Race Coverage
Cake Icing....
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Monday, 17 September 2018 23:10
ONE LAST TRI - What could be better than hanging out in a picturesque park alongside a beautiful lake on a sunny, sultry, late summer Sunday?
Well, hundreds of folks collected at such a location with the aforementioned conditions two days ago. The place was Ramsey County Beach on the northern shoreline of White Bear Lake. The folks were there to watch and cheer for the 350ish triathletes that were doing the final triathlon of the Minnesota season.
The mood was celebratory and the action non-stop and exciting.
Sure, the spectators were more comfortable than the hard-working athletes themselves, but like those athletes, they would need a swim or a shower later in the day. That's because temps and dew points rose steadily throughout the morning.
Still, the experience was hard to beat.
Much was on the line for some of the athletes, especially those packing elite-level credentials. Post-season recognition was on the line for some, and most of those folks threw down great performances.
Before the race, the women's pre-race women's favorites met each other for the first time, and became instant friends. That kind of behavior defines our tri community, and it is a beautiful thing....
I Kissed Selene, Drank Magic Juice & Chatted About All Sorts of Things...
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Sunday, 16 September 2018 23:10
By Erin Lahti
Ironman Wisconsin 2018, was my first Full. In the 30 weeks of training, I tried to remind myself that I am choosing to do this incredibly difficult thing because I want to live the fullest life I can. Race day is a reward for the months of hard training. I know a lot of things can go wrong. I didn't want to put too high of expectations on myself. I just want to become an Ironman. ...
From Hypothermia to Hawaii...
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Saturday, 15 September 2018 23:10
By Nick Serratore
Exactly 1 year ago today I was walking the full 26.2 miles of the marathon of my second Ironman to a disappointing 14:52:56 day and having to nurse myself (with the aid of my parents, cousin, and friend) out of hypothermia after the race... After that day, I took some time to reevaluate why I have competed in Ironman triathlons. I realized it was mostly because I loved the people I meet and compete with. The triathlon community is like a family that you can only want to be a part of and racing in an Ironman gives you an almost instantaneous bond with anyone you meet that has also completed such a rigorous race. However, I didn't need to continue racing Ironman distance races to obtain that anymore. I'd completed two and experienced both a great day in 2016 and a lousy one in 2017. It was with that understanding that I realized I had my own personal desire and dream to someday race at Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii and that I'd give that dream one more shot before I aged up into the 30-34 age group next year.
This year I had more fun racing. I didn't take it nearly as seriously and I tried to relax and let the day be what it was meant to be at each race. But most of all, I made new friends and enjoyed the community. I didn't post nearly the quantity of information on my own activities on Facebook as I have in the past, mostly because as far as I was concerned, this year was for me and giving my own dream one last shot....
Let's Make it a Party!
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Sunday, 09 September 2018 23:20
SQUARE LAKE SPRINT COVERAGE & ONE LAST TRI PREVIEW - In our Square Lake preview we made some 70.3 predictions but said little in that regard about the sprint, except that we would keep our eye on Duluth's SHYANNE MCGREGOR, because a great performance could round out a resume that could earn her a Rookie of the Year nomination. The reason we didn't make more predictions is, like with the St. Paul Triathlon, we believed that late registrants would lead the way.
Man, were we right. (We were also right about Shyanne, too. She finished 4th in the women's competition, and a ROY nomination seems likely.)
Late registering elites ANDY WIBERG, 40, and DIANE HANKEE, 41, led the way for their respective genders, both recording substantial margins of victory last Sunday. For Wiberg, the win was the 8th of his career. For Hankee, the 2017 Minnesota Female Master of the Year, the victory was #32.
RYAN COLLISON's name was on the original roster, and we believed that another podium finish, he now has three of those in 2018, including a win at Big Lake Olympic, would come his way. He finished 2nd at Square Lake, one of the most beautiful, and beastly, triathlon locales anywhere. ...
Hanna Makes History!...Updated...
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Sunday, 09 September 2018 23:10
iRONMAN WISCONSIN - For months we have been echoing the opinion that HANNAN GRINAKER (pre-race photo with her best guy) is the most complete amateur female triathlete in the US right now. By that we meant that she is a true threat to win every race she enters regardless of distance.
Hanna made her Ironman debut in Madison yesterday, and what a debut it was! We predicted an outstanding performance, perhaps even a podium. Knowing that she'd be facing the woman who is arguably the premier long distance amateur Iron woman in the country right now, we're talking about Illinois' JACQUI GIULIANO,we suspected an epic battle, one that would produce exciting results.
And it certainly did!
Hanna pulled, then pushed Giuliano to what will likely be the Iron performance of the year by an American amateur woman. And Jacqui pushed, then pulled Hanna to the fastest ever Iron debut by a Minnesota amateur female. With her extraordinary 9:49:01, Giuliano crushed DANI FISCHER's amateur record at IMOO by more than eight minutes. And with her silver medal-earning 10:08:33, Grinaker unseated, according to our records, SARAH MERCER (10:24 at Ironman Canada in 2001), as the fastest IM debut by a Minnesota woman.
Hip-Hop Hats, Flappy Inflatables & the "I Made It" Lady....
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Saturday, 08 September 2018 23:10
SQUARE LAKE 70.3 - JESSIE STEVENS called it "the most fun I've ever had at a race."
She was talking about yesterday's Square Lake 70.3, its 18th edition, and her epic womano-a-womano battle with eventual winner JAN GUENTHER (photo).
Clad in bright yellow socks and a slightly oversized Ricky Fowler (golf reference) hip-hop hat, she was making a strong sartorial statement as well as a strong athletic one, as she dogged Guenther from beach to finish line. Having not raced in these scenic, rolling environs since her victorious effort here in 2003, Guenther relied on long-stored muscle memory to keep herself at the front of the women's race. And it wasn't until the later miles of the relentlessly hilly run course,that she managed to establish a comfortable gap.
The 59-year-old Guenther, still a world class amateur endurance athlete, was exhausted and sore when she crossed the finish line in 5:12:48. Stevens was smiling ear-to-ear when she arrived 2:25 later, rightfully proud of her performance.
Claiming the final step of the women's podium was KELLI MORETTER-BUE, whose 2018 tri resume features a 2nd (Waseca), third (Square Lake) and an eighth (Maple Grove Olympic)....
