Race Coverage

Racing For Steak & Loyalty Rewards....

Monday, 30 April 2012 05:00

TAKE THE HILL TRIATHLON Coverage - Paul Mollett's post race celebrations typically feature a thick, rare steak and 8-10 Mickey's Big Mouths. Interestingly, this behavior is not restricted to just his satisfying performances. He celebrates all of his racing efforts, the good, the bad and the unattractive, in this carnivo-alcoholic way. Paul believes that racing is in-and-of-itself a "good thing," even when one's performances suck.

Last Saturday at the Take the Hill Triathlon in soggy, chilly St. Peter, Paul recorded his first career multisport victory, a hard-fought, totally non-sucky result that placed him only nine seconds in front of runner-up Ryan Welle. Exuberant, though he is rarely not exuberant, Paul drove back to Chaska immediately after the race with images of scorched bovine flesh and hops and grain playing on all the screens in his

cranial cineplex. When he arrived at his home he immediately fired-up the Weber and unscrewed a Big Mouth, replaying the ritual performed after the 2011 version of the TTHT, wherein he finished 2nd a mere six seconds behind Connor Ziegler.

Kinda makes you wanna hang out with Paul after races, doesn't it?

The women's winner for the second straight year was Northfield's Lauren Slagel. The St. Olafian student is originally from Dubuque, Iowa and has 823 Facebook friends, including a guy named Jhun-Jhun.

Eighty-one triathletes finished this year's TTTH. Here are the podium finishers and a link to complete RESULTS:

2012 TAKE THE HILL TRIATHLON

MEN - 1. Paul Mollett, 41 - 1:06:41. 2. Ryan Welle, 31 - 1:06:50. 3. Paul Shol, 25 - 1:08:37. WOMEN - 1. Lauren Slagel, 20 - 1:16:34. 2. Gabby Keller, 20 - 1:18:41. 3. Abby Lyle, 20 - 1:32:18.