Race Coverage
"I Will Definitely Be Back"...
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Monday, 01 August 2022 00:10
CHISAGO LAKES TRIATHLON COVERAGE - Part I - Breakout wins by "under the radar" male athletes have almost become the rule, not the exception, at Chisago Lakes Half Ironman in the last half-dozen years. Tri rookie KARL NYGREN outraced a plethora of pre-race favorites en route to the men's title in 2021. Kiwi MATT HUTCHINSON's credentials were very solid, though totally unbeknownst by his American peers, until he beat our region's best --Cooley, Adriaens, Cruser et al--here in 2018.
We shouldn't have been too surprised, then, when a heretofore unknown, outside of Xterra circles, that is, overtook pre-race favorite JOE ADRIAENS during the run and sped to an impressive win, a personal best for the distance by more than six minutes despite the unrelentingly windy conditions.
His name is LUKUS KLAWITTER. He's originally from Hutchinson, Minnesota, and is currently completing his doctorate at NDSU in Fargo. We reached out to him after the race and communicated via Facebook Messenger. His personal race report, which includes his competitive bio, will serve as the first of two, perhaps three, MTN posts covering this year's exciting Chisago Lakes Triathlon. It is unedited. We love the fact that Dr. Klawitter isn't into using mid-sentence capital letters....
Encouraging Signage...
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Wednesday, 27 July 2022 00:10
TURTLEMAN NOTES - Regional triathlon attendance has been in decline for at least a decade. And the pandemic has exascerbated that in a big way. Unlike, runners, swimmers and cylists, Triathletes depend on racing for their identity, thus "uncertainly" can, and has, shifted many to a single sport emphasis. The migration from triathlon to cycling in all its forms, for instance, can best be described as "torrential," not a trickle. Still, high-ticket races like Nationals and Ironman-branded events are keeping the sport alive in a global sense, but they are contributing to the shrinkage of local and regional races.
It's easy to get a bit depressed about this stuff, but there are some signs that our regional scene may be rebounding, albeit slowly. And we need to remember that we are responsible for either resuscitating our sport locally, or pulling the plug. We can resuscitate by racing locally and enthusiastically. Instead of doing one local race a year, we can do two or three. And we can encourage potential newbies to give tri a try, or encourage vets to add another local race to their schedules.
Studying last Saturday's Turtleman results, we were heartened to see that 300 athletes finished the event, especially since last year's finisher total was 213. Eighty-seven additional line-crossers is a significant upward bump (31%). Very encouraging, especially if what we are seeing is an actual trend....
It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This...
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Monday, 11 July 2022 00:10
TIMBERMAN SPRINT - On paper it appeared that BROOKS GROSSINGER's string of second place finishes in 2022 would come to an end last Saturday. The five-time Timberman champ (4x Olympic, 1x Sprint) had the talent and the muscle memory to chalk up another win, which would be career number-37. Fellow elite master KRIS NISULA from Thunder Bay looked to be his strongest challenger, unless a breakout performance by an underdog stole the thunder....
Inspirational Friendship....
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Saturday, 09 July 2022 00:10
By Pascal Aeschlimann (Vicosoprano, CHE - Facebook - 7/5/2022)
Emotionally recovered from a very nostalgic weekend.
20 years after the 7 days Gigathlon, Rod Morriss Raymond (winner of the first Gigathlon in 1998) and I closed the loop by participating in the last Gigathlon in the category "Men Couple." Still not fully recovered from Ironman Nice, 6 days earlier, we were glad to be among the 60% participants who could finish the beautiful journey...
Two Woohoos, a Cowbell & Talking to My Legs...
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Friday, 24 June 2022 00:10
By Cami Eckhoff
Race day~ Part 2: The Bike
My transition wasn’t the quickest but I wanted to be sure I had everything- sunscreen, chamois cream, chapstick, a bathroom stop, then out I went. The gal helping me in the changing tent was fantastic! So thankful for the volunteers!! She also made sure my wet note from Graham got back in my bag as a keepsake!
The first 40 miles were so much fun! A couple downhills I clocked 38 mph and remember hollering “woohoo!!!”
I took my personal needs bag at mile 56. Refilled my fuel and hydration on my bike, stopped in the porta potty and off I went. I took water and Gatorade at a few aid stations throughout the ride with smooth handoffs from the volunteers.
The sun started to come out midway through, with a blast of heat and more hills to climb. I saw Keith, Josh and Mel and heard the cowbell and cheers at mile 70 which gave me an extra boost. An older gentleman at the top of one of the biggest hills sat in his chair and gave each participant a clap. I thanked him and told him he was in the best spot as that hill was a struggle! ...
Top "Billings"...
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Tuesday, 14 June 2022 00:10
12th TRINONA - It may not have been the worse day for racing, but it certainly wasn't optimal either. Excessive humidity was an issue.The air was heavy and saturated, So, it wasn't a day for record-setting. For many, survival was the goal.
Still, one athlete of the 400-or-so who raced managed to trash a long-standing mark. He didn't just redefine the standards in his Age Group, he won the Sprint race, doing so by a huge margin. Wer'e talking about teen phenom NOAH BILLINGS (photo L). The 16-year-old Rochesterian covered the .25 - 11 - 5K route in 55:49, breaking the Junior CR by 1:18. The runner-up, MIKE KARAU, who like Billings has taken his racing to another level in 2022, by 5:14.
Billings was coming off a win and Junior CR at Tri Clear Lake (IA) two weeks earlier, an effort that complimented his overall Top 5 performances at Apple and Tri By Knight (IA - Jr.CR). He is the clear 2022 Junior of the Year frontrunner...
