Race Previews

10th Anniversary Edition...

Wednesday, 06 July 2011 03:00

ED. Nick Morales of Trijuice.com, which publishes "freshy squeezed" national and international triathlon news (love the freshly squeezed branding!), and the MTN Guys (Yes, Trudles is one of the Guys!) are good buds and avidly support each others' websites. Below is Nick's preview of the 10th anniversary Life Time Fitness - Minneapolis Triathlon, which will be staged on Saturday at Lake Nokomis. (Great YndeCam Photo - Matty Reed nipping Andy Potts at LTF - Mpls '09)

By Nick Morales

Event Preview - The fourth leg of the 2011 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup takes place this weekend, July 9th just outside of downtown Minneapolis. The Life Time Fitness Triathlon, the premier triathlon event in Minnesota will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary in style. Two-time defending Life Time Minneapolis Triathlon champions, Sarah Haskins and Matty Reed return to Minneapolis to defend their titles against a stellar field of international triathletes which includes Andy Potts, Mirinda Carfrae and several others, including Minnesota's own professional David Thompson....

The Life Time Minneapolis Triathlon event has come a long way in its 10 years and will be celebrating in style on Saturday with various changes across the board. The first major one being a new race director as Dave Schutz takes over the reins from long-time race director Marilyn Franzen. Dave is no stranger to the sport of triathlon here in Minnesota. Three years ago he created the successful Trinona Triathlon, a Sprint & International Distance triathlon in Winona, MN. One of the most beautiful and challenging courses in the Midwest which features one of Bicycling Magazine's "Top 100 Climbs in the U.S.".

"Ten years ago, Life Time launched the Minneapolis Triathlon with a goal of growing participation in and recognition of the sport," said David Schutz, Life Time Minneapolis Triathlon Race Director. "Moving forward we will continue to expand triathlon events and formats in line with our Healthy Way of Life Company vision, while providing best-in-class experiences for the thousands of athletes we serve."

Back in the day, the Life Time Fitness Triathlon featured a very exciting, lucrative and unique pro challenge. It was called the "Equalizer" a unique timing structure that allowed the pro men and women to compete for the same cash purse. The Battle of the Sexes format was started in 2002 and lasted until 2006. After that, Life Time Fitness decided to focus its effort and money on their own premier Olympic Distance triathlon series. Today the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series has seven premier races in its portfolio across the U.S., including the Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon in Dallas. Now in 2011, the company that continues to redefine the triathlon experience is bringing back its signature "Equalizer" format to the event. A spectacle to watch for spectators, as both the men and women go head-to-head for the top prize. Here is a list of some of the professionals racing this weekend.