FEATURES

Conspicuous Absentees...

Saturday, 05 October 2019 23:10

Photo - Ted Treise hugging his fiance Dani Vsetecka after her heartbreaking illness-necessitated DNF at Augusta 70.3.

The Minnesota Multisport Honors Committee is currently evaluating potential nominees in twelve categories, as well as determining which twenty athletes--10 men, 10 women--will comprise this year's “Team Minnesota.”

It safe to say that this year's list will look different than prior rosters. This is because many of the “usual suspects” may not be eligible for consideration, that is, if the Committee decides to adhere to its rule that athletes must have turned in AT LEAST THREE outstanding performances during the season. (By “outstanding” we mean that performances have to match, exceed, or at least approach, the historically best efforts set on the courses in question.) This is because many of our state's premier multisport athletes, men and women who are perennial MMH nominees, have either taken the year off, or do not have more than two outstanding performances on their 2019 resumes.

Here are some of the top athletes than may not be eligible for MMH consideration....

Masters Women Rule! ...

Wednesday, 02 October 2019 23:10

2019 was the "Year of the Masters Women."

Several of our state's most accomplished female multisport athletes "aged-up" in 2019, most notably CATHY YNDESTAD, KORTNEY HAAG and ELAINE NELSON. And several other 40-plussers had stellar seasons, as well. Between them, 12 Minnesota female Masters had amassed 25 wins in 2019.

And there are others, like ANDREA MYERS, 42, JULIA WESIBECKER, 52, CHRISTEL KIPPENHAN, 53, and AMY WOOLSEY, 53, who didn't post outright wins, but performed brilliantly in 2019 nonetheless.

Put into perspective, no more than two Minnesota Masters women had ever earned berths on Team Minnesota in any given year. This year, however, it is reasonable to assume that 4-6 over-age-40 women will make the team.

Cool, huh!

Here are the Minnesota Masters women who won races this year:

JACQUELYN BACIGALUPI, 42, Baxter - 1st @ Lakes Country

SARA CARLSON, 41, Brainerd - 1st @ Young Life Olympic

JENNIFER FITZHARRIS-FUNK, 44, Minneapolis (photo L) - 1st @ YWCA Women's Triathlon, plus 4 other podium finishes....

Last Chance to Vote For 2019 Race of the Year!

Tuesday, 01 October 2019 23:10

RACE OF THE YEAR - What was your favorite Minnesota multisport racing experience this season? Let us know by clicking on the VOTE button on the Right side of this homepage, okay? Or click HERE.

Please know that only race participants and directors are eligible to vote, and can only vote once.

Voting will conclude on October 31 and the Top 5 finalists for '2019 TRIATHLETES CHOICE RACE OF THE YEAR" on November 3. The winner will be announced on November 8.

"Race of the Year" was inaugurated in 2000. Here are the past winners:  ...

Smart Choices....

Friday, 27 September 2019 23:10

ED. Simone Lundquist, who is currently receiving serious consideration for a Junior of the Year nomination, is as impressive intellectually as she is athletically.

By Simone Lundquist (sisterswhotriblog.com)

My legs are tightening up and my lungs are burning. Pain is creeping everywhere through my body and exhaustion starts to become very apparent. I want to quit, but I know better than that. I was taught how to keep on pushing through the pain and to never give up. Every day at practice I had a choice to quit or to continue to work hard, but I knew that if I gave up, I would never be able to achieve my goals. Perseverance was ingrained in my mind and that’s what allowed me to finish the race. 

Any endurance athlete can tell you how painful the sport that they compete in is. They will tell you how much they’ve wanted to quit, the mental strength that it takes, and the physical toll it puts on your body. With all these hardships and tough moments, many life lessons can be learned. As an athlete who has competed in many races and has countless miles on a pair of shoes, I have had to experience all these tough moments that produce life lessons. I have to choose whether or not it’s worth putting in the time and dedication to make myself a better athlete and person, or if I’m fine with just being mediocre. My life has been centered around these types of decisions that can lead me to be excellent or can lead me down a path that won’t get me any closer to achieving my goals....

The Truth About Triathlon Participation....

Saturday, 21 September 2019 23:10

By Kelly O'Mara (triathlete.com)

What The New York Times got wrong—and right—about our sport.

It’s always exciting when the mainstream media covers our sport, especially when triathlon makes it into a paper as big as The New York Times. It’s also always a little entertaining to see what they get right….and wrong. By now, you’ve probably read The New York Times’ story on triathlon participation decline and the industry’s efforts to now attract more (and younger) athletes by eliminating barriers and making the sport cheaper.

In general, yes, the story got the broad strokes right: We know triathlon participation declined over the last five or six years after a period of massive growth in the 2000s. We also know there were a number of reasons for this, some having to do with market shifts and some, yes, having to do with a perception of triathlon as too hard and too expensive. The sport, in general, as outlined in the NYT, is now trying to change that perception and attract more diverse and younger athletes....