Race Coverage

Threats & Promises....

Thursday, 12 June 2025 00:10

Photo - Micah Warning and Christian Mirabal

2025 Trinona Coverage - Was Mother Nature threatening the 500+ participants enrolled in last Sunday's Trinona, or was she just teasing them? It turns out she was doing both. Her early morning chill and nasty gusts were a tease, as long as rain didn't follow. But as the Olympic participants started to line up for the seven AM swim start, she threw down with torrential rain and enough thunder and lightning to postpone the start for an hour, which resulted in the replacement of the Olympic race's storied bike route with the 11-mile ride used by the Sprint racers. Those with strong running backgrounds, guys like MICAH WARNING, who ran for Winona State, and UW-Madison triathlete/marathoner MATTEO KOZLOWSKI, immediately became the guys to beat, if they weren't so already.

As the morning wore on it became apparent that Mother Nature  was just teasing. She wasn't interested in forcing a full cancelation, or even a more eloborate restructuring, i.e. turning the tri into a du.  Instead, her cloud ceiling parted and optimistic sunshine poured through. Temps then rose steadily into the low 70s, a full twenty degrees more than when transition opened.

And yes, Micah and Matteo went off the front, their positions secure almost from the get-go. The same was true for EMMA WARD, who according to her boyfriend, came into the race intending to win. She impressed us with a Top 5 effort at Timberman Olympic in 2023, so we weren't surprised when she, like Warning, was victorious. They both posted margins of ..

five-plus minute margin of victory, with Kozlowski taking 2nd two-and-a-half minutes ahead of third placing NOAH BILLINGS, who is a two-time winner and Junior record holder in Trinona's Sprint. (Billings, 19, is a two-time Minnesota Junior of the Year.)

Taking 2nd and 3rd after Ward were Iowan RACHEL LEBEAU and ASHLEY CALVERT of Rochester.

Winning the Sprint were La Crescent's JACK MCCORMICK and La Crosse's HEIDI WERNER, who also won this race in 2023. She finished in 3rd place overall last Sunday, just 26-seconds behind McCormick, and five seconds behind men's runner-up CHRISTIAN MIRABAL.

Kudos to race organizers for producing a great event under trying conditions.   RESULTS