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Participants Giving Back...

Wednesday, 06 September 2023 00:10

By Doobie Kurus

If the biggest issue the Hopkins Royal Tri had on race day this year was the lake water level being low forcing an impromptu rest stop on the swim course as sprint athletes walked through the channel before continuing on with their .4 mile swim, then I’ll take it! Everything else was frosting on the cake. Speaking of cake, 85 years young Judy “T-Rex” Rykken was presented with a cake, figurine, and flowers for a recognition of the roughly 200 multisport events she has done over the years. Judy was slated to compete in the tri, but was a late scratch, and decided to come volunteer instead.

People may have also noticed a lot of younger participants this year. People, like Josh Sell, have been making a concerted effort to recruit and prepare the next generation of triathletes. He brought out numerous members of his youth triathlon team..

Ladies Day at Hopkins...

Monday, 04 September 2023 00:10

Photo - Race director Doobie Kurus cheering for Judy Rykken, then 84, at the 2022 Hopkins Royal Triathlon.

HOPKINS ROYAL COVERAGE - Competitively, women stole the show on Saturday at the ninth Hopkins Royal Triathlon, starting with HEATHER LENDWAY, who took control of the race from the get-go. The former National and World champion had won races outright in the past, but never with a three minute margin of victory over the fastest man. There was a protracted pause after HL, who is undefeated on Minnesota soil since her return to the sport in 2021, crossed the line. Her time on Saturday was 1:05:48, second only to the course record she set here in 2022, which has only been bettered by three men in the history of the race.

As implied, Heather wasn't the only woman who rocked at Hopkins, she was simply the first of five ladies who cracked the overall Top 15....

Exciting Racing at LCT...

Thursday, 31 August 2023 00:10

Additional Lakes Country Coverage - As in the Maple Grove Olympic Triathlon, the runners-up at Lakes Country truly shined. SPENCER SYVERTSON was first out of the water in first into T2. He then ran hard, turned in a sub-1-hour effort, which is a big deal at LCT, after which he waited for pre-race favorite / defending champ JOSH BLANKENHEIM, who as a late registrant launched the wave after Spencer. The fact that Josh was stringing together 5:30 miles, however, made his repeat victory inevitable.

JASON CRISP filled out the men's podium, his second Top three at LCT.

Similarly, in the women's race it was the eventual runner-up, who happened to be a newbie with strong running credentials, who set the stage. MELISSA GOBLE's first tri produced a solid swim, a promising bike split and her signature brisk run, which surprisingly was bettered by eventual 3^rd placer MATA AGRE. Goble (photo) was first to finish, followed 28-seconds later by Agre. Both women waited for superior...

Bontrager & Illgen Break Out!

Wednesday, 30 August 2023 00:10

14th Maple Grove Triathlon Coverage - With 1000+ sign-ups and just under 900 finishers, this year's Maple Grove Triathlon was the second largest tri in Minnesota this year, surpassed only, and slightly, by the YWCA Women's Triathlon.

Twas a perfect day for racing at Weaver Lake Park on Sunday and great performances were plentiful. In the Olympic race the pre-race favorites did what they do, though perhaps not as convincingly as usual. Men's winner PRESTON YOUNGDAHL turned in a amateur course record effort--1:53:55, bettering Wade Cruser's prior best by 23 seconds, yet his margin of victory was only slightly more than a minute over runner-up TIM BONTRAGER, whose 1:54:59 appeared to have been a breakout effort, especially when you look at the list of talented guys he outraced, several of whom he'd never beaten before.

JOE ADRIAENS (1:56:15), JAKE KEEHAN (1:56:57) and elite collegian NATHAN KIM (1:57:41) secured the three-five spots. Seven men broke two hours.

Unsurprisingly, HEATHER LENDWAY won the women's Olympic race in a fine time, 2:05:07, but it was her runner-up that turned in arguably the most impressive women's performance of the day. UW-Madison's RACHEL ILLGEN placed 4th here last year in 2:16:22. This time, tough, she, like...