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Ted and Heather...

Wednesday, 19 October 2022 00:10

What were the performances that were worthy of Performance of the Year nominations? If pro results are to be included then both Matt and Damon favor all three of TED TREISE's in-state efforts. Starting with his course record 1:53:40 at Buffalo, which bettered the previous mark, Matt Payne's 54:15 in 2016, by 35-seconds. His margin of victory over amateur winner AJ Manning was 5:25. ...

A great effort, but Matt and Damon agree that Ted's 1:51:39 at Tri West Olympic may have been even better. It was the fastest time ever on the various Lake Rebecca / Liberty Olympic courses, and his margin of victory over amateur winner David Koppel was 4:22. 

Finally, his performance at Maple Grove Olympic, according to both Matt and Damon, may have been the most POY-worthy. His time was 1:49:02, and his MOV over amateur winner Preston Youngdahl was 5:49. Treise's time was 5:16 better than Wade Cruser's 2019 course best.

On the women's side there's HEATHER LENDWAY, a former pro that still races like one. Like Ted, her three in-state performances are nomination-worthy. And Like Treise, each effort seems to be a bit more impressive than the previous  one.

Her first race was Timberman Olympic, where she placed 2nd just 28-seconds behind the male winner. Her time--2:09:05--was impressive enough, but made significantly moreso when you consider that the swim was not 1760 yards. It was almost two-hundred yards longer than that. In other words, she threw down a 2:06 effort, which would have replaced the extisting course record.

Then she raced at Maple Grove Olympic, where she turned in what was arguably her best Olympic performance yet: a 2:01:30. Not bad for someone who had won two Olympic distance National Championships and a World Championship, as well.

Matt believes that Heather's Maple Grove is the women's POY, and he  is probably right. Damon, though, is not convinced that her win at Hopkins Royal wasn't just as awesome. There, like at Timberman, she finished 2nd overall, once again by less than minute (31-seconds). Her redonkulous 1:03:17, comprised of three redonkulous splits, lowered the women's CR by 4:08, and her MOV was 6:55.

In the end, though, Damon agrees that Heather's' performance at Maple Grove was a more "significant" result. MG was a larger event that featured a much more competitive field, and for these reasons agrees that Lendway's MGO results Tops the women's list of POY-worthy efforts.

Next time Matt and Damon will look at the best 2022 efforts by amateur men and amateur women not named Heather Lendway.