Race Coverage

"...My Favorite Race"....

Thursday, 19 September 2019 23:10

ED. MTN loves to post race reports. We encourage Minnesota's triathletes to reflect on the season and write about their favorite racing experiencess. Today we are posting Simone Lundquist's terrific Timberman report. 

By Simone Lundquist (twisisterswhotriblog.com)

TIMBERMAN SPRINT RACE REPORT - It seems like many athletes have a favorite race or competition that they attend. It might be because they preformed well the year before or maybe it’s because they love the atmosphere that the competition has. Timberman is my favorite race for both of those reasons.

Once a year I get the privilege to go up to Grand Rapids, MN, and attend a well organized event with helpful volunteers. The race course is always filled with happy faces and determined attitudes. The competition is always fierce on the race course, but even some of the most serious athletes are up for a good time once they cross the finish line. Timberman isn’t a race that is only for a select group of competitors, but instead it’s for the beginners, the experienced, and the people who just want to have fun.

Arriving at Sugar Lake Lodge is always an exciting and welcoming experience. People are setting up transition, getting body markings, and preparing for the race ahead of them. I love being able to talk with people and make new friends all the way up until the air horn goes off. Although I love joking around before my race, I know that once everything starts that it’s time to focus and do my best....

The swim is pretty self explanatory just from the name of the lake. The sand is truly like sugar, and the water is at a comforting depth because the bottom is visible for the entire swim. This allowed me to just focus on my breathing and try to keep powering my arms throughout the whole swim. I was able to achieve a pretty good time in the swim, but what I truly wanted to know was how I was going to do on the bike. I had been working hard during the month of June to improve my bike speed and I really wanted the training to portray in my race results. READ MORE