Race Coverage

Branden & Becky Keep Rockin'....

Monday, 20 August 2018 23:10

YOUNG LIFE TRIATHLON - Fargo's BRANDEN SCHEEL (photo) continues to rock socks. Of the seven triathlons he's raced in this season, he's won five of them, four on the Minnesota side of the Red River, and all in course record time. In his two non-winning efforts, he placed 2nd (amateur) at Chattanooga 70.3 in  a personal best 4:12:51, and cracked the Top 10 at USAT Sprint Nationals.

The young man's most recent win happened last Saturday at the 15th annual Young Life Sprint in Detroit Lakes. Once out of the lake and on his bike, the race for first was over. He could have jogged to the finish line, saving himself for his next race. But he didn't. Instead he threw down a 16:41 5k run split.

The result was a time of 56:54, giving him a 7:25 margin of victory over runner-up THOMAS LOEGERING of West Fargo, who, as they say, aint no slouch. Tom won this race in 2017. 

Scheel's time lowered LINCOLN MURDOCH's 2009 sprint course record by a hefty 1:51.

Third place went to accomplished junior JACK HENNEN, 18, of Cambridge.

For the second straight year a girl named LUNDQUIST won YL's women's sprint title. Last year, that Lundquist was named TAYLOR,17, who went on to win the 2017 Junior of the Year award. This time, though, Taylor's sister SIMONE, 15, took the title in her sibling's absence. (Taylor had already enrolled at Black Hills State University, and was following Simone's race progress on her "device" in her dorm room.)

In '17, Simone placed 2nd, her time was 1:13:32. She was almost three minutes faster this time. She was challenged by KEIRSTEN COOLEY, 29, of Fargo,who finished 21-seconds behind Lundquist....

The win was a career first for Simone. It won't be her last.

The MTN Guys predicted that DAVID LEWIS and RYAN COLLISON would duke it out for the men's Olympic crown. They did. Lewis got the win, and Collison had to settle for 3rd. Splitting them was Minnesota's female Master of the Year frontrunner, and possible Triathlete of the Year nominee, BECKY YOUNGBERG, whose amazing 2:11:40 was the second fastest women's time here ever, and atotal decimation of the master's record. 

Youngberg has won three of the six triathlons she's done thus far in 2018, each in record time.

Second and third in the women's Olympic race was hotly contested, with the silver going to North Dakotan JULIE MITZEL (2:43:56) and South Dakotan LISA MURPHY (2:44:05) taking the bronze.

Three hundred and sixty-five athletes finished the swim-bike-run races, with another 33 going the distance in the paddle tris.  RESULTS