Race Coverage

Stuff About Buzz Ryan, Duluth Tri & Paul Bunyan...

Wednesday, 23 July 2014 00:10

3rd Annual BUZZ RYAN SPRINT - Rhett Bonner (photo L) and Elaine Nelson have won two of the first three editions of this short course event on the scenic shores of Island Lake north of Duluth. Last Sunday both Bonner and Nelson took significant bites from their respective gender's course records. For Nelson, it was her 9th win in twelve starts. She shared the podium with 2013 BRS winner Jess Rossing, who went more than two minutes faster than last year, and Jena Ogston, who was coming off a runner-up effort at Timberman Sprint.

Bonner shared the men's podium with Bill Kelley and Lee Brown. Ninety-four athletes crossed the finish line. RESULTS

3rd Annual DULUTH TRI - This half IM was won on Sunday by Paul Rockwood (4:29:55) of Superior, and veteran trail runner Erika Lohn (5:39:56). We don't know much about Erika but we think she may have attended Clemson University....

David Lewis and John Shelp also cracked the men's Top 3. Noelle Andrychowicz, who has tried unsuccessfully on several occasions to teach us how to pronounce her name--Polish last names are never phonetic or intuitive--and Maiko Otsuka took 2nd and third for the women. RESULTS

PAUL BUNYAN TRIATHLONS - Bemidji is a cool town with a cool university and an awesome lake. We're not sure if the town is named for the lake, or vice versa. When visiting the area, seeing the big statue of Paul and Babe is a must. So you know, it does not look like it was sculpted by Rodin or Michelangelo. That it looks like a high schooler's art project, one deserving a solid "B," makes it all the more cool. It is totally hokey. And it is nevertheless pretty awesome.

We digress.

This year's sprint race (.5M-12M-3K) was won by Hopper, whose real name is Angie Hop. Ang is a Hoot, and the win was the 5th of her tri/du career. Her time was 1:14:08 and her margin of victory over runner-up Ali Norgel was a svelte 18 seconds.

The fastest short course guy was Adam Drahos of Minneapolis. His time was 1:04:08 and he managed to beat 2nd-placer Sean Pease, who is heavily tattooed, in a serious relationship with Hopper, and grills hot dogs on a professional level, by 3:29. Adam is still sad because "Breaking Bad" was cancelled. (Who isn't?) He works for BMO Harris Bank and drinks Surly Ale.

Saturday's Paul Bunyan Sprint had 91 finishers.

The long course Paul Bunyan Tri (1M-20M-5M) had 35 finishers and was won in dominating fashion by med student Jake Cooley, who is a real cool guy from Grand Forks, North Dakota. You may know his brother Sean. We write about him a lot.

The women's race was won by Sara Pfau of Bismarck, North Dakota. We pronounce her last name "Puh-Fow," but that's probably wrong. According to her Facebook page she enjoys ice cream and she sometimes drives a tractor (photo R).  RESULTS