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Brandon, Corey and Dillon...(And Peter, too)
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Sunday, 12 November 2023 00:10
By Mav
Minnesota has a rich multisport tradition, boasting some of the nation’s top triathletes. In addition to those at the pointy end of the spear, there is tremendous depth in the caliber of racers. The MMH for Most Improved looks to highlight those athletes who regularly race fast and contend at events, but took their speed and dedication to a truly elite level this past season. Below, alphabetically, are the three men that Mav believes leaped from solid to elite in 2023:
Brandon Lee, 42, Hugo: Brandon, also a nominee for Master of the Year, was relatively new and unknown just two years ago. In 2022 he stepped up his game, and in 2023 he jumped up his game. Brandon raced every distance from sprint to full Ironman, and his results at every level contend against the state’s top guys.
Corey Nygaard, 24, Alexandria: Corey has posted solid results in the past, but this year he got significantly faster and began winning. He won at Alexandria in course record time, won at Green Lake Olympic by over 15 minutes in thanks to the fastest swim and bike splits, and placed second at Tinman Olympic. He also had a DNF at Buzz Ryan sprint because of a flat tire, but was closely chasing Andrew Manning....
Ted's Season - Part III - Staying Out of the Camara Shot...
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Friday, 10 November 2023 00:10
By Ted Treise
Clash Miami and Oceanside 70.3 - Clash Miami is the first race of the year taking place the second week of March. It takes place on the infield of the Miami Speedway. A giant tar oval with banks you can barely ride up they’re so steep and grandstands all around the facility. You drive under the track in a tunnel to the infield and park inside the pits NASCAR uses. The whole thign has a real race-y vibe. With the racing atmosphere comes one thing for sure and that’s HEAT. Track temps can get to 130+ degrees easy and it’s a true test to see how the winter training has gone.
Racing details aside of how I felt on the swim, holding xyz watts on the bike – I was super bummed with how this race went. In the leadup to the race, I’d swim with Sam Long just fine in Tucson but at the race, I got dropped by him and Lionel after the first turn then just found myself in no-mans land then struggled with being there for most the day. The lead group would come by on the 5 minute lap circuit and I needed to get out of the racing line, then slot back in. Again, frustrating when you want to BE THAT LEAD GROUP and they’re telling you to GTFO of the lead groups way.
At the post race party, the media team was there. While I was ordering a drink, one of them was next to me and said “hey are you ted?” me: “ah, yea..!” “you did a great job staying out of the camera shot!”… “Great.. thanks.” I said. Annnd that wraps up how Miami went....
Dan, Brooks & Brandon...
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Tuesday, 07 November 2023 00:10
By Mav
2023 Men's Masters – Nominees - The Male Master of the Year honor is often one of the most challenging to come up with nominees for because of the depth and overall quality of racing, and 2023 was no exception. Below, in alphabetical order, are my nominees for the 2023 Male Master of the Year. Note: Just like with other categories, athletes need to have posted 3 or more great results to earn consideration:
Dan Arlandson: Dan, 46, from Burnsville, tends to focus on long course racing. Since Minnesota only has two long course races (Chisago and Square Lake 70.3s), many of those who focus specifically on long distance events are forced to race out of state. Thus, they rarely compete against their in-state peers, and this can make it difficult to compare resumes for Minnesota Multisport Honors purposes. But Dan deserves some love. In 2023, he placed second overall (1st master) at Chisago 70.3, posting a 4:20:45. He won is age group at 70.3 Gulf Coast in 4:20:37, and he also threw down a 4:31:10 (good enough for 3rd master) at Des Moines 70.3. While the MMH Committee would love to see Dan race some Olympic or Sprint distance events locally, we have to give credit where credit is due, and Dan had a fantastic racing season....
2023 Most Improved Women...
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Sunday, 05 November 2023 00:10
2023 Minnesota Multisport Honors - Here are the women who are being considered in the 2023 Most Improved category:
MATA AGRE, 30, Nisswa -
Highlights:
- 2nd @ Northwoods
- 3rd @ Lakes Country
- 4th @ Clearwater Olympic
Comment: Mata was significantly faster this year at Northwoods and Lakes Country than in year's past. Her Olympic result at Clearwater was solid, not quite at the level of "oustanding" needed to give her three outstanding peerformances. The question remains if, like with the junior girls, only two performances are needed, or as with most categories, three performances....
Ted's Season - Part II - Winter Training..
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Saturday, 04 November 2023 00:10
By Ted Treise
Tucson, Dimond Bikes and 7K swim sets - I love MN. It’s the greatest place. The people, the farmed country side with paved roads gridding away creating endless routes and the pretty mild summers. The northern woods of Duluth. BUT in the winter, things are a bit tough for training. So, Dani and I escape to Tucson each spring for a month or so. We’ve been doing it for a few years starting on the east side – base of Mount Lemmon, then now settling on the west side, Oro Valley.
The weather is amazing and I love the training buddies there but I am just going to complain a little here as I get so sick of those roads. IF you watch a Lionel video and he’s outside and it’s not riding Mount Lemmon. He is on Park Links. A 20 mile flat road in the desert north of town. Don’t want to ride 20 miles on a frontage road which mile deep heat cracks to Park Links? You can either do the shootout loop – south through town which takes 45 minutes to get to OR head west and do Big Square by Gates Pass or head over Gates Pass. Also the roads around Gates pass are the worst. You think for a national park they could get some Biden bucks and resurface their chip seal goat paths. Sorry, but I am the worst and just needed to complain about the roads there for a bit. I will say it is beautiful going through the unique scenery and various mini-mountains that blanket the landscape. It’s a challenging and powerful place to train....
