Race Coverage

Whitney's Breakout Performance...

Saturday, 27 January 2024 00:10

APPLE DUATHLON COVERAGE - We've said it many times that a race doesn't have to be large to be awesome. (And big races are not automaticaly better than smaller ones.) Yesterday's Apple Duathlon, fielding only 130ish participants, was a prime example of that claim. It was awesome event, enhanced by perfect weather and a celebratory vibe. After a protracted winter, the 2023 racing season is finally underway. What's not to celebrate....

Though the men's and women's long course (5K-33k-5K) competition, both overall and in the age groups, yielded predictable results, the races were far from boring.

Let's start with the women. (The men's race coverage will post later.)

On paper, a pair of duathlon virgins were expected to lead the way. One of the those women, Team Minnesota's VANESSA NAGEL, had a hip owie and wisely decided to be a cheerleader instead of a racer. This opened the door for the woman expected to be her toughest rival, WHITNEY MOORE. Moore proved from the get-go that even if Nagel was ready to rock, she (Whitney) would be hard to beat.

What unfolded was Whitney's finest multi performance yet. Strong run splits bracketing a solid bike effort propelled  her to a 3:46 margin of victory over last year's runner-up ALYSSA KNESE (pronounced "Kah-Nay-Zee), even though Knese, thanks to a killer bike split, managed to slice almost seven minutes off her 2022 second place time.

Elite grand master AMY WOOLSEY,  57, placed 3rd for the second straight year. Like Knese, she too was significantly faster than in '22.

As for the women's AGs, predictable wins were recorded by WOOLSEY and. LAURIE PAYTON (60-64).  RESULTS