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Elena, Heather & Caryn are 2024 TOY Nominees...
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Wednesday, 06 November 2024 00:10
Photo - TOY nominee Elena Jasper with her dad, Chuck Hengel, who is nominated for GMOY.
By Garfunkel
2024 Minnesota Multisport Honors - Triathlete of the Year is the most prestigious accolade that the Minnesota Multisport Honors Committee awards. The winner, by nature of the award, will also be ranked on top of Team Minnesota when that announcement is made. Here are the 3 women that Simon and I agreed earned Triathlete of the Year nominations for 2024:
Elena Jasper, 27, Deephaven:
Elena raced prolifically in 2024, which we love. She started the season with a 70.3 PR (4:47) in Chattanooga, won Lake Minnetonka sprint and Clearwater Olympic, was 3rd at Timberman Olympic and Maple Grove Olympic. She also won a 70.3 (Chisago) by pretty much tying her PR, and then proceeded to end the year with another 70.3 PR of 4:44 at Madison, placing 5th overall.
Caryn, Caryn & Heather...
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Monday, 04 November 2024 00:10
By Simon
2024 Minnesota Multisport Honors - Here are the three finalists for 2024 Female Performance of the Year:
CARYN WIKMAN, 34, St. Louis Park - Win @ Ironman 70.3 Madison. Her time--4:37:08--was a personal best and stands as the third quickest women's perormance in race history.
CARYN WIKMAN, 34, St. Louis Park - W @ Maple Grove Olympic. Her 2:05:09 was the fastest Olympic-esque time by a MInnesota woman a local race in 2024. The women's field at MGO was the deepest of the year on the MN tri scene.
HEATHER LENDWAY, 40, St. Paul - Duh! The newly minted 40-year-old was the overall women's winner at Age Group Nationals in Atlantic City. HL's 2:07:11 was the fastest legitimate Olympic clocking by a Minnesota amateur woman since 2014. (Note: Heather had also won the National Championship in 2013 and 2014.)...
Sean, Nathan & Preston are 2024 POY Nominees...
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Saturday, 02 November 2024 00:10
By Garfunkel
2024 saw a post-pandemic rebound in the depth of elite racing at local triathlons. More guys competed for the podium at more races, but a few performances stood out from the rest. Below are the 3 performances from Minnesota men that Simon and I agree deserved to be nominated for Performance of the Year.
Sean Cooley’s Course Record at Square Lake Half:
Sean, a former Minnesota Triathlete of the Year and perennial nominee, set his fastest half distance time of the year at Des Moines 70.3 in 4:07:57. However, his solo-effort time of 4:10:53 on Square Lake’s challenging course made it his most impressive result of the season in our minds.
Nathan Kim’s Win at Chisago Half:
Nathan, at only 22 years old, won the Chisago Lakes half in a time of 4:11:50 – quite the impressive feat for an athlete of his age on such a hot and windy day....
Caryn, Kadie & Tiffany are 2024 Most Improved Nominees...
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Thursday, 31 October 2024 00:10
By Simon
Minnesota Multisport Honors - Here are the three talented woman that Garfunkel and I believe best deserve 2024 Most Improved nominations:
Nathan, Tevin & Spencer are 2024 Most Improved Male Nominees...
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Monday, 28 October 2024 00:10
By Garfunkel
One of the highlights of each season is seeing the growth and progression of Minnesota’s talented multisport athletes. To assess which athletes deserve a nomination for Male Most Improved, the Committee assessed not only who came the farthest over the past year, but their improvement relative to the state’s other elite athletes. For example, an athlete who came out of nowhere to just make Team Minnesota would be viewed similarly as an athlete ranked in the middle of Team MN who made a 4-5 spot jump to the top. So, below are the 3 guys who Simon and I believe earned Most Improved nominations in 2024.
Nathan Kim, 22, Minneapolis
Nathan, a collegiate swimmer at the U of M, was not on our radar in 2023 until his 5th place finish at Maple Grove Olympic. This year, he won at Chisago half in 4:11:50 and placed second at Maple Grove olympic in 1:52:50, just three seconds behind two-time Minnesota TOY Preston Youngdahl. He should be receiving a Triathlete of the Year nomination in the next couple of weeks....
