Race Coverage

Cheryl Wins Again....

Thursday, 31 August 2017 23:10

MAPLE GROVE SPRINT - Though her season has been fraught with injury and rotten luck, CHERYL ZITUR managed to race like her three-time Master of the Year self last weekend at the soggy Maple Grove Sprint, winning that event for the 4th time.

(Cheryl won her first multisport race when she was 49. Now 52, she has amassed 11 wins.)

Zitur's time last Saturday--1:10:49--appeared to be well off her 1:06:01 course record she set in 2015, but it was actually closer than you might think. Several GPSs agreed that the swim course was closer to 1000 yards than the advertised 820.

Zitur's typical margin of victory here had been two-or-more minutes, but not so this time around. Occasional elite amateur triathlete / body builder SARA RONDORF, now 40, threw down an awesome performance, posting a 1:10:51, just two seconds behind the winner. (Zitur and Rondorf started in different waves, thus they were unaware of their positions during the race.)

The men's race was won by 2014 Minnesota Most Improved nominee / Team Minnesota member / totally nice guy  RYAN BAILEY, who seemed to disappear in 2015. This is because he got his pro license and raced on the ITU circuit. We're not sure if he is still a pro....

Placing 2nd overall was elite master GREG DUMMER, who is enjoying another outstanding season, one featuring four masters titles in five starts.

ANDREW TOAY claimed the final men's podium step, nudging Minneapolis Sprint winner (and Trinona Sprint runner-up) LANCE LEO by ten seconds. We don't know much about Toay, except that, according to his FB page, he's been to Rome and has a pair of glasses with the word "Groom" on the lenses (photo).   RESULTS