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Guessing For Candy...

Friday, 14 November 2014 06:00

Who is the little girl in the photo?

Here's a hint: She grew up to become a star triathlete. In fact, she is on 2014 Team Minnesota. Who is she? Use the Comment feature below to let us know who you think it is.

Another hint: It's either Heather Lendway, Dani Fischer, Cathy Yndestad, Suzie Fox, Elaine Nelson, Diane Hankee, Nicole Heininger, Christina Roberts or Bridget McCoy.

Suzie Fox sent MTN baby or childhood photos of all the abovementioned women, and threw in a shot of Ruth Brennan Morrey for good measure. We will publish all of those photos on Sunday and we encourage everyone to guess who's who, either here or on MTN's Facebook page.

This is sooooo fun. FYI, the MTN Guys were only able to correctly guess THREE of the women. If anyone can guess seven or more correctly, we'll give them some Fun Size Snickers the next time we see them.

"...Wired With Excitement"...

Friday, 14 November 2014 00:10

By Ryan Bailey

LTF Oceanside Race Report:
The Oceanside Triathlon was just six weeks away when I decided to sign up. The next few weeks would bring an exciting rollercoaster of training to get ready for the race. About a month before the tri, I noticed a twinge in my Achilles, something that I have struggled with in the past. I backed off on running and worked harder in swimming and cycling. I knew I had to keep my running sharp so I added a tempo or two per week. Running only two days a week made the pain subside and I was soon able to train at full strength. The set-back motivated me and I was feeling ready to roll.

I landed in California Friday evening. I went straight to my hosts, who graciously made me dinner and drove me somewhere I could shake out my legs after the long day of travel. I slept great Friday night and had my pre- race run done before the sun was up. After the run and breakfast, I assembled my bike and made sure everything was working properly. My host drove me to packet pickup and T1 to drop off my bike to avoid any fuss in the morning. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and mentally preparing for the race, which made me rather nervous. I tried to get rid of the nerves by...

The Celebration Dance...

Thursday, 13 November 2014 00:10

By Cathy Yndestad (trigirlcathy.blogspot.com)

It’s been four years since my last Ironman, and as a result, I’m bursting with excitement and pure enthusiasm for this coming Sunday. I haven’t been this excited for a race in a very long time and it certainly helps that I’m feeling healthy, strong and content. Now it’s simply getting out there, executing my plan and smiling along the way. Pretty simple right? Ha, I’ve been coaching and around Ironman long enough to know full well that unexpected and random things can leave even well prepared athletes looking searching for Plan B and Plan C. The ups and downs of IM day are always part of the challenge, so I’m doing my best to prepare mentally for that balance as well.

I’ll have several friends and a few of my athletes in Tempe to cheer which just warms my heart beyond description. My friends mean so much to me, and having their support is extremely special. My mom who travelled from Newfoundland will also be their to spectate and experience her very first Ironman....

A Minnesotan. And Damn Proud of it...

Wednesday, 12 November 2014 00:10

At the behest of the good MTN folk, an all too long IM Florida race report...

By Kyle Serreyn (ky-tri.blogspot.com)

Whenever I tell somebody about a race (and in this case, lots of somebodies), I always wonder if I should tell them exactly how I think and feel, or if I should tell them what I want them to hear. The latter is always more optimistic, the former far more realistic.

Anyway, the race…On Wednesday afternoon, I got into town with my dad (also racing) and my Sherpa (still basking in the glow of her IMOO age group victory). The weather, naturally, was phenomenal in the days leading up to the race. We rode the run course a couple of times, jogged around, did all the stuff that needed doing. On Thursday we all got in the ocean and swam around a bit – clear, warm waters, sunny skies, flying manta rays (seriously) – everything felt good and I was jacked to race....

Payne-Fully Obvious...

Tuesday, 11 November 2014 00:10

Minnesota Multisport Awards - Just as it was obvious to the Selectors that Heather Lendway would win the Performance of the Year award, it was similarly so for Matt Payne. It was "Payne-Fully" obvious that he would win the men's POY.

Matt held serve at every distance except IM this year. But then, he has yet to do an IM. His 1:55 CR at Buffalo was the fastest Olympic effort by a Minnesota amateur this season. (FYI, Ryan Bailey popped a 1:54:57 at Life Time - Oceanside, which was contested well after the MMA winners were determined and will, for award purposes, apply to his 2015 resume.) Payne's nominated 4:02 at Liberty trumped every other 70.3 effort by amateurs from our state. His amateur wins at Oakdale and Du Nationals were the best run-bike-run performances, and his sprint efforts at Lake Waconia and Sprint Nationals were unrivaled by his Minnesota peers.

Which of his nominated performances--CR at Liberty or win at Best of the US--was the studliest, then? ...