Race Coverage

Sisters Rock at Big Lake..

Monday, 05 August 2019 23:10

GRANITEMAN BIG LAKE SPRINT - BRIAN SORHAUG loves the Graniteman races, and he excels at them. In fact, five of his triathlon victories have been G-Man events, the most recent of which happened last Saturday at Big Lake.

To make W #5 happen, he had to throw down the event's fastest run split.

Until he hit T2, Brian was racing basically neck-and-neck with PETER COLEMAN, a Nebraska transplant who likes to fish, and has been to Norway. His six-minute miles in phase three got him to the finish line in 1:06:07, a personal best on this course. 

Coleman hung on for 2nd, twenty seven seconds in front of bronze medalist STEVEN WERT, a tri rookie with a lot of potential.

Juniors took three of the Top 5 spots in the women's Sprint. Gold and Silver were well-earned by the talented LUNDQUIST sisters, TAYLOR and SIMONE (photo), both of whom were podium favorites coming into the race. 

Taylor won this event in 2017, the year she was named Minnesota Junior of the Year, but Saturday's Big Lake Sprint was her first tri of the summer, an injury keeping her on the sidelines until now. Was she healthy enough to win again? Would rust be an issue?

Taylor raced as if she had been racing successful all season long. No pain. No rust. And yes, she won. Her time was 12 seconds faster than her 2017 clocking. The 19-year-old Maple Grovian now has five career adult triathlon wins....

Simone, 16, was the 2nd woman to cross the line. Her time -- 1:18:13 -- was a personal best here. She waited patiently hoping that a woman from a later wave wouldn't steal her podium step. Three minutes passed, and Simone's place was secured. Twenty-eight seconds after that, though, NAOMI HAMER, 44, officialized the final podium spot.

FYI, the other junior in the Top 5 was MORGAN BELL, 16, a close friend and training partner of the Lundquists.

Two Age Group records were set at G-Man Sprint, one by LEN KLUN, 65, who lowered the 65-69M mark from 1:20:44 to 1:15:55, and THOMAS ROHMAN, 72, whose time--1:23:5--was insanely fast for a man of his vintage, the kind of speed that would earn a medal at Nationals.

For Klun, it was his second AG record of the season. For Rohman it was his fourth AG record in as many starts in 2019. 

As always, Graniteman Big Lake was a terrific event. RESULTS