Race Coverage

Positive Signs!

Saturday, 18 August 2018 23:20

ST. PAUL TRIATHLON - Is triathlon attendance rebounding?

If last weekend's tris--St. Paul and Young Life--are any indication, the answer just might be "yes."

Young Life's attendance was record-setting, and with 398 finishers, St. Paul's was more than two and a half times larger than it was in 2016. (St. Paul was cancelled in 2017 due to park and roadway construction.)

It could be that, in part, there has been a nice influx of new participants of late. At St. Paul, newbies were asked to raise their hands before the event, and a surprising number of hands went up.

There was also a playful vibe at Lake Phalen. Most participants appeared to be committed to having fun, even those athletes who were very serious about their performances.

And there were some seriously great performances. The womens' Sprint, for instance, turned into a knock-down-drag-out affair between emerging talents, HEATHER TAYLOR and EMILY GAGE. On paper, Gage seemed to have a slight edge. In her last two races--Minneapolis Sprint and Big Lake Sprint--she had finished 2nd and 1st, respectively.

Taylor had impressed us with her efforts at Minneapolis Olympic (11th) and High Cliff Olympic (4th), two very compettive events.

On Saturday, Taylor crossed the finish line first, making her the leader in the clubhouse. Would Gage, 32, who started after the 22-year-old University of Minnesota triathlete, close the gap? ...

It didn't take long to find out. Taylor was still in the finish chute when Gage (photo R) was on the final straightaway. Moments later, Uncle Randy's computer told us that Emily's final time was actually 14-seconds faster than Heather's. Not only that, but that Gage and Taylor were in 2nd and 3rd place overall, positions they would retain.

The Sprint men's winner was a very worldly, highly educated guy named ANURAG JAIN, who is originally from New Delhi, India. He had come to our attention in the last few years when we were covering indoor tris, several of which he won.

Four male members, and one female member, of 2017 Team Minnesota were entered in the Olympic competition. And yes, they went off the front early, and stayed there.

WADE CRUSER came into the event on a two-race winning streak, one of which produced a course record (Brewhouse Olympic), the other coming within seconds of the long-standing CR.

MATT PAYNE, winner of more multis in the last decade than any other Minnesota multisporter, was intent on disrupting Cruser's plans, as was JORDAN ROBY, whose last three outings had produced two wins and a close 2nd.

There to push these guys was two-time Team Minnesota member ANDY WIBERG, who was celebrating his 40th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Andy!

Payne, who started ahead of Cruser, was first into T2, and Wade, despite a crash that left a rather gruesome rash on his right shoulder, was next. Jordan had some time to make up on these guys, and was able to narrow the gap on Payne to 25 seconds, but Cruser would manage to outrun his pursuers, claiming his third consecutive victory. His impressive 1:56:57 on the 1600m-22-6-mile route put him 30-seconds up on Payne, and 55-seconds ahead of Roby. This was some seriously exciting racing.

While Roberts was racing unchallenged at the front of the women's Olympic race, she never let up. That's not her style. And while Cruser was celebrating his third consecutive W, Christina's scorecard would feature four straight wins, her St. Paul effort, producing a sterling 2:08:34. Her career resume now boasts 22 victories, ten of which coming in the last two seasons.

The women's Olympic podium was filled out by a pair of Wisconsin residents, JENN KAVANAUGH (2:26:23), and BETSY BARRETT (2:28:16).

Placing 5th in the women's Olympic competition was flamboyant tri-rookie KATIE LANDWEHR, who flexed triumphantly for her friends' cameras (top photo) after her finish. RACE RESULTS