Race Coverage

Gophers Keep Winning...

Monday, 02 July 2018 23:10

By Garrett Williams

High Cliff Triathlon - The University of Minnesota sent ten Gophers out to High Cliff State Park in Wisconsin to compete in the third race of the Midwest Collegiate Conference season. While many had been in low spirits after the cancellation of QuarterMax Triathlon in Missouri, the group regained momentum and went on to all have great races. Once again, the team took the overall collegiate title, with the men placing first and the women second.

The race started off with a short 0.5 mile swim, which featured some very shallow water. Tim Bontrager described using his height to simply walk the last portion of the swim, watching with amusement as other swimmers struggled around him. He was among the first pack, along with strong swimmers Nik Pardoe and Zach Dahlseng, with JB Nosko close behind.

On the women’s side, Sophie Rabino and Eleanor Chomiak were the first Gophers out of the water....

A fast, relatively flat bike followed, where Pardoe held his lead and was the first into transition two. Gopher’s coach Lou Hughes, riding his famous Batmobile, used his biking skills to finish with the fourth fastest bike split overall, moving him up for the run.

The race finished with a run mostly on the trails, described by Garrett Williams as “the best looking run course in the Midwest”, a nice change from the usual flat roads. While many were confused to see four different 6 mile markers, everyone loved the downhill finish, where Chomiak and Christina Orth finished neck and neck in a sprint finish. Heather Taylor and Payton Keddell, both racing for just their second time with the Gophers, had great races, with Taylor finishing 3rd in the women’s collegiate division.

Top finishers for the Gophers were Taylor and Rabino, 3rd and 4th collegiate women, and Pardoe and Williams, 1st and 2nd collegiate men.

The Gophers look to continue their win streak as they head to Omaha on July 8th to take on conference rivals in the Omaha Triathlon. RESULTS