Race Coverage
Shelper & Keppers...
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Monday, 08 July 2019 23:10
TIMBERMAN SPRINT - This race, like Timberman Olympic, has an extremely loyal following. As we study the bios of th 2019 entrants, we see that so many of them have done this event five-or-more times. As a result, we expect a gaggle of recidivists to claim the overall and age group podiums.
The battle for the men's victory should be between seven-time T-Man Sprint winner ADAM HIMES, and reigning champ / course record holder JOHN SHELP. The 2018 race was Shelper's first sprint effort here, though he came into the race with an impressive Timberman Olympic resume, which boasted six Top 5 finishes, including 2nd places in 2011 and 2010. His career tri record is more extensive than Himes'.
Advantage on Saturday goes to Shelp.
The women's race features lots of usual suspects. TARA MAKINEN is one of them. She won this race four times, and podiumed on three other occasions.
Another returnee is JENA OGSTON, who won here in 2015, and has six other Top 3 finishes....
Unless one or both of the LUNDQUIST sisters decide to race, we believe that Tara and Jena will vy for the silver and bronze medals.
Our pick to win is BETTINA KEPPERS, a two-time winner here. Her personal best (1:04:32) on this six-year-old course is slightly better than Tara's (1:05:05) and Jena's (1:05:20).
Here are some AG picks:
40-44W - TARA MAKINEN
45-49M - JOHN SHELP
45-49 - JENA OGSTON (photo R)
55-59W - JUDY PETERS
65-69W - MICHEL SANDERS
70-74M - TOM COUILLARD
UPDATE: We just learned that SIMONE LUNDQUIST is entered. Now 16, she was 6th here in 2018, after which she went on to win two sprint triathlons. Is she ready to crack the Top 3 at Timberman? We think so. Remember, her sister TAYLOR (currently recovering from an injury) owns the women's course record, so we think that a dash of sibling rivalry will work in her favor on Saturday.
