Race Coverage

Repeaters...

Sunday, 19 February 2023 00:10

YOUNG LIFE SPRINT TRIATHLON COVERAGE - In our race preview we predicted that rising star CAMI ECKHOFF would rewrite a course record. We were wrong. But she did set a new record...

Huh?

Cami messaged us after the race with this explanation:

Thanks for the huge shoutout on the Minnesota Tri news page! I can’t claim the record as the bike course was 1 mile shorter and .18 miles short on the run, but all in all I was super pleased with my time as I hoped to break 1 hour, and I snuck in at 58:08! I appreciate all of your support and encouragement on this tri journey!

We replied to her note saying that unofficially and for what's it's worth, her bike and run paces were more than sufficient to break Tara Makinen's dozen-year-old record (1:03:32). Once again, unofficialy and for what's it's worth, our math suggests that her time on the original course would have been in the 1:02:50 - 1:03:00 range.

In any case, Cami (photo L with her offspring) raced brilliantly and basically secured a Most Improved nomination. Also, after placing 1st woman / 3rd overall in 2021, she elevated her position by one place last Saturday. Next, her margin of victory over runner-up PAULINE AAMODT, originally from Woodbury and a former member of Iowa State's tri team who now resides in Fargo, was almost ten minutes. Pauline is a talented triathlete, though she hasn't raced much, if at all, since 2018, a year with multiple impressive efforts (2nd @ High Cliff and Pigman, 3rd @ HITS Naples). Glad you are back at it, Pauline.

Third in the women's race was Bismarck's SARA REINKE-SCHMIDT.

Cami now has two YL Sprint wins. Her Winners Circle-mate former Fargoian KEVIN BJERKE, who is an assistant women's Track and XC coach at Montana State University, picked up his third YL Sprint victory last weekend. He also won here in 2019 and 2015. His time was 55:40, giving him a 2:59 gender win over former Big Lake Olympic winner, and totally cool guy, RYAN COLLISON. 

One hundred and seventy-six athletes finished this year's Sprint race, which was celebrating its 19th anniversay.  RESULTS

YOUNG LIFE OLYMPIC COVERAGE - In our preview we predicted a showdown between three-time Olympic winner DAVID LEWIS and South Dakotan KEVIN MITCHELL.

 That didn’t happen. Mitchell was must have zigged when he should have zagged on the bike course resulting in an eventual disqualification. 

 Taking Kevin’s place  in the co-favorite role, then, was late registrant BRANDON LEE of Fargo. Brandon claimed a three-second win over Lewis at Northwoods the previous weekend, thus the stage was set for another great battle between these two fast guys.

 As at Northwoods, Lewis would win the  head-to-heads in the swim and run, but Lee’s bike prowess once again nullified those gains. So, it was the North Dakotan that came out on top. 

Another athletes from the Peace Garden State, West Fargo’s SEAN TOSTENSON, earned the final podium step.

 Less than a minute behind Sean was women’s winner / lapsed triathlete SARA CARLSON (photo R) of Brained. We had predicted a win for Carlson unless Bismarckian MARNIE WALTH, a three-time YL Olympic winner (2021, 2014, 2007) decided to race.  Marnie did make the trip but it was Carlson, whose win on Saturday tied her with Walth wth three YLO victories, who had the superior race. Marnie finished 2nd woman / 6th place overall 1:46 behind Carlson, whose faster run split was the deciding factor.

 Predictably, Winona’s ROBYN WANGERG, last year’s runner-up. finished 3rd in the women’s race. RESULTS

Sixty-one triathletes finished this year’s YLO. -   RESULTS