FEATURES

GMOYs: Tony & Jan Again...

Saturday, 20 November 2021 00:10

TONY SCHILLER

MALE GRAND MASTER OF THE YEAR - Despite the depth of this year's field of nominees--2x GMOY Tim Brown, perennial nominee Luke Harned and 2x nominee Daniel Kirk--Tony was the unanimous choice. While the others performed at a national level, Tony consistently threw down world class performances. At 62, he consistently beats all of his 50+ peers. His back-to-back National Championship AG victories, both by substantial margins, sealed the deal. Both his Olympic (2:08:15) and Sprint (1:06:48) times are AG records at Milwaukee, which has hosted Nationals four times.

Tony has won at least 25 national championship titles in his career. He is a 10-time MMH recipient....

MMHs For Kyle, Bella, Kort & Brooks...

Thursday, 18 November 2021 00:10

KYLE SWENSON

JUNIOR OF THE YEAR - The slam-dunkiest of all the pics was this one. In his final year of JOY eligibility, Kyle collected his 2nd Top Teen honor. This time, though, he made history becoming the first junior male to be nominated in the AOY category. He is also the first junior, male or female, to have a POY nomination. This, plus his four wins and consistently fast times, suggest that Kyle is the most talented male junior that Minnesota has ever produced....

Two MMHs For David & Henry...

Tuesday, 16 November 2021 00:10

DAVID KOPPEL

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - A slam-dunk for the men's AOY, David was undefeated in five starts on Minnesota soil. He was our state's second fastest triathlete at Olympic Nationals in Milwaukee, finishing just five seconds behind our state's Rookie of the Year Henry Jessen. Koppel's amateur victory at Heart of the Lakes also received support for Performance of the Year. Once again, he was a close 2nd behind Jessen, whose great effort at Sprint Nationals took the POY.

MOST IMPROVED - As with Rachel Z, David was the clear pic for the #1 ranking on 2021 men's Team MInnesota. Five wins in six starts, plus wide margins of victory vaulted him all the way to the Top Spot on a team he'd never been named to in the past. His peers, however, were not surprised by his emergence...

Three MMHs For Rachel Z....

Sunday, 14 November 2021 00:10

RACHEL ZILINSKAS

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Rachel clearly established herself as our country's premier long distance amateur female triathlete in 2021. She was undefeated in four starts against US competition, winning by ridiculous margins each time. Her only loss, a 2nd-place finish at 70.3 Worlds by 1:13 to decorated German triathlete Danielle Kleiser. Zilinskas richly deserves to be one of the frontrunners for US Athlete of the Year.

FYI - Earlier this month she made her pro debut at Ironman Florida, placing an impressive 8th woman overall in a PR-9:35:04. Proving her pro-readiness, Rachel outraced the fastest amateur womanthere by 33:53.

It needs to be noted that Jenna Horner also received some AOY support, her advocates citing versatility--she excelled in long course, Olympic and sprint races--while Zilinskas concentrated on long distance, and the claim that she raced against deeper fields (Age Group and Collegiate Nationals). In the end, winning and overwhelming margins of victory sealed the deal for Rachel....

Off-Season Nutrition Adjustments...

Friday, 12 November 2021 00:10

By Alex Larson, MS, RDN, LD

Should you change your diet in the off-season?

During the in-season of training, nutrition needs are high! It’s common for triathletes to take in anywhere from 2,500-3,500+ calories daily and will have higher protein needs to support muscle recovery. And when transitioning to a less active off-season, it’s important to evaluate your needs to dial nutrition back for this period of the year.   The off-season is important to give yourself a mental and physical break. However, it’s not always easy to shift back to eating like a normal person who doesn’t train hours and hours each week.

Here are three tips to adjusting your nutrition in the off-season:

1) Keep the high-quality foods, but cut back on the portion sizes. ...