Race Coverage
The Uphill Sprint Tactic...
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Thursday, 30 July 2015 00:10
Hoot Lake Triathlon 2015
By Thomas Anderson III
On Saturday morning at the Hoot Lake Triathlon in Fergus Falls I got to enjoy a front row seat in watching an excellent triathlete walk away with a win. When David Jensen (photo) came out of the saddle to accelerate uphill I'm sure I could see his bike frame bend from the effort. The tactics of an uphill sprint mid-course worked. Jenkins' surge on the bike, along with a great run on a hilly course, was enough to build a gap that neither Matthew Burrell nor I could bridge. Jensen’s uphill strategy helped seal his third win at the Hoot Lake Triathlon, and he did so with room to spare! His finishing time of 1:04:48 was the 3rd fastest time in 23 years of course history....
Jensen lives in the area while his main competitor, Matthew Burrell hails from Indianapolis. The two have a great competition going, each with two wins at Hoot Lake since 2010. Some of their 1st to 2nd finish times have been less than 20 seconds apart.
Over the last six years neither Jensen nor Burrell had dipped below 1:07 on the course. Saturday was different. Maybe the fast time was the extra adrenaline of having three racers leapfrogging on the ride. Burrell, to his credit, put forth a herculean effort to reposition after he dropped his chain in a downshift seconds after Jensen applied the pressure with an uphill surge. In response to a question about his dead stop in the middle of the largest hill, Burrell replied, “Well, that is racing.” Burrell’s daughter stood by his side at the finish, the grin on her face as evidence that she knows her dad is fast.
Jaci Woinarowicz from Fargo, North Dakota took home the women’s win by a 1:35 margin over local Rhoda Christenson. Calie Larkin, also from Fargo, rounded out the top three women in third.
The Hoot Lake course is a far cry from the flat Red River Valley. The transition area is on a hill. A real hill. The kind of hill that when you crest it during the run, you just might check your pulse for fear of cardiac arrest. (No shame, I really did check.) The hills in both the run and the bike make for a great race. The hills also protect the lake from wind, helping the swim to be pleasantly calm. The course was well marked and the race organized well. After 23 years of racing, Hoot Lake is worth a visit. RESULTS
