Race Coverage

Sibling Rivalry Stuff...

Wednesday, 01 August 2012 02:10

(Photo - Chris Crocker lowered his own 40-44 course record last Sunday.)

Race Coverage - Sean and Jake turned in impressive efforts at the 2011 Waseca 1/3 IM. North Dakota's amiable Cooley boys placed 3rd and 6th in that race, which was made all the more challenging by vaporous Amazonian heat. Sean's time was 2:51:45; Jake's 2:58:17.

Last Sunday, Sean collected his 3rd career victory on Minnesota soil, winning Waseca VI, which was contested under much more hospitable conditions (60s, cloudy, intermittent mist), with a time nearly nine minutes faster than a year ago (2:42:54). Only last year's Best of the US National Champion Matt Payne (2:37:29 in 2011), Dan Cohen (2:38:25 in 2009) and 2009 US Duathlete of the Year Kevin O'Connor (2:42:37) have negotiated the 1-mile -37 mile - 8.8-mile route in brisker times....

Sean's performance was made more awesome by the fact that he was coming off an impressive effort (10th place / 4:24:52) at the Chisago Lakes Half the previous weekend.

As for brother Jake (photo below), he reached his first Minnesota podium, placing 3rd in 2:46:49, an 11:28 improvement on his 2011 clocking. At 23, Jake has demonstrated that, like his brother in 2011 when he received a Most Improved nomination, he is on the verge of truly being able to bark with our region's Big Dogs.

Cool beans.

Wedged between the Grand Forks-ers was Stillwater's John Heinlein III, whose 2:45:11 was more than 15-minutes better than his 7th-place time last year. Like the Cooley's, John is enjoying his most successful season yet.

Tyler Hecht, 19, finished 10th overall and set junior course record (2:58:27). As in 2011, Tyler should garner a Junior of the Year nomination at the end of the season.

Jesse Nelson collected his 4th consecutive Waseca Sprint victory on Sunday. His podium-mates were 14-year-old Enoch Elliott, who crushed the junior course record, and 54-year-old Charlie Roach, a 2011 Master of the Year nominee, who might have been even faster if one of his asscheeks hadn't made a fist.

Two other AG records fell courtesy of Chris Crocker, who bettered his own 40-44M course best, and Robert Kranz (65-69M). RESULTS