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Heather & Preston are POY Winners!

Monday, 25 November 2024 00:10

By Garfunkel

The 2024 triathlon season saw outstanding performances by established local elites and newcomers alike. A couple performances stood out from the rest though. These are Simon and my picks for the 2024 Performance of the Year.

Heather Lendway’s overall win at USAT Olympic-Distance Nationals:

Your 2013 and 2014 national champion became a three-peater in 2024. Her 2:07:11 was the fastest legitimate olympic-distance clocking by a Minnesota amateur woman since 2024. Winning this race is, quite literally, enough to earn a pro card if HL so chooses (and as she has done previously). Oh yeah, and she outraced her closest competitor by over two minutes.

Preston Youngdahl’s overall win at Maple Grove Olympic:

Maple Grove has become MN’s most competitive olympic-distance race and sees a great depth of talent, with racers looking to cap-off their season on its fast course. Previous champions include now-pro Ted...

Treise, former pro Devon Palmer, Kris Spoth, and Youngdahl himself in 2022 and 2023. This year, he clocked his fastest MG time of 1:52:47, setting a new amateur course record, and outracing fellow Triathlete of the Year nominee Nathan Kim by less than 3 seconds to do so.