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Stuart, Andrew, AJ, Preston & Andy...
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Monday, 03 April 2023 00:10
Two members of the Minnesota Multisport Honors Committee, let's call them Matt and Damon, have begun discussing the resumes of Minnesota's top Elite and Age Group athletes in 2002. Today we are sharing their initial thoughts concerning emerging stars, i.e. those athletes whose improved performances have elevated taken them either from the chase pack to the lead pack, or if they were already among the leaders, they have elevated themselves within that group.
Here, in alpha order, are some of the men that Matt and Damon believe best fit the Most Improved criteria:
STUART GILDEA, 23, Minneapolis (photo below) - A former University of Iowa Tri-Hawk, Stuart is now a Biomedical Engineer at Medtronic. His pre-relocation resume was impressive, but he was demonstrably faster in 2022. For instance, he won back-to-back editions of Pigman Olympic. In 2021 as an Iowan, his time was 2:08. This year, as a Minnesota resident, his time was 2:02:06. In 2021, his time at Maple Grove Olympic was 2:02. This year his time was 1:55:19, which once again landed him on the amateur podium. He also broke 2-Hours at Kansas City Olympic this year, and placed 7th overall at (abbreviated) Sprint Nationals....
Jan, Beth, Christel, Pam, Amy & Cheryl...
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Friday, 31 March 2023 00:10
Who are the most nomination-worthy of Minnesota's female Grand Masters in 2022? Matt and Damon consider Jan, Beth, Christel, Pam, Amy and Cheryl to be the strongest candidates.
Here are their 2022 highlights:
JAN GUENTHER, 63, Long Lake - Winner of more MMHs than any other Minnesota triathlete, it came as no surprise that her 2022 regional resume was stellar. She set AG records at Timberman Olympic, where she placed 3rd overall in the women's race, and Buffalo, where she was the 7th woman to cross the finish line. She also placed 7th (AG win) at Lake Minnetonka, and she won her age group title at Ironman 70.3 Madison.
BETH HASSLER, 66, Andover / Eagle River, WI - Divisional wins at Timberman and Tri West, plus podiums at Olympic Nationals and Ironman 70.3 Madison are the kind of highlights that Matt and Damon are looking for.
CHRISTEL KIPPENHAN, 57, Bemidji - A prolific and successful racer, Christel posted AG records at Timberman Sprint, where she placed 3rd overall in the women's race, Buzz Ryan (4th woman overall) and Maple Grove Olympic (6th woman overall). Her 2nd at Northwoods and 6th at Buffalo Sprint were also fine performances....
Cami, Elena & Vanessa...
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Tuesday, 28 March 2023 00:10
If the MMH Committee decides to name nominees and winners this year, Matt and Damon will favor what they consider three slam-dunk candidates for Most Improved female triathlete. After having studied the resumes of at least a dozen athletes, these are the trio, in alpha order, that they recommend most highly:
CAMI ECKHOFF, 35, Detroit Lakes (photo below) - Runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 2021, Cami's speed and competitiveness improved dramatically this season. Her course record win at Alexandria, and her victory at Young Life Sprint are good example of those things. She placed 2nd overall at both races. Granted, those are not super competitive events, but she threw down the kind of fast times that established amateur elites would be proud of. At Alex, she lowered the women's course record by 4:23.
But it was her 2nd place performance at Square Lake Half that sealed the deal for her. Arguably the most challenging 70.3 in our region, she posted a 4:54:16, and sub-5s are rare on that course. The time bettered her personal best at the distance by 16-minutes....
Luke, Daniel, Craig, Thomas & Jeffrey...
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Saturday, 25 March 2023 00:10
Today, Matt and Damon are looking at the 2022 resumes of our state's Grand Masters, i.e. men age 60-and-up, women age 55-and-up. They are looking for AG wins and records, understanding of course, that not all records are equal. A divisional record at older and typically more competitive races--Apple, Buffalo, Chisago, Maple Grove, for instance--are more "attention-grabbing" than at a small and/or younger race. Still, the smaller races sometime produce very fast AG times and Matt and Damon do not want to overlook or discount those efforts.
In needs to be mentioned that GM athletes are measured against some very high standards. World class age group athletes like TONY SCHILLER and JAN GUENTHER have garnered most of the GMOY titles recently, doing so on the heels of their talented predecessors --NEIL KING, GREG TAYLOR, BEN EWERS and PAM STEVENS.
High standards, indeed.
Here, in alpha order, are some of the men that are currently in the GMOY nomination discussion: ...
"Your Body Can do a Lot More Than You Think it Can"...
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Wednesday, 22 March 2023 00:10
By Evan Michealson (saukrapidsherald.com)
Amy Woolsey was looking for a new challenge when she participated in the Chain of Lakes Sprint Triathlon in Alexandria in 2002. When she completed the race, she not only discovered an additional way of testing herself, but also a sense of purpose....
