Race Coverage

A Top 5 For Hilary & Other Stuff......

Tuesday, 09 November 2010 08:42

55-year-old Dave Scott wasn't lying--and why would he do that anyway?--when he suggested in 2005, SM's inaugural year, that even pro athletes could expect to spend at least an hour longer on this course than they would at any other 140.6. At least in North America.

Though Silverman drew almost 1200 participants this year, less than a third of this total was enrolled in the "Full." Most were entered in the "Half" or Collegiate relay. And when all was said and done at 11:56 PM last Sunday, only 177 "Fullers" had made it to the finish line. Among those who did not were defending women's champ Amy Bottenberg of Reno and ever-affable Swiss pro Beatrix Battman, a two-time winner and two-time runner-up here.

The point: It's no disgrace to DNF at The Silverman. And if you do finish, doing so in an upright and ambulatory state, or vertical and ventilating, overrides the numbers on the time clock.

Really, how slow can this event be, you ask?

Well, just look at the race records. Czech Petr Vabrousek , who has a PR of 8:12 and has won more iron-distance races than anyone, with the possible exception of Paula Newby-Fraser, is the only man to break 10-hours (9:48:07 in 2007) here. The women's race best is a 11:15:49, set by American vagabond Shannon Cutting, who has gone 10:03 elsewhere. (We believe Shannon, who may have resided in every state in the US, is now in Hawaii. Or Guam.)

St. Paul's premier acupuncturist and whitening strips user Hilary Patzer (photo L), an elite nordic skier-turned-triathlete, made her IM debut at Silverman.

And what a totally great debut it was!

Hilary Patzer placed 4th overall among the women. Her time was a circumstantially amazing 12:50:52. The three girls who finished in front Hilary are decorated multisporters. The winner was Monique Sawicki, a pro mountain biker from Jucaipa (pronounced "You-ky-pah"), California, who finished in 11:32:35. Second went to Colorado pro Tracy Thelen (11:39:11), who won the SM in 2008, and the final podium spot was earned by Salt Lake City's Deb Battaglia (the "g" is silent), who has placed 3rd here the last three years. Deb's time was 12:25:50.

MTN congratulates Hilary and the other Minnesotans who accepted this year's Silverman challenge:

* Ben Bruce, 27, Fosston (13:06:30)

* Adam Krueger, 29, Moorhead (13:45:14)

* Brain Magnuson, 35, Minneapolis (14:56:52)

* David Becker, 53, Bemidji (16:20:56)

* Kevin Olsen, 51, Minneapolis (6:34:32 - SM Half)

* Robert Bell, 40, Minnetonka Beach (8:07:32 - SM Half Clydesdale)

SILVERMAN RESULTS: LINK

PS - The 2010 Silverman Half was won by some guy named Chris McCormack. Ever heard of him? He's pretty good. He's won this race three times.