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A Voyage of Rediscovery...

Friday, 13 June 2014 00:10

By Jody Quesnell

Four years ago, I was done competing in triathlons. I had had enough. After 15+ years of delightfully competing I was tired. I wanted gin and tonics instead of gatorade, a mocha with whip cream instead of a bike ride. It did not help that I landed in the hospital after a terrible infection manifested by a mucky lake swim, Fearing the infection was serious enough to take my life, I decided if and when I recovered I would get my goals realigned and finish some things I have always wanted to do. In that was the desire to be a USAT coach. I had been a teacher for 19 years in Minneapolis School and decided I could use my talents to teach willing and excited adults about the world of triathlons. These “students” have taught me to love the sport again.

First, take a 40-some athlete who turned to me in hopes of learning about the sport. He had recently lost more than 50 lbs and always dreamt of doing a triathlon, but was too scared. He did not know...

The Day After...

Thursday, 12 June 2014 00:10

ED. Jon Zitur sent us this "Semi Race Report:"

Hi MTN Guys,

I promised you a race report on our race the day after Liberty Tri, and I figured I should make due on my promise. The first ever Zitur Sufferfest was held the day after Liberty at the same exact course and had a total of two participants. Unfortunately, after standing in the rain and getting completely ready for the race, my mom (Cheryl Zitur) and I decided with her accident prone nature and my inability to adjust my “just hammer it” attitude for weather conditions, that maybe it would be better to pass on this race. My mom is training for the Age Group Worlds competition in Edmonton and I’m training for Ironman Wisconsin, so we wanted to play it safe. After feeling down and not wanting to waste a good taper, we decided to race the exact course on Sunday instead; in 70-degree sunny weather.

Race morning was a bit quieter than most other races. Instead of being surrounded by other triathletes frantically organizing their transition space, we were accompanied by the port-o-potty employees picking up the leftovers from yesterday’s race. The race was delayed when our swim...

Hands Down Favorite Race...

Wednesday, 11 June 2014 00:10

By Christina Roberts

ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ RACE REPORT - This was hands down my favorite race that I’ve ever done. I was intrigued by this race for the heavy swim and run and decided it would be fun to check it out so I threw my name in the lottery last fall and got in!

Race day started with a 3:30 AM wake-up call but with enough coffee, I was wide awake before the sun came up. Once transition was set up in the dark, we had to take a bus to the pier where we would start the 1 hour journey to Alcatraz Island. Imagine 1600 neoprene-laden, nervous athletes crammed into a boat (see picture 1below). I felt like I was part of a cattle herd, awaiting slaughter. When we arrived, we were given some last minute instructions and over the intercom system we heard “Swim, Bike, Run, Have Fun” repeatedly. That phrase, as well as “embrace the pain” which was advice from a triathlete friend, kept me pushing through the entire race. Once the professional wave dove off the side of the boat, it was pretty much a free for all for the rest of the age-groupers to jump into the 58 degree bay water to swim the 1.5 miles to shore. There were 3 exit gates and we were all herded off the barge into the water. The jump was thrilling, though I felt like a lemming heading off the edge of a cliff, blindly following the athlete in front of me! The bay water was rough and the waves tossed me around quite...

The Rochester Rocket...

Tuesday, 10 June 2014 04:10

ED. For decades, Timothy Carlson, a totally good guy, has been one of our sports's most outstanding journalists. Here's what he had to say about Ruth Brennan Morrey--The Rochester Rocket!--after her stunning victory at Kansas 70.3 last weekend.

By Timothy Carlson (for Slowtwtitch.com)

If you just looked at the names on the entry list, no way that 38-year-old Ruth Brennan Morrey of Rochester, Minnesota, who has been doing triathlons for just three years and turned pro last year, was going to contend with Ironman Hawaii runner-up Rachel Joyce. But somehow this long-ago NCAA Division I soccer star, Olympic Trials marathon qualifier, mother of three with a PhD in psychology who took 10 years off sports altogether managed once again to upend any and all athletic preconceptions with a bang....

Sister Act...

Monday, 09 June 2014 06:10

(Photo - A bunch of Lendways.)

RACE COVERAGE - On a morning that was as beautiful and cooperative as the day before was yucky and dispiriting, a pair of sisters, the Lendways, Heather and Lisa, dominated their respective events in lush Winona. Less than 24-hours after the particants at Liberty contended with rain, wind, mud, cold and standing water deep enough to support small fish, the Lendways, and nearly a thousand others, raced at Trinona beneath a blue sky and bright sun. Temps were in the 60s. A perfect day to climb The Bluff.

While women's course record holder Ruth Brennan Morrey was busy in Manhattan, Kansas, winning her first major 70.3 Series race, Heather was busy erasing her (RBM's) CR. From the get-go she disengaged from her gender and pursued the few elite men who managed to stay in front of her. Despite what appeared to be a slightly long swim and the fact that she was feeling so sub-spunky on the run that she even walked briefly at times, HL reached the finish line in 2:09:50 (11th overall!), a full 4:45 ahead of RMB's 2012 record. Moreover, almost six minutes...

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