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Flip-Flop Finishes & Unrecognized Spouses...
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Sunday, 11 July 2021 00:20
36th TIMBERMAN COVERAGE - The battle between the men's co-favorites in yesterday's Olympic race did not disappoint. In fact, what transpired was the most exciting finish in the history of the current course, which has been in place since 2013. Spectators watched and cheered as 2019 champion JOSH BLANKENHEIM charged down the final hill with four-time T-man winner BROOKS GROSSINGER in hot pursuit. Both men were sprinting. Josh crossed first; Brooks finishing about three seconds later. It was the event's closest finish ever. Previously, 1:06 was the narrowest margin between winner and 2nd place. In that 2016 battle, WADE CRUSER prevailed over Blankenheim.
So, Blank won, right? No. A time trial start system was utilized this year, and Josh launched approximately seven seconds ahead of Brooks, thus, in the end Grossinger claimed a four second win over the new daddy, who left the venue shortly after catching his breath so he could hurry home to his lovely wife Larissa and their beautiful 11-day-old daughter Finley Sue.
A similar battle unfolded between the women who would place 2nd and 3rd in the Olympic competition. Four-time Timberman runner-up ANDREA MYERS, a four-time Master of the Year nominee, appeared to claim another silver medal, finishing perhaps 10-seconds ahead of lapsed triathlete TIFFANY KARI (photo). But once again, the time trial start resulted in the flip-flopping of the results. In the end, Kari, bronze medalist here in 2017 and 2014, took 2nd, 48-seconds ahead of Myers....
Teetering on the Overtraining Fence...
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Thursday, 08 July 2021 00:10
By Jason Crisp
As a health & wellness professional, personal trainer, and endurance sports coach i feel I must share my recent struggles.
As many of you know I’m training for Ironman Lake Placid on July 25 with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the world championships in Hawaii. This takes extreme amount of commitment and energy. However ones energy is limited. We need it for all areas of our life from family obligations, work, social, etc plus to handle other daily stressors.
The last few weeks I’ve had my blinders on and have been putting in some serious hard training. Nothing different from the past however I’m busier than the past so safe to say this past weekend put me over the edge of that energy balance. Original symptoms were edginess, lack of focus with daily things, slight performance decline, plus Sunday I verbally just said I can’t take any more. With that all said I should’ve backed off this week but continued to train hard mon-Wednesday all the while I started having anxiety/panic attacks in the middle of the night that didn’t allow for much sleep. These increased to happening during the day doing simple tasks. Fortunately yesterday I went and saw a great doctor (former endurance athlete who himself has experienced overtraining syndrome). He talked about the physiological reason things are happening to me. Basically with the mix of work, home life, constant stimulation from screens, and hard training my adrenal gland/hormones are out of wack causing sudden surges of cortisol & adrenaline hence the middle of the night anxiety attacks. Trust me it’s not a fun thing....
Timberman XXXVI Preview...Updated!
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Wednesday, 07 July 2021 00:10
36th TIMBERMAN TRIATHLON - The 36th edition of Minnesota's "Premier Destination Triathlon" will happen next Saturday at picturesque Sugar Lake Lodge. Once again, both the Sprint and Olympic competitions promise to be exciting and we can not wait until race morning. We're bummed, however, that due to closed borders, the event's loyal Canadian friends will not be in attendance.
Let's make some predictions.
On paper, 1st place in the men's Olympic race should come down to a battle between past champions JOSH BLANKENHEIM and BROOKS GROSSINGER. These men have taken turns beating each other at Timberman, Brooks prevailing in 2014, Josh in 2016. Though Brooks' 2021 resume features a win and a 2nd, enough to be named Masters Athlete of the Month in June, while in one appearance, Josh placed 3rd, albeit behind DAVID KOPPEL and former pro DAVID THOMPSON, we are unwilling to pick a winner. We do believe that less than a minute will separate 1st and 2nd place. That has not happened since the current course was established in 2013.
June 2021 Athletes of the Month!
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Monday, 05 July 2021 00:10
Ba
sed on a minimum of two outstanding performances during the month in question, though for our purposed, "June 2021" includes May performances, and in one case, an even earlier effort, the Minnesota Multisport Honors Committee had determined its AOMs. Our thanks to MIKE BUENTING, who reps "Speed Hound," for providing cool swag for the winners.
JUNE 2021 ATHLETES OF THE MONTH: KYLE SWENSON & RACHEL ZILININSKAS
The men's AOM was contentious. Some of the Committee members favored DAVID KOPPEL, based on his two wins, the first of which--Buffalo Olympic--was arguably the men's Performance of the Month. In the end,...
Heat, Ice Cream and Redemption...
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Sunday, 04 July 2021 00:10
By Mike Hushagen
Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race Recap: This was my 3rd Ironman and Jessica Ann Shaw's 4th. It's a beautifully scenic but difficult course with long climbs on the 2 loop bike route. As race day neared the forecast kept getting hotter and hotter, eventually settling on full sun and 101 degrees!
The race start got moved up to 5:00 am for the Pros and 5:30 for the rest of us. We got a short night of sleep and headed down to the lake in the dark with our trusty race sherpa Mark.
The Swim (2.4 miles): The water was a perfect 70 degrees and Jessica and I seeded ourselves together in line for the rolling start. Before we knew it our buzzer went off and the race was on! We entered the water side by side but soon lost each other in a sea of people and waves. I found a person to draft off of and spent the whole first lap on his feet. I did my own thing on the second lap and felt great the whole time at a nice relaxed pace. As I exited the water and ran up to my bike I found that Jessica was already gone! Yes, she kicked my butt on that swim by 5 minutes. Now my goal was to catch her!
The Bike (112 miles): I was feeling great so I pushed the pace right from the start and started passing people. I didn't catch Jessica until around mile 6 and we rode together for about a mile to the first turnaround. I was in front of her and as I finished the turn I heard "Oh s@&t!" And turned my head just in time to see her crash! ...
