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"A Fraction of a Second!"

Saturday, 12 September 2026 00:10

By Nick Jasmer

LAKES COUNTRY TRIATHLON  Race Report - Season finale. One last triathlon to give everything I had left.

Splits: 

 1/4 Mile Swim: 7:19

 14 Mile Bike: 37:48

 5K Run: 19:11

  Finish: 1:05:51 - 3rd Overall, 2nd Age Group

It turned out to be a great morning for racing. Cloudy skies, cooler temps, and just a little rain before the start.

The men were split into two waves, 39 and under followed by 40+. I was in the first wave with Spencer (Syvertson), who was definitely the favorite, and Jeron (Hall) , who I knew would be tough competition. In the second wave were two guys I knew I needed to keep an eye on for the overall podium, David (Lewis) and Andrew (Moen).

The problem? Their wave was starting almost three minutes behind us, which meant once the race started I really had no idea where I stood compared to them.

The swim went really well. I felt smooth, relaxed, and in control coming into T1. I had a good transition and jumped onto the bike ready to get to work. Then, right out of the gate, my power pedals decided they weren’t going to wake up and connect to my computer. Cool. No power today. 

Nothing I could do about it, so I put my head down and raced completely by feel and RPE. Honestly, the bike felt really good.

Coming into T2, I knew the run was where I needed to step on the gas. I had no idea where David or Andrew were in relation to me, so there wasn’t going to be any letting up.

As I headed onto the run, I could see Jeron ahead of me. Goal: close the gap.

A little later Spencer came flying back toward the finish on his way to another win. Great race, Spencer!

I also passed David and Andrew heading toward T2, and that was when I knew I really couldn’t back off. I kept working to reel Jeron in, but the gap just wasn’t coming down enough. I was trying to squeeze out more speed without completely blowing myself up because I knew David and Andrew were somewhere behind me on the clock. One bad stretch and the podium could disappear.

As I got closer to the finish, I emptied whatever was left in the tank and sprinted across the line. Jeron had held me off and earned 2nd, so now there was only one podium spot left, and I had to wait.

I watched the road and watched the clock waiting for David and Andrew to come into sight. David came around the corner and crossed the finish line. I immediately grabbed Abby’s phone to check the results. Me: 1:05:51. David: 1:05:51 A tie?! Nevertheless, the results had me 3rd and David 4th.

After talking with Brad Pickle, we found out that even though the results page rounded us to the exact same time, I had beaten David by a fraction of a second. A FRACTION OF A SECOND for the final overall podium spot.

Easily the closest podium battle I’ve ever been a part of, and the funny part is that David and I never actually raced side by side because we started in different waves. Fun? Maybe not while I was standing there waiting, but what a way to finish the season.

Congrats to Spencer and Jeron on 1st and 2nd, David on 4th, and Andrew for rounding out the top five. That was some great racing. Huge thank you to all of the race organizers and volunteers who made the day possible.

As always, thank you to my coach, Jason Crisp for getting me to the start line healthy, prepared, and ready to race. Thanks to my triathlon family at Branden Scheel Racing for the support thought-out the season. This squad is so amazing, filled by such inspiring people!

And most importantly, thank you to my family for always showing up and cheering me on. Especially my amazing wife Abby Jasmer and my little guy Noah. Having them there means more to me than any podium ever will. Now school and XC are firing back up, so it’s time for a little off-season before we start building toward next year.

Great way to close out the season. Until next time. 

Heart and Drive...

Wednesday, 09 September 2026 00:10

By Amy Preusser

Maple Grove Olympic was my first time racing in the Elite category, and it was SO fun. I loved being on the starting line with so many fast women: who both intimidate and inspire me. After racing Chisago 70.3, a few friends encouraged me to be in the Elite category when a race has the option. As it turns out, there are no criteria for the Elite category, you just “decide where you belong.” I came into this race excited to be pushed by these women, and to see where I could place in such a competitive group. The conditions on race morning were gorgeous, and it made for a great swim. The elite women and I took off in a mass start, and I had my fastest swim pace in open water to date! 

T1 was long, and I came out of the chute at the same time as Kristen Hawkins. I have been working hard on my cycling this season, and I saw an opportunity to challenge myself. I told myself, “just keep your eyes on Kristen.” We leapfrogged a couple of times on the bike course, with both of us taking turns saying “great job!” The athletes I got to race with at Maple Grove are full of so much heart and drive, while pushing each other to be their best. Yes, we’re racing each other, but we are also cheering each other on, and I love that dynamic! 

The bike course was excellent, and I came into T2 feeling good about my ride. I knew that I was at least the third woman back, and I was excited to run. The run route at Maple Grove is probably my favorite, out of all the triathlons I’ve done! I like the challenge of the rolling hills and the looped course. I completed my first loop with a good speed, and - now that I knew where the hills were - I was ready to pick up the pace on the second lap. I passed a few women at mile 4, and I let my feet carry me up the hills, while enjoying the downhill. The last two olympic races I’ve done, I cramped up around mile 4 and I was pleased that I wasn’t having any issues today. I pushed up the final hill and took the sharp corner to the finish line. I crossed the line - no clue where I’d placed - but very proud of the race that I’d just put together. It turned out that I’d run myself into third! I got to chat with so many people in the finishing area, and I love seeing familiar faces. Hearing everyone’s version of how their race had gone and what challenges they may have faced on race day (or leading up to it) is a reminder that we’re all on our own journey and each race is its own challenge. 

Goose Poop & Stuffed Goats...

Sunday, 06 September 2026 00:10

2026 Hopkins Royal Triathlon Coverage - Mild, cloudy weather portended great performances yesterday at Shady Oak Park, and there were many, but one stood out above the rest.

Heather Lendway, fresh off her unprecedented 4th overall women's title at Nationals and a Masters record-setting win at Maple Grove, turned in an effort at Hopkins that certainly rivaled those feats. Overtaking the many athletes who launched before her at the southern portion of Shady Oak Lake, which was necessitated by pooping geese befouling the northern lake, she arrived in T1 alone, which is where she spent the rest of the race. There was a gravid interval between her finish and the arrival of the next athete. Her astonishing time was 1:03:51, giving her two of the Top 6 finish times, gender notwithstanding, in the 12-year history of the race. This was the second outright win of the 2026 season for HL. The first was in July at Timberman Olympic.

For her effort, indeed her season, she was presented with a stuffed goat, signifying that she is the Tom Brady of Minnesota women's triathlon.

The 2nd place overall finisher was Jeron Hall, 20, whose 1:05:04 would have won all but four of the prior editions of this sprint tri. Jeron will almost certainly be a Most Improved Male Triathlete nominee. 

Three-time Hopkins winner Brett Lovaas finished 3rd overall, his seventh podium here.

Heather is forty-two and her fellow podium mates were also members of the 40-44 AG, starting with Shannon Braun, 42, who also finished 2nd in 2025 and was significantly faster this time, and Jenna Mitchler, 43, who threw down a faster time than last year, when she finished in the 6th position.

As we noted in yesterday's Facebook teaser, the race was a sellout. As always, spectators were abundant and enthusiastic, which created a special vibe. HoRT was a wonderful way to kick off the Labor Day holiday weekend.

RESULTS - https://www.mtecresults.com/race/leaderboard/21380/2026_Hopkins_Royal_Triathlon-Sprint

Rabbit Holes, Sleep Scores, Terror Bridges...

Friday, 04 September 2026 00:10

By Heather Lendway

2026 Nationals Race Report - Race week has been pretty similar year after year with minor tweaks here and there.  It's hard not to hyper analyze everything happening to your body during this time.  Guaranteed conversation with Patrick is something like, "wow that hurt way more than it should have, I felt terrible, something's wrong".  Patrick, my husband, usually smirks or has some comment about the taper blues, of course his perspective from the outside is much more rational than the rabbit hole my mind has gone down.  I had raced USMS Open Water Nationals 2 Mile at Square Lake two weekends prior and my shoulders were feeling destroyed since then.  Thankfully I have a great physical therapist that gets all my injuries back in order, but the concern that pain would strike was still top of mind.  

I was once again in a later start heat so my race morning alarm was 5 am like any other day, nice for sleep, not as nice for racing in the heat. My Garmin watch morning report was a great way to kick off the morning with my highest scores ever, Training Readiness: 100 - "Prime, ready for action," Sleep Score: 93 - "Optimal," and its final words of encouragement, "Time to Shine."  Race morning I go right into auto pilot, eat breakfast immediately, continuously alternate drinking water and coffee.  I went to transition around 6am to setup my bike and run gear, then headed back to my hotel to relax for another hour before walking back to the race start. 

I did a quick jog, got into my wetsuit and headed off to the starting area.  Two heats prior to going off they let you down to the pier to do a swim warmup until the heat in front of you goes off.  I always opt out of this, arm circles, arm swings, leg shakes (swimmer style), is sufficient to get the blood flowing and I can focus on the starting position I want. Around 8:15 we were in the water and prepped to start.  My recent strategy has been to start strong and make a gap immediately so no one is getting a free ride on my feet or free sighting.  It was a bit warm for a wetsuit being low 70's, my legs always overheat so I frequently pull the neck of my wetsuit down to let some cool water flow in, it doesn't quite get to my legs but helps me stay cooler. My swim was feeling great, my shoulders were behaving and I was actually enjoying it.  Even as a swimmer, I'm usually ready to be out of the water after about 1000 but things were feeling good.  

My transition was smooth, a fairly long run to the bike but motivating to hear all the cheers, including my Dad.  This bike course has terrorized me in the past as we bike over I-794 bridge high into the sky where the wind gusts over 20mph have almost knocked me over on multiple occasions, luckily this day the winds were tame.  To start, the bike heads north along the lakeshore, back south past the transition where you get some encouragement from fans, then over the terror bridge for a leg on the freeway, onto south lake drive and back over terror bridge.  Early into the bike the words in my head became, "focus" and "smooth," as that was literally what I was trying to execute, consistent strong cadence.  I have power numbers available to me, but mostly race on feel and sense of where I'm at. Things were feeling good and again I was quite enjoying myself. About three quarters through I had a moment where my left knee seized up and I thought that maybe that would be my race ending moment, I was able to shake that out and continue. On the descent from terror bridge back to transition I got a massive ab/chest cramp where the muscle under my rib seizes up so tight you can physically see the muscle protruding from my upper abdomen. This has happened at every bike finish for the last couple years of racing, I've finally trained myself to handle it.  I learned from my massage therapist to whack it, the shock will trigger the muscle to release. So, when you see me karate chopping myself coming into T2, that's what's happening, it can take several strikes to release but it works.

T2 is always the harder transition, your legs and back never feel quite right, luckily things were pretty sorted when I racked my bike.  I slid my shoes on and sprinted out of transition.  My dad was at the exit with words of encouragement, "You're doing great Heath."  Funny how those few words of encouragement quickly send me into a spiral of trying to analyze what the words and tone of his voice meant for how I was doing in the race, even though he literally says those same words every time I race.  I quickly shut down those thoughts and focused on my run, I was feeling great, but I know in the sun, heat and this far into racing things can go sideways quickly.  My goal was to maintain that good feeling until the furthest turnaround which was about 4k, then reassess.  After the far turnaround I felt I could maintain and tried to stay strong as the kilometers ticked down.  Somewhere between 7-8K Patrick and my Dad were positioned in different spots to cheer me on, the suffering had begun and I needed these boosts.  The last 2K you run tantalizingly close to the finish, but head the opposite direction to suffer on. The sun was hot and there was zero shade for reprieve on 90% of the course.  Patrick was stationed along the run with about .5K to go and he said to me, "You gotta go," which was about when I wanted to cruise in. I knew I'd be pretty upset if 20 seconds was going to change the results, so I turned on the hustle and crossed the finish line.  I knew my time was about 2:06, but I had no idea where that placed me among my competitors that finished about 2 hours earlier. 

I quickly found my Dad who's always at the finish line for confirmation that I was currently in the lead.  There were still a few heats of women behind me with top performers like Kirsten Sass that could still sneak into the top spots.  We anxiously waited for time updates on the course until we knew there wasn't enough runway left for anyone to pull ahead of me.  It has been an interesting year and everything came together quite perfectly this race week and race day.  While I did suffer at points, it's one race that mostly felt great and my body could do everything it needed. This was probably one of my most enjoyable races to date, one I'm proud of.  Over the years, I've gotten a little smarter with training and racing, when you consider the bike and run course changes since my fastest time here in 2013, which was 2:05, my 2:06 is quite comparable. I'm not sure how much time I have left racing at this level but I'm going to enjoy it while I can and hopefully in 13 years I'm still throwing down a 2:07.

Fun Battles & Heartwarming Stuff...

Tuesday, 01 September 2026 00:10

2026 Lakes Country Triathlon Coverage – Raindrops teased race participants in the pre-race moments, but didn't stick around. What followed were cloudy and mild conditions that were ideal for racing.

The favorites going in were two-time Triathlete of the Year Spencer Syvertson, and 2025 LCT women's winner Mata Agre (photo on FB), and they did what they were expected to do, winning handily. For Spence, who will undoubtedly earn yet another TOY nomination, the goal was to break the one hour mark, which was easier said than done considering that road construction demanded that this year's bike course be lengthened by three kilometers. 

He would have accomplished that goal with 15-20 seconds to spare, but instead of sprinting across the line, he scooped up his toddler son Vinnie, gave him a kiss then they walked across together. He still cracked the 60-minute mark, albeit by just nine seconds. 

It was heartwarming stuff!

For Mata to outrace her 2025 winning performance (1:13 and change) here she'd need a 1:18. She threw down a 1:17:56.

Spencer and Mata were not the only ones to live up to their favored status. Rising star Jeron Hall, 20, who won his first race three weeks ago at Big Lake Sprint, was the best bet to take 2^nd to Syvertson. He did that with plenty of time to recover before the eventual bronze medalist arrived.

Or should we say bronze medalists. Nick Jasmer and David Lewis have been battling each other all season long, with Nick outracing David twice, and David outracing Nick once. Did Nick, who started one wave ahead of David survive the three minute wait in order to go 3- 1?

When David finished it was clear to everyone paying attention that it was too close to call, and so we waited for the results printout. Though Nick was listed in 3^rd and David 4^th, their times were identical: 1:05:51.

And theirs wasn't the only head-to-head battle that deserves verbiage. The race for 2^nd in the women's race was between talented Grand Masters Mary Deeg, who came into the race with six AG titles this season, and former Minnesota Grand Master of the Year and last season's runner-up here, Lisa Hines. Hines outsplit Deeg in the water and afoot, but Deeg rocked a superior bike split, one that resulted in her placing 2^nd overall women just ten seconds ahead of Hines.

MTN and LCT race organizers want to thank Maple Grove for not staging their race on the same weekend this year. It certainly affected attendance positively. While the number of registrants (221) was not a record, it represented a satisfying post-pandemic rebound.

RESULTS - https://www.mtecresults.com/race/leaderboard/21387/2026_Lakes_Country_Triathlon-Individual_Results