Race Coverage
Adele Haters & Ex-Boothers"...
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Tuesday, 17 September 2013 00:10
ONE LAST TRI VIII – One can learn much about people by watching them at races. Here are some of our observations at Sunday’s One Last Tri: Sarah Virkle hates Adele. Really, truly hates her. More than Congress, even. Vicki Ostendorf wears her baseball cap on backwards yet adamantly denies being a member of a gang. Jason Goepfert has a thermoregulatory thing that allows him wear shorts and t-shirts on jeans and sweatshirt days. And since becoming a triathlete a year and a half ago, Christine Fjelstad has stopped “boothing.” ...
What is Boothing, you ask?
It’s the verb form of “Tanning Booth.” Christine, who at the age of 51, made the successful transition from boothing to becoming a triathlete, was noticeable less tan this year because she trained outdoors a lot. As you know, we had a dearth of sunshine this summer, which forced many of us to increase our daily dosage of behavioral medications.
Speaking of transitioning, Leslie Stanaway, 59, who is diminutive and so-darn-cute and always happy, making some wonder if she is a Munchkin, made her triathlon debut at One Last Tri in 2012. An avid gardener who actually raced in her gardening clothes (baggy blouse, baggy shorts, floppy hat and “Mall shoes”) last year, which was just plain fun to watch. She got so hooked on her new athletic lifestyle that she is now a spandex queen. Who knew they made Munchkin-sized triwear?
There was a spectator, a tall guy, at the race that had a Yorkshire Terrier that was sooooo tiny that some wondered if the guy put the animal in the dryer.
We also noticed that 400-or-so people did the race. The winners of the OLT Sprint, for instance, turned in frighteningly fast performances. The men’s champion was tri-sophomore Brian Sames, who now has six multisport wins in 2013 and eight in his young career. He covered the 400 yard – 13 mile – 5K route in 52:42. The former All American runner at St. Thomas popped a 16:02 run split. His margin of victory was more than 10 minutes.
The women’s winner was Lisa Lendway, who was coming off a speedy win at St. Croix Valley Sprint two weeks earlier. Outstanding splits in all three legs on Sunday landed Lisa in 3rd place overall in a time of 1:04:57. Lendway has two wins and six total podiums this season.
Placing 2nd for the women was former pole vaulter Megan Erlandson, who placed 2nd in her AG at Challenge Pentiction (formerly Ironman Canada) three weeks earlier. How cool is that!
Finishing 3rd in the women’s Sprint and claiming the Masters title was tri-newcomer Anne Grabowski, who is one of seven athletes that are currently being considered for the four Rookie of the Year nominations. We don't know Anne, but she seems really nice.
In the companion International race (800 yard – 27 miles – 10K), Dennis Dane came out on top in 2:02:14. He needed an awesome 34:13 run split to overtake eventual runner-up Jason Crisp (2:03:22). Dane has won the last three races he’s entered. For Crisp, a South Dakota transplant, it was he second consecutive runner-up effort. He also placed 2nd at Superior Man Half. His 2013 resume also features a 3rd at Brewhouse and a Top 10 effort at Chisago 71.
Slam-dunk Rookie of the Year nominee, Larry Hosch, filled out the men’s Top 3. It was his sixth bronze medal effort of the year.
The women’s International contest was won by 20-year-old Wisconsin resident who attends Macalester College, Maddy Blain (2:21:18). Blain, who has been to foreign places with primitive statuary (photo above R) and has dangled off a cliff wth a friend (photo above L), also won the Ripon Medical Center Olympic Triathlon back in late July.
The other two women’s podium spots were earned by Jessica Deegan (2:30:00), who likes Summit Beer and Geography, and Sarah Hunter (2:36:19), whose nickname is “The Huntress” and she really likes mountains.
One Last Tri was a totally cool event. RESULTS
