Race Coverage
Niska and Hamer Top 90-Member Field at LTF Plymouth...
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Saturday, 26 January 2019 23:10
LIFE TIME FITNESS PLYMOUTH INDOOR TRIATHLON - As with LTF's St. Louis Park event, Plymouth experienced a slight growth (90 finishers) in attendance. 2018 Plymouth bronze medalist JAMES NISKA was victorious this time around, amassing an impressive 273 points, 14 more than in 2018. His margin of victory over runner-up THOMAS PIHLSTROM was three points....
According to Athlinks.com, Jim has raced often in high-profile tris in Colorado, suggesting that he may have lived there in the past. He is a world traveler with Cairo, London and Helsinki among the desirable locales he's visited. He enjoys listening to Def Leppard and The Killers (Who doesn't?), and probably wishes for a reboot of The Office.
Thomas Pihlstrom did the Plymouth event in 2015, finishing 5th. He also did Tri-U-Mah back in 2012, where he finished 4th in a 151-member field.
Winning for the women at Plymouth was veteran outdoor triathlete NAOMI HAMER, who placed an impressive 4th overall. Hamer, who has awesome ecclectic musical taste, also won this event in 2016 and 2014. Like Niska, her margin over her closest rival/2018 women's winner, ASHLEY BUSACK (photo L), was only three points.
Busack loves off-road racing and totally rocks at it. She won the Lutsen 99er last June, and owns the women's course record at the insanely arduous Wilderman Off-Road Half IM.
LTF Plymouth Indoor Top 5s:
1. NAOMI HAMER - 250 points, 2. ASHLEY BUSACK - 241 points, 3. THYRA BERNACIAK - 238 points, 4. CINDY BRADEHOFT - 237 points, 5. KATHERINE BOOTSMA - 225 points.
1. JAMES NISKA - 273 points, 2. THOMAS PIHLSTROM - 270 points, 3. COLIN KEMMIS - 251, 4. NATE STANOCH - 244 points, 5. MIKE ZIRBEL - 238 points.
