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Brewhouse XXXIII Preview...Exciting Stuff...
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Thursday, 01 August 2019 23:10
33rd BREWHOUSE PREVIEW - Though we may see repeats of races we've seen here before, that does not mean that the events will not be exciting.
On the contrary.
Yes, many of the same great athletes race here year-after-year (recidivism is good!) and place highly year-after-year, and that should be the case again next Sunday, still there is much to anticipate. Sure, two-time champion on this stunning Island Lake course, JOSH BLANKENHEIM, is picked to win the Olympic race again, and he is coming into the race is great shape. His recent win at Timberman, and his follow up 2nd at Heart of the Lakes suggest that WADE CRUSER's course record 1:57:47 isn't safe.
Exciting stuff.
ELAINE NELSON, like Blankenheim, is the clear women's favorite. Heck, she's taken her gender's title in her last three appearances here, each time without being seriously challenged. Now 40, we're anxious to see how badly she breaks the event's Masters record.
Once again, exciting stuff....
GRANITE MAN BIG LAKE REVIEW...
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Wednesday, 31 July 2019 23:20
GRANITEMAN BIG LAKE - The 9th edition of this great event is happening on Saturday and you can still get in. Race day registration is available.
Approximately 300 are expected for this year's Sprint and Olympic contests, and on paper, it appears that three of last year's champions, and many of the AG winners, should repeat....
"Determined to Have Some Fun"....
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Tuesday, 30 July 2019 23:10
CHISAGO LAKES SPRINT - DIANE HANKEE has been on a racing rampage lately. Two weekends ago, she podiumed at Bertram Blast (3rd despite running long) and Heart of the Lakes (2nd). She raced twice last weekend as well, and didn't simply claim podium spots, she won both races. Her Saturday win was at Shell Lake. On Sunday, she topped a great women's field at Chisago Sprint. In both races, she relied on her fleetness afoot to overtake the ladies who beat her to T2.
Elite Masters women have never been so plentiful in Minnesota. BECKY YOUNGBERG, 44, has won three major events this year and rewritten six Masters records. CATHY YNDESTAD, 40, set course records at Graniteman and Minneapolis. KORTNEY HAAG, 40, set a PR in a winning effort at Chisage Half IM. SARA RONDORF, 41, has won two of the three races she's done this season. ANDREA MYERS, 42, and CHERYL ZITUR, 54, are also racing at a national level.
And Hankee, 42, has has won half of the six races she's done thus far in 2019, and the other three results are a pair of 2nds and a 3rd.
Minnesota's Masters women are rocking like never before.
But wait, there's another woman who deserved to be mentioned here....
You Could Almost Hear the Clicking....
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Sunday, 28 July 2019 23:20
CHISAGO LAKES TRIATHLON - Climate Change is real! And some days the change is realer than others.
Last Sunday's Chisago Lakes Half IM and Sprint was greeted with perfect racing conditions, the kind that whisper in an athlete's ear. The kind that say "things will click today, and your game will be taken to the next level."
And you could almost hear the clicking. Many athletes rocked harder than ever before, and it was wonderful to witness this happen....
Another Big Win For Hanna!
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Sunday, 28 July 2019 23:10
HANNA GRINAKER collected her 12th career multisport victory yesterday at IIRONMAN CANADA 70.3 against an Alpsian backdrop in picturesque Whistler, British Columbia. The 2016 and 2018 Minnesota Triathlete of the Year turned in solid splits throughout, arriving at the finish line in 4:38:36.
Significantly, her time was only 17:24 behind the winning male, DYLAN GLEESON of North Vancouver, BC. (Gleeson was the amateur champion at Ironman Arizona last fall.) A more typical 70.3 time differential between elite amateur men and elite amateur women is in the 25-minute range.
Finshing 2nd behind Hanna at Whistler was talented Aussie MONIQUE DE ABREU, whose running reminds us of Ruth Brennan Morrey's. De Abreu, whose 2019 season is highlighted by her win at Port Macquarie (AUS) 70.3, and a 2nd at Geelong (AUS) 70.3, finished in 4:39:32.
Grinaker has won three of the four triathlons she's entered this season.
ALSO: JORDON ROBY and JAKE BRAAM enjoyed successful IM debuts yesterday at IRONMAN CANADA. For Roby, whose initial IM attempt was in 2014 at swim-cancelled Ironman Florida, placed 13th at Whistler in 9:39:20. Braam, a Rookie of the Year nominee in 2017, posted a 9:51:07, which placed in 28th overall....
