Race Coverage
Ludick Rocks at Chisago...
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Thursday, 14 March 2024 00:10
CHISAGO OLYMPIC & SPRINT COVERAGE - These events celebrated their second annivesaries last Sunday. Talented out-of-staters won both of the men's races. A 59-year-old phenom and a tri rookie / elite distance runner earned the women's overall titles.
In 2022, Most Improved runner-up ANDREW KERSHAW won the Olympic race rather handily over Wisconsin's IAN BORMETT and Iowa's NOAH BRENNY. This time, though, Brenny got payback. His excellent swim and run splits had Kershaw hoping that his superior bike split would, once again, put him at the front of the race. Andrew beat Brenny by more than seven minutes in 2022, and would come away with a solid time (1:57:41), but Noah has gone to another level this year, perhaps two or three levels. His final time proved to be 44-seconds faster than Kershaw's.
DYLAN WILLIAMS, who is proving to be the real deal, threw down a 33:33 run allowing him to close to withing 42 seconds of Andrew.
In her first tri, MARGARET LUDICK (photo) raced basically by herself in the first and third legs. A huge lead on the field out of the water would not sustain her on the bike leg. Eventual runner-up SARAH SILBERNAGEL was first into T2, but Ludick would run a 35:36. Enough said. Game over....
As expected in young races, AG records tend to fall in droves until enough history has passed. Five non-open-class marks were rewritten on Sunday by MITCH DOKMAN (00-19M), ANDREW MOEN (40-44M), COREY JUROWSKI (45-49M), BRAD SEVERSON (55-59M) and LAURIE PAYTON (65-69W).
In the Sprint, Green Bay's JESSIE DOWDING collected his second career tri win. Demonstrating vastly improved cyling and running, he arrived in T2 well ahead of the field. His lead continued to increase over the next 3.1 miles. His ultimate margin of victory over runner-up NATHAN STRUDLE, arguably the youngest looking 40-year-old in Minnesota as well as being the man who is determined to resurrect the Blaine Triathlon, was 4:07.
Women's pre-race favorites CHERYL ZITUR, 59, and DIANE HANKEE, 46, launched in different waves. Zitur had to push her pace knowning that Diane, who started four minutes after her, was intent on gunning her down. Diane couldn't afford to let up either. Similar bike and run splits entailed that the fastest swimmer would probably win. That's what happened. Cheryl swam 1:08 faster than Diane, and Hankee was only able to make up 47 seconds. Great battle.
