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In the Bag...
- Created: Monday, 27 July 2015 10:38
- Last Updated: Tuesday, 28 July 2015 07:20 Tuesday, 28 July 2015 03:10
TOUGHMAN MINNESOTA HALF IM - The MTN Guys have been following Eric Engel's tri-career for a couple of seasons and were somewhat bummed when he returned to his ancestral Badgerland. We were impressed by his 4:16 - 3rd place finish in the slop at Liberty in 2014. His 4:11- PR (5th place) at Chisago less than two months later suggested that he was destined to win 70.3 races in the relatively near future.
The question we had was whether that first W would happen in 2015 or 2016. When we saw him prior to the start of Sunday's Toughman Minnesota Half in Chisago City, we thought that maybe his time had come. He exuded a joyful readiness and confidence and was anxious for the race to start.
When Eric arrived in T2 ahead of the field he looked remarkabley fresh. His facial expression and the speed with which he racked, shod himself and started running, told us that, at the very least, a PR was in the bag....
Eighty-two minutes later, Eric Engel won the first half of his career, and did so in a so sweet 4:05:10, which crushed his prior best by more than six minutes, or the time equivalent of two and a half miles of cyling or just under a mile of running. Very impressive. His result was the 2nd fastest amateur clocking in the 10-year history of the event.
The up-and-comer had upped and comed.
In an interview after the race, the exuberant 27-year-old confessed that his goals include a sub-4-hour half in the short run and a pro career down the road. He's a cool guy and we hope his dreams come true.
Placing 2nd despite being undertrained and under-raced was three-time Superior Man winner Sean Cooley, on whom MMA Committeeman Steve Sander has a total Man Crush. Sean's time was 4:17:01.
Here are the next three great performances that followed Dr. Cooley's:
3. Paul Rockwood (Superior, WI) - 4:18:01 - PR (Prior Best: 4:23:34 - Chisago '14)
4. Mike Ward (Duluth) - 4:19:58 - PR (Prior Best: 4:33:47 - Chisago '14) - Mike should be smack-dab in the middle of the "Most Improved" nominees discussion after the season.
5. Jon Balabuck (Thunder Bay, ONT) - 4:20:19 (Former Chisago and Liberty winner)
Eric Engel's margin of victory was large. So was Kelly Trom's. She led from horn to the final burp of the timing mat, boasting impressive splits throughout. Her time was 4:44:30, a 3:39 improvement on her first half (HITS-Waconia), where she placed 2nd behind Cathy Yndestad. That performance marked only her 2nd multisport outing. If anything keeps Kelly off of 2015 Team Minnesota it will be racing volume. Toughman was her 3rd race of the season. We'd like to see at least two more great efforts from her this year because so many of her elite peers have raced often in 2015.
Trom had 11:10 to relax, refuel and rehydrate before the women's runner-up, Kenora, Ontario's Valerie Morwood, crossed the line. Our records suggest that her 4:55 was a 15-minute improvement on her prior best (Square Lake '13).
The final women's podium spot was earned by former Square Lake winner Erin Ferrens-Hyndeman, whose time was 4:57:10.
The next two places went to elite masters Ann Snuggerud, 47, who's 4:58 was only three minutes off her PR, and Diane Birkeland (5:00:53), who hadn't raced in a multi since Chisago in 2011. FYI, our records show that her PR for this distance is 4:58:07 (Chisago '10).
Photos - Kelly and Sean pics courtesy of Ellen Thomes.
