Race Coverage

Ted, Rachel & CY Excel at N. American Champs...

Tuesday, 04 May 2021 00:10

Several triathletes with strong Minnesota ties excelled at the North American 70.3 Championships in hilly St. George, Utah last weekend. Check out these performances:

TED TREISE - Sophomore pro / 2020 Minnesota Triathlete of the Year lowered his 70.3 personal best from 4:08:29  at Augusta 2018, to 4:07:33 on the vastly more challenging southern Utah course. As a newcomer to pro racing he is focused as much on beating elite amateurs as he is on being competitive with established professional stars. He almost occomplished that last weekend, as only one elite amateur, Andrew Hall,  Utah's premier non-pro long distance triathlete according to Utah Tri Buzz, had a faster time. Hall, who like  Teddy, also PRed, his 4:04:58 bettering his prior best (4:07) by more than two minutes. ...

RACHEL ZILINSKAS (photo R) - Minnesota Most Improved female triathlete in 2019, the UM PhD candidate rocked what was arguably her finest triathlon performance to date at the North American Championships. Her 4:41:07 lowered her personal best for the half IM distance by 15:27. Not only that, she WON the overall women's amateur title, besting Caitlin Standifer's runnerup effort by 1:51. (Standifer, amateur champ at Boulder Peak Olympic and several other prominent Colorado events in 2019, has serious racing credentials.) Unsurprisingly, Rachel turned in the fastest amateur swim split (24:41!).

She is currently living with her parents in Scottsdale, Arizona, but will resume her studies at The U in person this fall.

CATHY YNDESTAD (top photo) - Our state's winningest (75+) and most decorated (nine x MMA winner / 4 x Triathlete of the Year / US Athlete of the Year in 2009) female triathlete, now 43, blasted the Masters competition at St. George and finished 4th overall among her gender's amateurs. Her time was 4:48:37. Her margin over the next fastest 40+ woman was 9:20!