Race Coverage

In a League of Its Own..

Tuesday, 14 July 2015 06:10

Photo - On a weekend full of racing highlights, our pick for "Most Awesome Performance" goes to Bob Powers, 91, who became the oldest athlete to cross a finish line at a Minnesota multisport event.

31st TIMBERMAN - T'were highlights aplenty on Minnesota's tri scene last Saturday. Bridget McCoy and Sheena Dauer collected the biggest wins of their young tri careers, Bridge at Minneapolis, Sheena at Clearwater. And Bennett Isabella's win at Graniteman further demonstrated that he is the current frontrunner for the men's Most Improved award.

Bennett needs to keep winning and placing highly, though, if he hoes to secure the award. There's a couple of guys from Duluth, Mike Ward and 2014 Rookie of the Year Nick Nygaard, who also have a shot at the trophy.

Like Dauer and McCoy, Nygaard rocked socks last Saturday, winning the venerable Timberman Triathlon. It was his 2nd career victory and his biggest yet. Throughout the race, he appeared calm and meticulous, and though pre-race fave Brooks Grossinger had close to a three minute lead entering T2, when Nick dismounted and started running, he looked so smooth and strong that many of the spectators thought that he might have a chance to reel ....

Grossinger in. Though Brooks' eventual run split suggested that he struggled during that leg of his journey, it is questionable whether a more Brooks-like split would have been enough to hold off Nygaard (photo R), who covered the six mile run course in 32:50. Nygaard's eventual margin of victory over the three-time champ (and two-time Triathlete of the Year nominee) was 2:35.

Former Lakes Country winner, David Lewis, 41, finished 3rd overall and won the Top Master title.

Suzie Fox came into the race with six wins, one of which was arguably the Performance of the Year thus far by a Minnesota woman. That effort, which produced a course record, was turned in two weeks ago at Lake Waconia. Though she drove up to Sugar Lake from Chaska on race morning and had limited tri-specific training recently due to travel and family stuff, she was favored to win, something she had also done here in 2013 and 2014.

Despite being plagued by severe leg cramps throughout the run, she muscled her way to a 5:31 win over Sarah Berger. Former collegiate basketball star Sara Sampsel-Jones, 40, rounded out the women's podium and was the day's fastest female master.

Though this year's swim course was longer than in years past, adding about six minutes to one's typical split, a pair of talented teens--Nick Croteau of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Kaytlin Garrison of Cohasset--managed to rewrite the junior records. Don't be surprised if Garrison garners a JOY nomination at season's end.

The Timberman Sprint featured the closest women's race in event history, with Duluth's Jena Ogston (1:05:20) nipping four-time champ Tara Makinen by two seconds. The women launched in separate waves, thus it was not immediately known for sure when Ogston crossed the line that she had won. The spectators knew that it was close. Timer John Snitko, the best in the biz, did not hesitate to check the results and within seconds, it was announced that Ogston had won. Good stuff.

Bettina Keppers, another Duluthian, finished 3rd.

We had picked John Shelp to break Adam Himes five-win streak at Timberman Sprint, but Shelper had other plans. He was racing with his 10-year-old daughter, Quincy, who looks just like her mom. There really is something to this genetics stuff. Himes won for the 6th straight time and his margin over runner-up John Garrison, Kaytlin's dad, was 1:07. Dave Thomes, who drank a lot of whiskey after the race and is a total HOOT and has a cool wife who was the designated driver, was justifiably pleased with his 3rd place finish, which was probably why he was hammering the "Jack" on the deck at Otis' after the race.

Few would argue that the brightest star at Timberman was 91-year-old Bob Powers, who became the oldest athlete ever to cross a finish line in a Minnesota multisport event. Inspiring stuff!

As ever, the Timberman, Minnesota's original / premier Destination Triathlon, was awesome. It is a "Can't-wait-to-get-there" followed by "don't-want-to-leave" type of experience. RESULTS

Photo L - Duluth's flamboyant Kris Kolenz, who like Dave Thomes, is a total HOOT!