Race Coverage

Women Rock at Island Lake...

Tuesday, 08 August 2017 09:10

BREWHOUSE SPRINT - Sunday's BH Sprint featured what may have been it's deepest women's field ever. The race was super-exciting, as past champions LISA LENDWAY and  course-record holder BETTINA KEPPERS were just steps apart at the beginning of the run. Not far back was rockin' 52-year-old CHRISTEL KIPPENHAN, who goes into next weekend's Nationals with an overall podium, and the confidence it elicits, in her pocket....

Four women cracked the overall Top 10!

Check out the Top finishers:

1. LISA LENDWAY  (phot below)- 1:06:48 - Lisa placed 5th overall and threw down hard during the run to overtake Keppers.

2. BETTINA KEPPERS - 1:08:30 - She has one win (Timberman Sprint), two 2nds (Buzz Ryan & BH Sprint) and a 4th (Buffalo Sprint) this season.

3. CHRISTEL KIPPENHAN, 52 - 1:09:08 - Christel has eight career multisport wins.

4. STEPHANIE ALCIVAR - 1:10:26. - She prefers the off-road stuff, but proved she can still rock on asphalt. 

5. LORI DESCHAMPS, 47, AK - 1:10:45 - Multisport pioneer who has cracked the women's overall Top 10 at Nationals at least twice.

6. TAYLOR LUNDQUIST, 17 - 1:10:59 - Her time not only bettered the prior Junior CR by 3:17, it came one day after she claimed her first ever outright victory (Graniteman-Big Lake Sprint). Nice double, huh!

7. SARA HESS, 43, WI - Sorry, we were unable to find out stuff about her.

8. TARA MAKINEN - 1:12:06 - She has won six of the fourteen sprint races she's done from 2013 to present.

9. MICHELLE BREILAND, 40 - Michelle, who is a lovely person, has posted three Top 5 efforts at BH Olympic since the event relocated to Island Lake.

10. TESS RYAN, ONT - 1:14:05 - Sorry, we were unable to find out stuff about her.

11. JENA OGSTON, 46 - Four-time BH Sprint winner who happens to be an elite water skier.

12. BETH SHIPSTON, 45, ONT - 1:15:28 - She's 45, but looks 30. She's in love and we're soooo happy for her. She enjoys the decadent pastries at Thunder Bay's "The Persian Man," which bills itself as "More than just a coffee shop."

13. SIMONE LUNDQUIST, 14 - 1:15:50 - Taylor's younger sister, she placed 5th overall the previous day at Big Lake Sprint, and 6th overall the week before at Walker. Talented family.

In the men's sprint, MIKE WARD won for the 6th time, his speedy 59:41 tying NICK NYGAARD's course record. Not bad for a guy who's been  rocking' the ultra-running scene for the last two years.

Thunder Bay's KRIS NISULA, 41, an awesome guy, placed 2nd in 1:01:10, shaving almost four minutes off the masters record. Fellow Canadian, Winnipeg's CHRIS WESTDAL, 45, filled out the men's Top 3.

In addition to TAYLOR LUNDQUIST's and KRIS NISULA's AG divisional records, AG marks alo went down hard in the 65-69M category (SPIKE MILLSLAGLE) and 70-74W (CONNIE MEEK).  RESULTS