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The Course Record Stuck in My Mind...
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Thursday, 09 April 2026 00:10
By Spencer Syvertson
2025 Northwoods Tri Race Report - I added the Northwoods triathlon to my race calendar thanks to the recommendation by Mitch Clayton. At the start line, Mitch and I looked at each other and asked where the other three guys were that had been mentioned in the race preview. It turns out we unfortunately had multiple no-shows. Mitch said he wanted to go sub 1 hour and then asked me what my goal was. I told him that 57:06 is the course record and I have that stuck in my mind.
The swim was quick and smooth as usual. I hopped on my bike and put my head down to follow the lead vehicle. One of my rules when I race is that I don’t touch my brakes until the dismount line to T2. That meant I had to ride around the car that pulled in between me and the lead vehicle before a curve in the road. After that the rest of the ride was smooth sailing. Eventually I made it to the highlight: downtown Nevis. It was so fun to be hammering down Main Street on my bike while spectators were lined up and down the road....
Spencer's Best Ever...
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Monday, 06 April 2026 00:10
Photo - In order of height: Mitchell Clayton, Spencer Syvertson, Nicholas Jasmer
22nd NORTHWOODS TRIATHLON COVERAGE - We predicted that an unprecedented five guys would dip under the one-hour mark last Saturday at Northwoods. We were wrong. Sort of. This is because three of the predicted men were no-shows. The two that raced, though, raced brilliantly, starting with SPENCER SYVERTSON's Performance of the Year-level effort. He came into the race undefeated in four starts before turning in what was arguably his finest performance ever, thanks largely to his breakout DKT-like bike split (27 mph). When he arrived in T2 at just over the 38-minute mark, everyone watching knew that something special was happening. It became clear at that time that BROOKS GROSSINGER's 2014 course record--57:06--would finally be seriously challenged.
When Spencer came into view approaching the finish line, the crowd knew that Syvertson would come away, at the very least, with the second fastest time in race history. Syvertson dug deep, not allowing...
Diane's Back!
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Friday, 03 April 2026 00:10
38th BREWHOUSE TRIATHLON - Lots of storylines! Here's four of them:
- ELAINE NELSON's triumphant return to tri racing.
- JOSH BLANKENHEIM's Long Course record.
- SHYANNE MCGREGOR's 2nd consecutive outright win in the Sprint competition.
- BREWHOUSE's super-awesome volunteers.
Elaine - During her absence from the triathlon scene in 2023 and 2024, we worried that Elaine, inauguably Duluth's all-time most successful female triathlete, had retired. We couldn't be happier that our fears were unjustified. Last Sunday she raced at Brewhouse Olympic and did what she had done eight times before, i.e. won by a convincing margin. The W was the 28th of Diane's tri career dating back to her Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010.
Josh B - Duluth's premier male triathlete since the retirement of the great BRIAN BICH, Blank not only won the BHO for the 3rd time, he lowered SPENCER SYVERTSON's 2024 course record, a mark that looked like it might...stand for a long time, by 38-seconds. Josh is now the first man to break 1:50 (1:49:39) on BH's .75 - 24 - 5 course. The 2024 Master of the Year, Josh is the current frontrunner for that honor this season. He needs one more elite level performance to lock that in, and we are confident that his return to Northwoods next week will make that happen....
The Layton Boys Strike Again...
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Tuesday, 31 March 2026 00:10
2025 GRANITEMAN BIG LAKE COVERAGE - Big Lake's LAYTON BROTHERS are occasional triathletes. VERY occasional. But when they show up, look out. In 2022 OWEN, age 16, won the Big Lake Sprint by just under a three-minute margin. He had also raced in the hometown tri in 2020 (age 14), where he finished 38th. Nice improvement.
Owen's brother KADE, 20, raced in this year's Granitman BL Olympic race, an event he entered in 2023 and managed to finish 11th. Last Saturday, though, he won the race outright by a 58-second margin over a gaggle of tri vets. Neither of the Layton brothers has raced in more that three triathlons in their lives. Very cool. We recommend that they get serious about swim-bike-run because their respective aptitudes are clear.
While Kade's W was a pleasant surprise (as was his brothers a few years back), the Top Two women in the Saturday's Olympic race were very prediicatable. Winner of more than 50 tris and dus in her stellar career, BECKY YOUNGBERG outsplit the field in each discipline en route to her victory, with AMY PREUSSER finishing comfortably in 2nd place. Amy's 2025 scorecard now features two wins, two 2nds and a 4th.
Also predictable were the winners in BL's Sprint competition, with ANTHONY HIRSCHMAN (Scott Ramsom photo), fresh off a victory at Lake Rebecca, claiming the men's title for the second straight year. Seven-time Minnesota Master of the Year...
Crazy Chop Swim, WOWIE Bike, Pro Run...
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Saturday, 28 March 2026 00:10
By Paige Schulz
IRONMAN 70.3 Boise Recap! - 2nd OA. 1st AG. 4:35 for a 5 minute PR on an honest course.
Swim: 39:04 (Long course – watch pace 1:40/100 yds). People were losing their cool and hanging off the support paddle boards within 100 yards from the crazy chop. I felt like I was moving pretty well. Though that may have been more up and down through the chop.
Bike: 2:25; 23.2 mph. WOWIE. Is it the @ventumracing @envecomposites setup? Is it my engine? It must be both. I ran out of gears many times, so time to get bigger chainrings. I nailed my nutrition (carbs = 82 g/hr) and felt strong the whole way.
Run: 1:25 (Short course? – watch pace 6:35/mile). My run time was in the mix of all the pro women.
My mantra the whole run was repeating “You ran a 2:53 marathon.” I stayed on top of my nutrition again with 3(!) gels on the run, and I never even hit the coke train. (carbs = 64 g/hour.) My pace was even the whole run, which maybe means I should push a bit more the first couple miles right off the bike? ...
