Race Coverage
Minnesota Women Claim Four of the Six Top Spots!
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Saturday, 08 June 2019 23:10
MADISON 70.3 - Four of the Top 6 women, five if you count DANI FISCHER, at this morning's Ironman Madison 70.3 were Minnesotans.
Fischer, formerly of Rochester, now of suburban Indianapolis, took the women's overall title, bettering the 2nd place efforts she posted in the first two editions of this event. And thanks in part to hospitable weather, unlike in 2018 and 2017, Dani's time was record-setting. Her 4:34:24 over the challenging route bettered DANI VSETECKA's previous CR by 11:24.
Minnesotans rounded out the podium, as GABY BUNTEN silvered in 4:46:48, and BECKY YOUNGBERG took the bronze in 4:51:17, which lowered the women's Masters record, set by former pro Jessica Jacobs, by 5:33.
Youngberg has raced thrice this season, winning once and podiuming in the other two events. She set Masters Records each time.
The fifth and sixth spots were earned by 2019 Minnesota Rookie of the Year frontrunner PAIGE SCHULZ (4:52:03 - photo) and the University of Minnesota's premier swim-bike-runner RACHEL ZILINSKAS (4:56:34)....
De-Cobwebbing...
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Friday, 07 June 2019 23:10
By Laura Swartz
Buffalo Race Report…Dusting off the cobwebs…
Every season I can’t help the overwhelming nerves of getting the first race of the season out of the way. It seems like after 15 years of doing triathlons I shouldn’t get nervous but I do each and every single race. In fact I thrive off it. So how ironic that my race bib had a Katy Perry quote “Recycle those nerves and make them adreneline “.
Leading up to the race training was a bit off due to a trip to the ER and 13 stitches in my elbow after a trail run gone bad on Mother’s Day. The last half of the stitches came out the Tuesday before Buffalo and I was finally able to get back in the water. Taking two and a half weeks off swimming seemed like taking months off during my two short pools swims Wednesday and Thursday. The month of May as anyone with kids knows also means crazy kid schedule with one returning from college, one graduating from high school and one working hard to finish her sophomore year of high school. So many of these things could be excuses for why I didn’t perform the way I would have liked but I don’t like excuses. I like to figure out what I can do better...
"Everlasting Quest For Post-Race Hashbrowns"....
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Thursday, 06 June 2019 23:10
By Miguel Anselmo
The 2019 Pigman Sprint Triathlon took place on June 2nd, 2019 at Pleasant Creek State Park, situated 12 miles from the heart of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The inaugural race featured a packed Elite Men and Women’s field, the Iowa Age Group and High School State Championships, and served as the second race in the MWCTC 2019 Summer Racing Season....
June 2 Race Capsules & Trinona Preview...
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Wednesday, 05 June 2019 23:10
14th NEW BRI TRI - Living up to their favored status last Sunday at Long Lake Park were THAD INGERSOLL and reigning women's champ SARA RONDORF. It wasn't a runaway for Ingersoll, 49, as eventual runner-up TIM QUESNELL, 52, was able to almost match his splits throughout.
Thad's eventual margin of victory was 53 seconds.
On the other hand, Rondorf's win, the 5th of her career, was a runaway. Sara had 7:03 to recover before 2nd place was determined.
One hundred and 17 athletes finished this year's race. RESULTS
EAU CLAIRE SPRINT - The 10th edition of this event was well-attended (206 finishers) and, as usual, featured several high placing Minnesotans. For the sixth time, a Minnesota man came out on top. This time it was MICHAEL LEE, 27, of Minneapolis. Lee may be new to the sport of triathlon, as our research was unable to uncover past results.
In total, four Minnesota guys cracked the Top Seven, including two-time Eau Claire winner / Brewhouse Triathlon founder, ROD RAYMOND, 54 (photo), who placed 4th....
The Waiting Game...
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Tuesday, 04 June 2019 23:10
15th BUFFALO SPRINT TRIATHLON - The BUENTINGS (photo) totally rocked last Sunday at the Buffalo Sprint Triathlon. Papa MIKE ultimately won the men's race, though BRIAN STORHAUG (pronounced "Store - Howg") was first to cross the finish line. A Wave 1 guy, burly Brian hoped that his 1:00:52 would hold up. During the next three minutes, only one sprinter, fellow first waver KYLE SWENSON, 17, crossed the line. The talented teen's 1:02:13 torched the junior course record by 3:24.
With the Wave Two 30-39 challengers out of the way, Brian hoped that a Wave Three master (40-49) would not finish in the next three minutes. Two-thirds of that time passed uneventfully, then Buenting, 44, came crashing down the final spirally hill. Still, a 2nd here is pretty cool, and it matched Brian's best placing from 2015.
Swenson's time also endured the onslaught of later wavers, thus he took the final podium spot.
First across for the women was 2017 Buffalo Sprint winner KRISTINA SWENSON. Lke Storhaug, she then played the waiting game. Two minutes and five seconds later, Wave One's BELLA BUENTING, Mikey's 16-year-old daughter, finished, thus claiming the "clubhouse" silver for the time being....
"She's an Outlier".......
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Monday, 03 June 2019 23:10
BUFFALO OLYMPIC - The 14th edition of this classic race was staged in ideal weather, with, surprisingly, an accommodating lake (flat, 70-degrees on top), and produced a plethora of outstanding performances, some of which were record-setting.
The most jaw-dropping of the record efforts belonged to HANNA GRINAKER (photo), who despite some short-lived mechanical drama on the bike course, dominated the strong women's field. After making up the 1:16 she trailed heading into T1, she hammered the bike, her eventual split almost 3-mph faster than her nearest rival. That's insane. She outrode all but seven men. We're talking seven ELITE men.
Grinaker arrived at the finish line several minutes ahead of the previous course record, and 1-2 minutes before her generally expected time. Her final clocking was 2:06:57, an Oympic PR (1:09 better than her winning time at Minneapolis in 2018) and a 3:11 lowering of KORTNEY HAAG's 2016 course record. (FYI - the current course, which features a significantly more challenging run segment than the previous route, has been in place since 2015.)
The victory was the 10th in 18 triathlon starts for the two-time Minnesota Triathlete of the Year....
