some nice changes by the new race directors. Very organized with rows of racks labeled in alphabet order for athletes to easily find their spots during transitions. It had rained the entire day prior to the race so for certain folks got soaked setting up the race venue – everything was done so well. Lakeside Park is well furnished with pavilions, clean restrooms, many picnic tables, super fun new playground equipment, many shaded trees and a big clean beach. Hands down the BEST FAMILY race site making spectating enjoyable with easy viewing of transition, bike in & bike out, run out, and the finish line. It has the best vibe of over many races.

#2 The Swim: A nice change this year was the swim course layout making for easy sighting of buoys. This made for grateful athletes starting the swim without struggling to see the first turn buoy and not looking directly into the bright sunshine for both Olympic and Sprint distances. The lake is crystal clear! Surely it must be spring feed. How cool is it to finish the swim by sighting for Mr. Muscular Graniteman standing tall at the beach and running through his legs to complete the swim and enter transition! Best swim target in the upper Midwest by far.

#3 The Bike: A top-notch bike course and excellent for all levels of triathletes. Not too difficult for novice racers and a golden opportunity for the speedier racer that likes to“hammer” the bike for a fast PB split. Wider shoulders on the roads and lighter vehicle traffic made for easy passing of other athletes. Pushing the pedals with big ring and harder gearing for sure! Each turn on the course was well directed with volunteers and Police holding vehicle traffic for safety along with many safety cones at turn lanes. We always make the effort to thank the Police Officers and volunteers at every corner…they got up early for us triathletes to race, the least we do is thank them at every opportunity, right?

#4 The Run: One of the better run courses you’ll ever find for Sprint and Olympic races. Most enjoyable is that the run course follows along the lake shore past neighboring homes delivering softer hills in residential areas for an out and back run course. The treelined sidewalk served up comforting shade and a light breeze off the lake kept the heat down while the miles flew by. Uplifting cheers from the local homeowners along the way was a definite treat as well.

#5 First Timers: This is a perfect race for a first-time triathlon race experience. The sport is growing and it’s so wonderful to see it happen. A great example is Katie from Rochester, MN who had just raced for the first time in her life. After the race everyone shared the excitement including her supportive mother, who asked loads of questions about triathlon racing and training. What a thrill to give Katie a high five and hearty congratulations on completing her Big Lake Sprint Tri. It’s wonderful that athletes all give a lending hand to share benefits of triathlons, provide support and cheer for first timers.

#6 Friends and Familiar Faces: As always with race mornings, everyone looks forward to seeing our triathlon friends, catching up, swapping stories, and sharing warm hugs all around. Getting a few group photos to capture the day makes fond memories. It’s also fun meeting new people, talking about how training is going and what upcoming races we are all planning. There is a special genuine feeling of being part of a Triathlon Family.

#7 Race Directors and Leaders: This group of race directors hit a home run at Big Lake! Organized. Competent. Communication. Hardworking. Pre-race emails and Facebook page had so much information about the race. They certainly know how to pull off a triathlon and run the event smoothly. We could tell based upon the walky-talky and safety vests that this leadership was “on top of it”!

#8 Pickle Events – Brad Pickle: Race timing and results is a super important part of racing. Whenever you see the Pickle Events race van parked near the finish line at any race, you’ll be assured that race results will be accurate and of highest quality. What’s super cool about Pickle Events is an athlete can see how they ranked in each part of the race including overall, gender and within your age group. Also cool is to see how many athletes you passed on the bike and run (and how many passed you!). For the serious triathlete, accurate results are very important especially for year-end standings, historical course records, or qualifying for other events. Along with being fast and efficient, Brad is a super great guy with many years of experience. Say “hello” to Brad when you have a chance.

#9 Post Race Food: The Graniteman race crew have a handle on what appeals to athletes once that finish line is crossed. We were handed an ice-cold water while racing chips were removed from our ankles and tables of healthy food to replenish calories were available and waiting. Protein drinks, cookies, along with organic bananas – yummy and more! Nothing to complain about here. If you stick around after race awards you just might get to take home a bunch of bananas. Job well done by race crew and volunteers.

We can’t wait to see everyone again next year at Big Lake Tri

More Records for Spencer and Cami!

Wednesday, 12 August 2026 00:10

23rd Northwoods Triathlon Coverage - Competitively, 2014 was a big year for the Northwoods Tri. Overall records, courtesy of Brooks Grossinger and Junior phenom Katie Patrick (SD), were set that would endure until 2025 on the men's side, and 2026 on the women's side. Last year Spencer Syvertson was able to lower Brooks Grossinger's 57:06 CR, doing so by a slim five seconds. That performance received a Performance of the Year nomination. Spencer's 2025 resume earned him a Triathlete of the Year nomination, where he finished a close second behind Olympic and 70.3 star Nathan Kim.

Syvertson returned to Northwoods last weekend believing that he could go even faster. And he did! His 28.1 mph on the bike, along with his 5:41 pace on the run, delivered him to the finish line in 56-flat!

That mark may stand for a while.

As for Patrick's 1:04:48, it hadn't been seriously challenged until last year when Cami Eckhoff popped a 1:05:32 in 2024. Though it was not part of her original racing plans, Cami decided to return to NW during the week leading up to the race. She would bring with her a Female Triathlete of the Year nomination-worthy resume featuring two resounding course records and a 2nd behind three-time, soon to be four-time, National Champion Heather Lendway.

Was another CR for Cami in the cards? Indeed it was! Rocking a 24.1 mph bike, and 6:22 pace on the run, Eckhoff threw down a 1:03:20, a 1:28 lowering of Patrick's long-standing mark. That time landed her in 4th place overall.

The two guys finishing with faster times than Cami were Nick Jasmer and David Lewis respectively, men who have taken turns beating the other a several occasions this season. Lewis' time (1:02:44) was a 50-54M age group record. Rod Raymond, 61, also lowered a divisional record. He placed 7th overall.

Excellent racing conditions greeted the 300+ entrants in this year's event, which was excellent as usual. RESULTS

ED. Please check out the awesome Northwoods photos on MinnCam.com.

Usual Suspects Prevail at Green Lake...

Wednesday, 12 August 2026 00:10

22nd Green Lake Triathlon Coverage - Three hundred and forty-six athletes signed up for this year's races (Intermediate and Sprint) and those who showed up on race day were gifted with generally hospitable weather, though there was some noticable wind out on the bike course.

As the races unfolded it became clear that three of the four returning winners would lead the way once again. This is because two-time Sprint champ Sean Pickle is out for the season with a leg injury, which opened the door for last year's silver and bronze medalists to step up, which they did.

Two-time winner (and three-time runner-up) Kevin Mitchell, who was coming off a win in his home state of South Dakota on Saturday, was first into T2. He looked strong enough to win, but last year's third place Steven Mills, thanks to his 18-minute three mile run split, would overtake Mitchell en route to a 1:19 margin of victory.

Willmar's Mick Quinn, who typically lands in the men's Top 5 here (both Intermediate and Sprint), filled out the men's Sprint podium.

It looked like Cassie Nemecek was poised to win her first tri, that is until race morning when two-time defending Sprint champ Gretchen Amundson decided to register. Cassie had a great race, turning in a time that was 1:45 faster than her 2025 2nd place clocking, but Gretchen also bettered last year's time allowing her to claim her third consective win at GLS.

Lapsed triathlete Cindy Schlafmann, now 60, finished 3rd, proving that she's still some of the "stuff" that defined her successful racing two decades ago.

2025 Intermediate winners Jacob Niemann and Amy Preusser threw down faster times than last year, which resulted in even wider margins of victory on Sunday. For Niemann, his 1:54:22 was a whopping 7:28 beter than last year's time. For Preusser, her improvement was 1:01. Her 2:02:51 put her 16+ minutes ahead of second placing Allie Van Stone, who finished 24-seconds in front of two-time GLO winner Merilea Osterlund.

The men's silver and bronze were awarded to Ryan Preusser, who is enjoying a breakout season, and Michael Wente.

Kudos to race management who once again produced a terrific event. RESULTS

Minnesota Excellence!

Monday, 10 August 2026 00:10

2026 AGE GROUP NATIONALS - Milwaukee, WI - MTN applauds all the Minnesota triathletes who participated in last weekend's National Championships. - Below are the Loon State athletes who finished at, or near, the top of the overall and Age Group leaderboards. Note that Heather Lendway has won her fourth overall National Olympic Distance title, making her first irst woman to do so. It is also possible that her 2:06:09 is the fastest time by a Masters women in Nationals history.

Olympic Triathlon - Overall Women (Top 25)

1. HEATHER LENDWAY, 42, St. Paul - 2:06:09 (Margin of victory: 1:53!)

5. GRACE BUSCH, 24, Mankato - 2:11:05

Olympic Men - Top 25

13. KYLER WILLIAMS, 17, Zimmerman - 1:58:49

15. MICAH WARNING, 30, Rochester - 1:59:32

Olympic Age Group Women - Top 5s

20-24 - 1. GRACE BUSCH, 24, Mankato - 2:11:05 (MOV - 1:44!)

35-39 - 5. KATIE DEREGNIER, 38, Farmington - 2:21:51

40-44 -1. HEATHER LENDWAY, 42, St. Paul - 2:06:06 (AG MOV - 8:11!)

45-49 - 2. TIFFANY KARI-CIZMAS, 46, Duluth - 2:21:44

Olympic Age Group Men - Top 5s