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Life Does Not Suck...
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Friday, 21 August 2015 00:10
By Ryan Wippler
Big Lake Race Report - So this is it. Last “Oly” of the season for this guy. Time to see if the past year of 5:00 am wake-ups and hundreds of hours of training would lead to the result-that goal set almost one year ago-to go 2:05 on an olympic tri. I hadn’t felt this kind of build up since Grandma’s Marathon 2013 when I qualified for Boston. Casey Miller and Wade Cruser were my main competition, neither of which I had beaten this year. Usually when the pressure builds, I perform better. This is how my day went down.
Casey and I BS’d a bit before our swim wave. He told me he was trying to get his mojo back after a half Ironman debacle a few weeks earlier where he suffered a back injury from a wetsuit removing service (didn’t know such a thing existed) and was having shooting pain down his leg. I told him of my lofty goal for the day and hoped to keep him close through-out the race as a motivating force.
I was trying a new one piece trisuit with sleeves which was supposed to be super aero on the bike. I had used it and won the week before at Lake Minnewaska. It makes what go for my guns these days look like pipe-cleaners; instant skinny arms! If only they...
Unmatched Comaraderie...
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Wednesday, 19 August 2015 06:10
Photo (L-R) - Daine Hankee, Christina Roberts, Heather Lendway. Lisa Lendway & preggers Olympian Carrie Tollefson, who urges us to eat stuff that's grown in Minnesota. Good advice.
8th YWCA WOMEN'S TRIATHLON - The MTN Guys have been following Minnesota multisports forever and will state unequivocally that 2015 is the "Year of the Woman." What we mean by this is that never before in a single season have so many of our state's multisportwomen emerged as regional, even national, stars.
And the comaraderie among the top women is unmatched.
This is good stuff. Exciting stuff.
So, while the YWCA Women's Triathlon has always been special, one of the finest women's-only endurance events in the country, to be sure, the vibe at this year's race was even more, er...tingly than ever. In the spirit of celebrating each other and the healthy lifestyles they embrace, the...
Two Great Races to Choose from...
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Wednesday, 19 August 2015 00:10
LIFE TIME TRI - MAPLE GROVE & WASECA 1/3 & SPRINT - Finally!
Finally, a reasonably scheduled weekend, the kind of weekend that doesn't spread the participant base too thin. Minnesota athletes had fifteen races races to choose from in the last two weeks. This weekend there are only two races: the iconic Life Time Tri - Maple Grove on Saturday, and the Diamond-in-the-Rough Waseca 1/3 and Sprint on Sunday.
Last year, the Maple Grove event was the best attended of the Life Tme Minnesota Series. Current enrollment seems to be in the same ballpark as Minneapolis, i.e. 1400-1500 race day entrants. Love those numbers and hoping this demonstrates the beginnings of a "bounce back" in our sport...
Let's Call it a Tie....
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Tuesday, 18 August 2015 00:10
Photo - 55-59 winner at Lake Marion Sprint, Stephen Bullard. After the race, Stephen and an overweight buddie went to McDonald's and got large milkshakes. The overweight friend got a chocolate one with no "whip." Stephen got a strawbeery shake with whip.
LAKE MARION INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLON - Let's call it a tie.
Though pre-race favorite Olivia Bagnall was declared the winner--she was the first woman to cross the finish line--second waver Amy Borden turned in the exact same time, a fact that was not discovered until after the event was over.
The last time we saw an exact tie was back in 2012. The race was the London Olympic Triathlon and Sweden's Lisa Norden and Switzerland's Nicola Spirig were the tiers. For some reason, one that hasn't been adequately explained, in our opinion, Spirig was awarded the Gold medal and Norden settled for the Silver....
Danis Fischer & Vsetecka Rock Rural Iowa......
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Monday, 17 August 2015 00:10
18th Annual Pigman Half - David Thompson came into yesterday's event hoping to record the 100th victory of his multisport career. The win would also be his 18th at the 70.3 distance and his 10th at this event.
Rookie pro Dani Fischer, an honorary Minnesotan now residing in Indianapolis, came into the race hoping to take a big bite out of Malaika Homo's 2006 course record 4:35:35.
DKT came close (4:04:23) to achieving his goals. Leading after the swim and bike, he was overtaken in the run by fellow pro Blake Becker (4:03:43) of Madison, Wisconsin. In the end, 40 seconds separated these athletes, who led the way against what was arguably the most talented men's field in Big Pig history.
Kentucky pro Mike Hermanson rounded out the men's podium (4:06:14).
FYI, the top position on the amateur podium was taken Toughman Minnesota champ Eric Engel (4:13:36), who placed 5th overall. The next two spots were earned by White Bear Lake's Kris Spoth (4:16:30) and Missourian Kevin Denny (4:18:18). Once again, the fastest master was Medina's Kevin O'Connor (4:22:14)....
