Race Coverage
Cake Icing....
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Monday, 17 September 2018 23:10
ONE LAST TRI - What could be better than hanging out in a picturesque park alongside a beautiful lake on a sunny, sultry, late summer Sunday?
Well, hundreds of folks collected at such a location with the aforementioned conditions two days ago. The place was Ramsey County Beach on the northern shoreline of White Bear Lake. The folks were there to watch and cheer for the 350ish triathletes that were doing the final triathlon of the Minnesota season.
The mood was celebratory and the action non-stop and exciting.
Sure, the spectators were more comfortable than the hard-working athletes themselves, but like those athletes, they would need a swim or a shower later in the day. That's because temps and dew points rose steadily throughout the morning.
Still, the experience was hard to beat.
Much was on the line for some of the athletes, especially those packing elite-level credentials. Post-season recognition was on the line for some, and most of those folks threw down great performances.
Before the race, the women's pre-race women's favorites met each other for the first time, and became instant friends. That kind of behavior defines our tri community, and it is a beautiful thing....
The women in question were Duluth's BETTINA KEPPERS, a tri vet whose name has been part of the Most Improved discussion for the last three seasons, and Minneapolis' EMILY GAGE, a tri-sophomore who is smack-dab in the middle of the Most Improved discussion this year.
Keppers is especially strong on the bike, and Gage's cycling is impressive, but still building. As expected, they would go 1-2, with the bike split deciding the order. For Keppers the win was her second of the year, highlighting a resume that features nothing but podium finishes. Her winning time was 1:07:23, just 4:59 behind the men's winner. Gage's silver medal time was 1:09:42. Like Bettina, her 2018 scorecard features two victories. Three of her other five performances landed her on the podium.
The battle for 3rd was a fierce one between rising teen stars SIMONE LUNDQUIST, 16, of Osseo, and Rochester's ARIANNA WERTS, 17. On paper, Arianna had a slight advantage. She had dominated her AG in her three previous races, setting divisional records eact time. Lundquist's rise started in August with her overall women's win at Young Life Sprint, which she followed with a 3rd place--1st junior--at Lakes Country,
Both girls race aggressively, Werts capitalizing on her swim and bike skills; Lundquist throwing down hard in the run.
Arianna and Simone left it all on the course, and though Lundquist would enjoy the feeling of crossing the finish line first, it was Werts who would take the the overall third spot, and the AG win. (The race employs a "rolling," i.e. Time Trial start, and Werts entered the lake after her rival.) The margin of victory was only 12-seconds. Great competition. Fun to watch.
The men's sprint winner was a surprise, a very pleasant one. Roseville's ISAAC MUSCANTO's earlier results did not portend a victory, unless a true breakout effort was in the cards.
It was. When Isaac started the run ahead of Rogers' KYLE SWENSON, 16, and STEVE STENZEL of St. Paul, guys who know what winning feels like, he had only one man to beat: JACK HENNEN, 18, of Cambridge. His early pace (Isaac's) on the finishing 5K suggested that he could win this thing.
The new question that arose was whether Hennen could stay in front of Swenson, who is already being discussed for a Junior of the Year nomination. Jack and Kyle had faced each other on two prior occasions this season, with Swenson coming out on top both times.
Would that trend change at OLT? Yes. Muscanto did run Hennen down, but only managed to put 16 seconds into him after the pass. Hennen would hang on for a very satisfying 2nd, 30 ticks ahead of 3rd place Swenson, and 42 seconds up on 4th placing Steve Stenzel. Great race!
Leading the way from the get-go for the men and women in the Olympic race were pre-race faves SAMUEL HAUCK, 34, of Rochester, and phenomenal 59-year-old JAN GUENTHER, who was coming off a win the previous weekend at Square Lake 70.3. If she was tired, it sure didn't show. Both turned in fast times--1:58:09 for Sam, and 2:19:14 for Jan, an unheard-of clocking for a woman of her vintage at this distance--and were not seriously challenged along the way. Sam's effort almost certainy secured for him a spot on 2018 Team MInnesota. Jan's performance may have made her the frontrunner for Grand Master of the Year, an honor she won in 2017.
Because Jan and Sam sped away from the field early during the bike segment, that is not to suggest that others in the Olympic race didn't also rock. Placing 2nd for the men was RYAN COLLISON, of Independence. His 2:07:21 silver medal effort capped a breakthrough season that featured his first career win (Big Lake Olympic) and four other podium finishes.
The final men's podium spot was earned by tri rookie PETER WIKMAN (top photo alongside Jan Guenther), 24, of St. Louis Park, whose season has been fraught with promise and disappointment. His two flats at Square Lake the previous weekend pissed him off royally. He had to redeem himself, and he did just that with his 2:11:03 bronze medal performance at OLT Olympic.
Out-of-towners claimed the the other two podium spots for the women, with 2nd earned by Muncie, Indiana's LAURA KUHLMAN (2:21:06), and 3rd by Fond du Lac, Wisconsin's MEGAN GUYSUNAS (2:35:27).
Sadly, the tri season here in Minnesota is now over, making OLT the icing on our state's tri cake.
But there are two more duathlons on the local schedule. We'd love to see a huge turnouts for both of them. Next Saturday is the CLC 24/7 Du in Fergus Falls. And on September 29 is the Fall Classic Duathlon at Lake Elmo Park Reserve. OLT SPRINT RESULTS
