Race Coverage

Goosebumps and Epic-osity...

Tuesday, 17 May 2011 03:30

hannah

NEWSY & NOTESY STUFF...

* We got excited when we first glimpsed results from Saturday's 10th annual Oakdale Du. It appeared that despite the dank, goosepimply conditions, records fell like Minnesota Twins batting averages. It appeared that triathlete/Death Metal guitarist Matt Payne, who picked up his 11th career win, took Brooks' course best down by a flabby 53 seconds, and Kevin O'Connor, who placed 2nd overall, set a PR, and an MR, to boot.

It also appeared that AG studs Charlie Roach (50-54M) and Mike Colaizy (60-64M), among others, outdid their divisional predecessors.

We got especially excited by 17-year-old Hannah Strom's (photo L) 4th place overall finish in the women's contest. An avid Nordic skier and occasional multisporter, who really likes Linkin Park and, for some reason, even enjoyed the movie "Mamma Mia!", Strom may be looking at a Junior of the Year nomination at season's end, if she races often enough, that is....

A closer look at splits suggested that Oakdale's second run was abbreviated, thus nullifying records. Nevertheless, Saturday's performances should not be discounted. Lots of athletes, not only the ones mentioned here, raced brilliantly and have our congratulations.

Additional applause goes to women's champ Hilary Patzer, whose athletic resume features many many wins, albeit on the ski trails. Oakdale was her maiden duathlon effort and he first multisport victory. Very cool.

NOTE: We have learned that the run courses were adjusted at the behest of Park officials in order to better accommodate incoming and outgoing vehicles. What this means is that new course records were set across the board.

ribs * There are five multis on next weekend's Minnesota calendar, all of which are accepting registration. Because three of these races are MTN advertisers, we'll mention them first and loudly. On Saturday, we wholeheartedly recommend that you participate in the 2nd annual Green Lake Duathlon, a super fun event that features a post-race RibFest (mouth-watering photo), which will be nothing short of lipgasmic. Don't forget your statins. WEBSITE

On Sunday we recommend that triathletes head for Albert Lea for the Land Between the Lakes Tri (LINK), and duathletes make their way to Orono in the west Metro for the Gear West Du. (LINK) These are long-standing and outstanding events that totally deserve your support.

Other great weekend racing options include the Faribault Family Fun Tri and the Thief River Falls Triathlon.

* St. Paul pro, David "DKT" Thompson, placed 7th against a strong field on Sunday at the Rev3-Knoxville Olympic Triathlon. The event was won by Matt Reed and Leanda Cave.