Race Coverage

Gnarly Conditions...

Monday, 08 August 2022 00:10

Re: 34th Brewhouse Coverage:

Text & Photos - Steve Kuchera - duluthnewstribune.com

ISLAND LAKE — Nick Ellis was still smiling when he crossed the finish line for the Brewhouse Triathlon on Sunday.
Ellis, 36, of Minneapolis, was exhausted after completing his first-ever triathlon, but was proud that he had battled through some conditions that challenged everyone on the course...

“That was the gnarliest thing I’ve ever done,” he said as he kissed his partner Megan Fredrickson and hugged his son Sullivan, 11 months.

Wind picked up overnight, cooling conditions but also turning the typically calm waters of Island Lake into rough waves that caused even the most experienced swimmers to veer off course.

“I prepared in a pool so this choppy water was crazy,” Ellis said. “But it was super fun and the weather was perfect.”

The water was so choppy early that a marker buoy was dragged off course and the waves forced organizers to shorten the long-race swim to the short-race distance in the interest of safety.

“Part of the problem is the sighting,” Elaine Nelson said. “When you try to look up to actually see where you are, you’re like, ‘I see a wave; where’s the buoy?’ Then you look again and you see somebody splashing. The sighting is a little trickier. In fact, I watched the short course and there were people just all over the place.”  READ MORE