Race Coverage

Family Friendliness

Friday, 15 August 2025 00:10

By Amy Preusser

The Green Lake Triathlon celebrated its 22nd year this past weekend, and I know why athletes come back, year after year. For me, this was the first race that I spectated - back in 2022 - and I fell in love with the sport! I have raced at the Green Lake triathlon three times, and it is always one of my favorite races. It has a hometown feel, and the City of Spicer does a phenomenal job of hosting. Since a large portion of both the bike and the run courses are on the main lake road,
many people sit in their driveways and cheer for the racers going past. As a result, there are very few miles without people encouraging you. This makes the environment fun for all ages, and - I believe - is a huge reason why athletes choose to make the annual trek to Spicer. There is also a kid’s triathlon the day prior - talk about family friendly!! Our kids participated this year, and I would highly recommend the experience. There’s nothing like sharing the sport you love with the little people that you made!

This summer, as we know, the smoky skies have been a battle. For Sunday’s race, we got a reprieve. To top it off, the water was still and there was not much of a breeze as I set up my...

transition area. Being from Melrose, this is as much of a “hometown” race as I get; and I saw quite a few friendly faces as we set up our gear. The water was calm as swimmers entered the water. The men’s Olympic race started first, with the women 3 minutes behind. I had a great swim at Big Lake - the weekend prior to Green Lake - which boosted my confidence for this swim. Once you’re in the water, only having 3 buoys can make sighting a bit difficult, but I stayed on course. As I passed the final buoy and neared the shore, the cheers from the crowd were audible. I came out of the water with my best lake swim pace (per 100 yards) all season!

Going into T1, I was excited to get onto my bike and fly around the lake. This course is fast, and the momentum you gain from a descent can carry you into the next hill - it’s such a blast! I came out of transition on the heels of Marnie Walth, and another woman was right beside me. I managed to get into second place, but had no chance to catch Marnie on the bike. I stayed consistent with a pace over 21.5 miles per hour, and overtook a few of the men’s olympic racers along the way. My legs were fighting me, and while I normally fuel with just liquid carbs on my bike, I did have 2 emergency gels. It felt like slapping a bandaid on my legs, but it was the only hope I had! The last big hill on the course is always tough on the quads, but it’s worth it to zip down and head into T2.

When I competed at Big Lake just eight days before this race, I had wanted to run 7 minute miles. That did not happen for me at Big Lake. However, coming into T2 off of a fast bike ride around Green Lake, I felt strong. I took off from the transition zone and my first mile split was 6:30. I felt great - which was surprising, given how my legs had felt on the last quarter of my bike ride. I decided to maintain a competitive pace and push myself, but also stay comfortable. I didn’t look down at my watch again for another 2 miles, because I didn’t want to psych myself out if the pace I was running was “too fast.” I caught the first place woman at about 1.75 miles, and I complimented her on her bike ride - she was fast! I got to the run turnaround, and high-fived my husband as I went past him. I did slow down a bit in the middle miles of the 10k, but picked my pace back up when the olympic race re-joined the sprinters. As I mentioned, the spectators on the vast majority of this course make it electric. Coming into town, I gave myself one final push, and finished first overall woman with a time nearly seven minutes faster than my time from last year!

I am already registered for the 2026 Green Lake Triathlon, and cannot wait to feel the exciting energy that Spicer brings.

Time: 2:03:52 ....(page 2 photo - Marnie Walth, Amy Preusser & Lindsay Schwab)