FEATURES

Gaby, Shyanne, Dani, Maggie & Rachel...

Tuesday, 17 March 2020 23:10

In our last post we discussed the absence of seven prominent male triathletes from the 2019 Minnesota racing scene. Today, we talk about five talented women that did all, or all but one, of their races at out-of-state events. As with the guys, we do not fault them for this. We respect their freedom (or their coach's freedom) of choice. Still, we are huge fans of these athletes and wish there were more oportunities to watch them perform. And as we noted about the men, we miss these athletes because they elevate local events from both a competitive and social standpoint. In other words, they are not only great triathletes, they are totally cool people.

They are:

GABY BUNTEN - In 2019 Gaby raced in six tris, all major events, in other states or countries. We understand this. She is a National Champion (2018) and two-time USAT Athlete of the Year honorable mention, and she seeks out the most competitive races, especially National and World championships. In 2018, three of the nine tris she did were on Minnesota soil.

SHYANNE MCGREGOR - The Duluth mon was a Rookie of the Year nominee in 2018, when all three of her tri efforts were local. In 2019, though, only one of the three races she did, which produced a course record, was in Minnesota. Her low racing volume was in deference to her IM training, which paid off big time. She placed 4th in her Ironman debut at Florida last November. Her time was 9:47:52!

DANI VSETECKA - One of Dani's three starts in 2019 was in Minnesota. She won that race (One Last Tri Long Course) overall, i.e. she beat everyone, not just her gender. Half of the four multis she did in 2018 were on home soil.

MAGGIE SWANSON (WEISS) - A stress fracture limited Maggie's racing to a single event, which she won handily. That race--Capitol View Olympic--was in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2018, she raced seven times, six of which were in Minnesota.

RACHEL ZILINSKAS - A collegiate star / 2019 Minnesota Most Improved honoree, all but one of the four races she did last year were on foreign soil. Will we see more of her on the Minnesota scene in 2020? We hope so.

Top Photo - Shyanne McGregor. Page 2 Photo - Newlywed Maggie Swanson.