Race Coverage
In a League of Her Own...
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Tuesday, 15 July 2014 03:10
MPLS TRIATHLON - AMATEUR WOMEN - St. Paul's Heather Lendway (awesome YndeCam photo L) came into the Elite Amateur race at the 13th annual Life Time Tri - Minneapolis Triathlon as the favorite. No surprise there. She goes into every race as the women's fave.
Heather's supporting cast at last Saturday's mega-race was formidable, arguably the deepest women's amateur assemblage that we'll see before Nationals in August.
On paper, Wisconsin's Dani Fischer, who ran roughshod ...
over talented fields at Best of the US, Chicago World Tri and USAT Long Distance Nationals, presented the greatest challenge. Then there was seven-time Minneapolis champ Cathy Yndestad, and Californian Robin Pomeroy. Pomeroy was 5th at Nationals last year and her wins this season at Wildflower International (by 10+ minutes) and Silicon Valley suggest that she is even faster now.
Others who would push the leaders included the elite likes of Minnesotans Elaine Nelson, Kortney Haag and Diane Hankee, and Colorado's Tempel Hayles. We'd also learn that Forest Lake's Gaby Bunten, a likely Most Improved nominee, has earned the right to be mentioned alongside her more established elite peers.
We expected Catherine Sterling's 2011 CR-2:10:52 to go down hard despite the tropical dew point on race morning. By how much was the question.
MTN predicted a 2:07. We were wrong.
HL enjoyed a 1:37 lead (over Bunten) when she emerged from Lake Nokomis, which has never been considered a "fast" lake. Heather's split was 18:22, the fastest split (with an asterisk) of the day, including male pros. (Yes, Lendway was wearing a wetsuit and the professionals were not.)
Off the bike, Heather's lead over her nearest rival (Pomeroy) was in the four minute range.
Ultimately, Lendway crossed the finish line in 2:06:21. (Superstar pro Alecia Kaye--1:59:52--and the Czech Olympian Radka Vodikova--2:04:08--were the only women with faster times. FYI, the typical margin of victory for pro women over their EA counterparts at Minneapolis is 14-15 minutes. HL cut that in half!)
Pomeroy held onto 2nd, 3:47 behind Heather and 44-seconds faster than Sterling's former course best.
The final women's EA podium spot went to Dani Fischer, who closed with a 37:19 run split. Her time was 2:11:09. Yndestad, who has raced in all thirteen editions of this annual classic, placed 4th in 2:12:10, a time that would have won all but four prior editions of this race.
Minnesotans--Kortney Haag, Elaine Nelson, Gaby Bunten and Lendway's sister Lisa--claimed the next four places.
Heather Lendway is undefeated in six starts this season. Her average margin of victory is 8+ minutes. There is no question in our minds as to who the best amateur female triathlete in America is right now. What we're asking ourselves is "has there EVER been anyone who was better than her."
ED. Coverage of the Life Time Tri - Minneapolis men's amateur race will post tomorrow.
