Race Coverage

Ansbaugh's Arrival...

Sunday, 18 June 2017 14:10

Photo - 45-49W winner JODY QUESNELL, who is a HOOT, and race founder / director ROSS ROGNEY

LAKE MINNETONKA COVERAGE - When 2010-11 LMT champ and 2016 runner-up STEVE SANDER, who is currently sidelined by medical stuff, watched NATHAN ANSBAUGH take a one-minute lead on five-time champ BROOKS GROSSINGER with him out of T2 on Saturday, he immediately insisted that Ansbaugh would not be caught. We weren't so sure, though. To us, it seemed possible that Brooksie could run him down, a feat that required a per-mile-pace that was twenty-seconds faster than Nate's.

Brooks had proven himself here and elsewhere year after year, whereas Ansbaugh had yet to truly show us what he is capable of, though his 2016 podium efforts at Gear West Du and Heart of the Lakes suggested that he was flirting with stardom.

In the end, Sander was totally right. Ansbaugh not only held on for the win, his first on Minnesota soil, Grossinger only outsplit him on the run by eight seconds. 

Has Ansbaugh "arrived?" Sander thinks so, and we agree....

Though Brooks' pursuit of the leader was relentless, he had to have been distracted by pesky, JORDAN ROBY, who caught him early in the run and jostled for position with him for a spell before Grossinger managed to create some separation. For Roby, it was a gutsy effort. It was also his second consective bronze medal effort here at LMT.

The men's Top 5 was filled out by SCOTT MYERS and PATRICK MARZOLF. Very solid field. Also noteworthy is the fact that TONY SCHILLER, now 59, snuck into the Top 10.

CHRISTINA ROBERTS won the women's competition for the second consecutive year, though super sophomore MAGGIE WEISS, current frontrunner for the women's Most Improved award, gave her all she could handle through the first two phases. Roberts' 6:12-pace on the run allowed her to finally create some space between herself and Weiss.

Former soccer pro OLIVIA BAGNALL, who has a perennial tan and will be married soon, filled out the women's podium and posted a time that was superior to her 2016 effort, when she placed 5th. This is significant because the 2017 swim course was closer to one-K, than the advertised half mile distance.

Despite the elongated swim, one divisional record managed to get rewritten. The author was HELEN GUNTHER, whose 1:30:39 took an eight-minute bite out the previous 60-64W's mark.

Almost 500 athletes participated. As always, ROSS and TINA and their crew poured their hearts into the race production and execution. The result was an event that was as picture perfect as the weather on race morning. FYI, the Rogney's are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary today!  RESULTS

Photo R - 2017 Men's LMT champions, Nathan Ansbaugh.