Race Previews

A Record For Cami?

Friday, 19 August 2022 00:10

YOUNG LIFE TRIATHLON PREVIEW - The 19th edition of this great event will happen on Saturday and will feature a very competitive Olympic race. We believe it will also feature a women's course record in its Sprint contest. Let's start there.

Tara Makinen set the  women's Sprint record back in 2010. Her time was formidable: 1:03:32. The closest anyone has come to that mark since is local triathlete CAMI ECKHOFF's 1:05:47, which she turned in in 2021, her rookie season.

Eckhoff is much faster this year. In fact, she is one of the frontrunners for the 2022 Most Improved honor. Her win at Alexandria was impressive. Her 2nd behind national classer Christina Roberts at Tri West was even moreso. Cami is ready to do some rewriting. We suspect she'll pop a 1:02 (or faster) on Saturday, which should put her in the overall (men and women) Top 3 once again. (She placed 3rd overall in 2021.)

We are loving Eckhoff's competitive trajectory. We see her as being the next true tri star from Detroit Lakes, a city that has produced Doug Davis and Hanna Grinaker Cooley. ..

As for the Olympic race, we see the men's competition coming down to a knock-down-drag-out battle between South Dakotan KEVIN MITCHELL, winner of at least five tris this season, including a runaway W at Green Lake Sprint last weekend, and DAVID LEWIS Nevis, who is a three-time YL Olympic winner. Advantage? David has muscle memory. Kevin has 2022 resume. This race could come down to a sprint.

The women's Olympic race features several successful returnees. ROBYN WANGBERG of Winona, and JOELLEN KOHLMAN-PETRICK of Fergus Falls, who placed 2nd and 3rd respectively here last year are back. So is two-time YLO winner SARA CARLSON. Though the Brainerd triathlete hasn't raced yet this season we are still picking her to finish on top, that is, unless 2021 winner MARNIE WALTH of Bismarck, North Dakota, decides to pop over to Detroit Lakes, which is a distinct possibility. YL is one of Marnie's favorite races, one that she has won almost every time she's entered.

The MTN Guys are anxious to learn how Saturday's races unfold.