Impressive Stuff...

July 27, 2010

Sooooooo much about Sunday's Chisago Lakes Triathlon(s) was impressive, and not just basic stuff, like DKT's sub-4 hour winning time, or Patrick Parish's and Jenny Wilcox's crushings of the race records in the sprint. That's really good stuff, though.

What else was there to be impressed with then, you ask?

How about how downright maturishly Ross Weinzierl and Joanna Hall handled their misfortunes. Ross was kicking tush when he was forced to DNF. How did he handle it? With an understanding shrug of the shoulders, a big smile--which is a ubiquitous part of his extroverted signature--and the clear understanding that there will be other opportunities.

You thoroughly impressed us, Ross. (See photo on next page. Ross is the tall smiley guy on the left.)

Poor pretty Joanna. Two flats and more than a half hour of..

mid-race non-racing because of them. She was rescued by a guy who fixed her 2nd flat--we're totally impressed with him, too--and pressed on. It was important for her to finish her first half, which she did in 5:38:36. She could have played the "What If" game immediately afterward. Heck, she was flirting with a sub-5 on her first effort at the distance. She could have ranted, saying stuff like "dang it" and other sub-obscenities. Instead she was HAPPY--though somewhat nauseous--and anxious to find and thank the guy who made it possible for her to go the distance.

You are impressive, Joanna.

Teresa Brenneke (cool bike photo below) totally impressed us. She was soooooo genuinely happy for and supportive of the participants that she coaches that it was easy to forget--even by herself-- that she raced, too. In fact, she placed 30th in 5:13:32. Not too shabby, eh? But Coach "T" was positively giddy with pride over the performances of those who seek her sagely counsel. She was as elated with Angie Schmidt's PR (4:53:46), divisional win and Top 10 overall finish as Angie was. Maybe moreso.

Jenny Wilcox, another T coachee, handles her performances in a rather shy and stoic way. She's won four races this year, set three course records, including the one she posted on Sunday, and is destined to garner a spate of MMA nominations at season's end. She is not one to make a big  deal out of such stuff. But somebody should, because IT IS A BIG DEAL! That "somebody" who celebrated Jenny's huge performance the loudest and smiliest was T. Brenneke.

You are impressive, T.

We could talk about the great clubs that were on hand and how they celebrated each others' performances. Lots of totally wonderful and cool North Dakotans were there. As well as Badger-staters and Hawkeye country residents. And then there was the relatively new Du/Tri club from Sartell/St. Cloud. Great people supporting each other. Living proof that this lifestyle is better if you don't go it alone. It's not just about yourself. It's about your peers, the ones you know, and the ones you don't. Congratulations go a long way. Especially when they are heartfelt. Such stuff creates an addictive atmosphere and makes it hard to wait for next week's race to come around.

And yes, there were some special performances we'd like to acknowledge. Let's start with the sprint.

Sure, Patrick Parish's winning effort--his eighth in nine starts this season--in record-squelching time was cool and amazing, but Scott Penticoff's master's record-extirpating (cool word, huh?) performance, which featured an insane bike split--the fastest of the day!--and landed him in the Top  3 in a time that would have won every past edition of this event was beyond cool and amazing. It was Cool-splendent. And Amazing-iferous!

As for the half, we want Texan-turned-North Dakotan Barbara Kuhlmeier, 50, to know that we think she's awesome. The former bronze medalist at Nationals (2008) finished eighth overall / Top Master in 4:52:57.

And we want to congratulate all the PR-ers--Josh Riff, Matt Payne, Todd Landgraff, Pam Nielson, Diane Birkeland (awesome bike, Diana!), Hilary Patzer, April Morgan, Leah Prudhomme, Cindy Blackstock--the list goes on and on. And on. It was a truly special day of racing and you and everyone else put  on an inspiring show.

Thanks for a great day, everyone!

CHISAGO RESULTS...

PREDICTION: Wisconsin's Jackie Arendt, who won the Chisago Lakes Half and three other 70+milers (and the St. George Ironman!) this season, will be nominated at season's  end for USAT Athlete of the Year and Triathlete Magazine's Female Triathlete of the Year. It will be totally well-deserved!

Top Photo: Aerial view of Paradise Park, home of the Chisago Lakes Triathlons.