Race Previews

2021 G-Man Big Lake Preview...

Thursday, 05 August 2021 00:10

11th GRANITEMAN-BIG LAKE SPRINT & 6th BIG LAKE OLYMPIC - DAVID THOMPSON, the legendary "DKT," is racing at Big Lake. What that means is that whitchever event he chooses--Olympic or Sprint--we should expect a new course record. We assume that he is leaning toward the Olympic, the CR for which is DAVID HOLDEN's 2:00:52, set in 2016. If true, Big Lake '21 should see it's first sub-2-hour performance. 

And just as we assume DKT will do the Olympic, we suspect that KEVIN O'CONNOR will do the Sprint. This is because he did the Sprint at the Clearwater Graniteman. So in the interest  of continuity, we are picking KO to pick up his second G-Man victory of the season, unless ANDY ZABEL decides to race the shorter event. If Andy goes long, we predict a silver medal performance.

Now, to make these predictions happen, we need to assume that elite athletes like 2020 winner JOSH MORK, and DAVID KOPPEL, who has established himself as the Minnesota man-to-beat in 2021, do not enroll. FYI, we received the list of entrants on July 29, thus there is plenty of time for credentialed athletes to sign-up between then and race morning.

We also predict a podium effort from PETER WIKMAN, who is enjoying a breakout season.

Who will win the women's Olympic and Sprint? Whoever it is, we believe her name was  not on the roster we saw. Last year's Sprint winner JENNA HORNER is at Nationals, as is EMILY GAGE, who has multiple podium finishes here. So, a LUNDQUIST sister-or-two could show up? Or maybe MACY IYER? Or CARYN HERRICK, who's boyfriend (Wikman - They are such a cute couple!) could decide to race. If she does, she would move immediately into the favorite's spot....

Perhaps KELLY TROM, who won here in 2016, and her fiance, surprise Chisago Half winner KARL-with-a-K NYGREN, will enroll?

We're anxious to see who signs up.

As for Age Group predictions, we think that the following athletes will win their divisions, whichever event they choose to participate in: THAD INGERSOLL (50-54M), ANDY CLARK (55-59M) and TIM BROWN (60-64M).

Women? Though she had yet to register, we'd be surprised in 2020 GMOY LISA HINES, 58, didn't race and win her AG. The same can be said about CHERI BATES (45-49), who is a HOOT!, and CAROL GRAGERT (65-69).

Graniteman Big Lake is expecting about 400 participants. Will you be one of them? RACE WEBSITE