Race Coverage
"I Went Out Hard and Fast"....
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Sunday, 29 June 2025 00:10
By Amy Preusser
Average Jo Race Report - Before the sun was up on Saturday morning, I loaded up the car, my husband and I woke our three kiddos up and we drove to Perham, Minnesota. We had never been to Perham, and it was my first time racing the Kinship Average Jo Triathlon. This was my fourth race of the season, and it was my daughters’ first time coming to watch mom this year! It was so special to have them help me set up my transition and to hear them cheer for me. The Kinship Triathlon was celebrating 20 years of youth mentoring and providing positive role models in the Perham area. This made it even more notable to have my girls along for the race!
The race was set up in Paul Miller Park, and the sun was just breaking through the clouds as the boats launched to ready for the swim. It proved to be a gorgeous morning for racing! The swim came and went quickly; with the men starting about 5 minutes before the women. The lake is shallow and the day was clear - making for easy sighting. I caught up to the tail end of the men’s race right before the first bouy. It was calm on the lake, albeit a bit weedy.---
A Big Day for Day...
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Saturday, 28 June 2025 00:10
2025 Women's Trifecta Coverage -Approximately 130ish women participated in last Saturday's Trifesta at Turtle Lake. Park in Shoreview. The event featured Olympic and Sprint races for veterans and a very cool "Virgin" event for newbies.
The first woman who lost her tri-virginity, and doing so in impressive fashion, was WENDY ANN DAY, 46 (photo), who drove the 160+ miles from her home in the Backus area to do the race. Leading throughout, the avid outdoorswoman posted the only sub-1-hour time among her event's thirty-two entrants.
A pair of accomplished triathletes, like Day, led throughout their respective events to claim decisive victories. Seven-time Minnesota Master of the Year nominee ANDREA MYERS' margin in the Sprint race was a hefty 6:36, and MARTHA STELTER's MOV in the Olympic event was 9:33.
Stelter has concentrated mostly on road running over the last several years, but her tri-highlights include a 3rd at Fairmont Olympic in 2021 and a 7th at Hopkins Royal in '19.
Enthusiastic Event Publicist Lisa Hobbie shared these notes with us:
"...an incredible race day at Turtle Lake Park! ...
Happy & Hopeful...
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Thursday, 26 June 2025 00:10
Photo - Rising Wisconsin triathlon star Tyler Tanko, who won Ironman 70.3 Des Moines last Sunday, and his coach David Koppel.
By David Koppel
Ironman 70.3 Des Moines Notes: 10th overall, 4th AG -
Swim: A bit rusty in open water but felt like I didn’t swim hard enough until turning it up the last 750yds and still had a PR swim by :25 seconds at 29:15. Happy with that, can easily knock off :30. 33rd overall swim.
Bike: Windy and rolling hills. Rode to my power goal with a few notable events. 1. Rear bottle cage broke on the transition rack and lost half of my carbs for the bike at mile 3…supplemented with aid stations (which I never use on the bike) and 4 Maurten gels and some mortal hydration. Know your carb goals for when you lose a bottle so you can piece it together!!! 2. I thought I flatted at mile 50 on train tracks and actually stopped but found just a soft front that was fine to ride in. Lost some time but glad the race wasn’t over! 11th overall bike....
Ashleigh & Preston Prevail...
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Sunday, 22 June 2025 00:10
2025 Fairmont Triathlon Coverage - We love the stories that unfold during races, especially those that highlight good sportsmanship and breakout performances, and last Saturday's Fairmont Tri featured both of those inspiring things.
Let's start with the good sportsmanship example.
NOAH BILLINGS and SEAN PICKLE came into the race as podium hopefuls, the question was who would outrace who (whom? We've never been clear about whos and whoms). For the last three years, these young men have battled for Junior of the Year honors, with Billings taking the prize twice. Sean finished 2nd in the voting each time.
"...I Knew I Could Hold My Own."
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Thursday, 19 June 2025 00:10
By Amy Preusser
2025 Buffalo Graniteman Recap - This was my third race of the year, and I was looking forward to having more competition in Buffalo. Some of the names on the olympic race preview were big, but I knew I could hold my own. Getting set up in transition, I was able to chat with some of the female athletes: I love hearing where they come from. A lot of us were moms, which is my favorite. I, myself, came tomulti-sport after becoming a mom, which makes it extra special to connect with others on race day!
My pool has been closed the last few weeks, and despite being a confident swimmer, I was nervous about the water temps. My plan was to stay calm and comfortable, and not worry about my pace. This strategy worked well for me! It was a little crowded & tough to get out of the initial chute onto the main swim course, but time flew by and we were back to shore before I knew it. The lake was calm, and the swim course was a good refresher to sighting and swimming in open water! It was also good practice in getting my wetsuit off - an area where I do not excel.
Going into the bike, I knew that the course was fast. I was excited for a fun ride, and ready to tackle some hills (which I don’t get to train on very often)! I came out of T1 really well, and was flying down the hills. Unfortunately, after a climb, my chain fell out of the front chainring. I am a self-taught bike mechanic, so I was able to handle it myself. In the minutes that I had my wheel off and was fixing this, I had at least a dozen athletes cycle past and ask if I needed help. I love the camaraderie of triathletes!! In total, the chain issue cost me 3-4 minutes, which was frustrating but I stayed calm. I pushed myself really hard through the next ~18 miles so I didn’t
lose any more time....
"A Fast and Furious Hour of Power"...
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Tuesday, 17 June 2025 00:10
By Corey Nygaard
Buffalo Sprint Race Report - Buffalo was back for 2025 and the nervous energy was present as all the athletes got their transitions ready for what was shaping up to be a beautiful 65 degrees, calm wind day. The forecasted conditions for the race were perfect for quick and enjoyable racing and in my opinion, the meteorologists finally got something right!
For the race I competed in, the sprint, it was a fast and furious hour of power. The swim was over in a hurry and we headed out on the single loop all right hand turn bike course. The loop has rolling hills and forces you to keep your momentum to keep speed throughout the 12.25 miles. I was making good progress on the bike until the last final turn where I dropped my chain over some bumpy pavement behind the stores on an awkward turn, I was able to get off and get rolling in less than 10 seconds. Came into T2 feeling exceptional and that I could have a good run. It was beautiful running next to the lake and on my run out I could see the Olympic race playing out while they were motoring back into T2. At the 1.5 mile turnaround I got splits to 2nd and 3rd as we passed in the opposite direction, I decided to try and negative split the back half, and did! ...
