Race Coverage
A Great Race at a Great Place on a Great Day...
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Wednesday, 08 June 2022 00:10
17th BUFFALO SPRINT - For ten years ELENA HENGEL (photo) competed in the equestrian sport of "Three Day Eventing." Knowing only that this is a horsey deal, we went to Wikipedia for clarification:
Eventing is an equestrian event where a single horse and rider combine and compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test that required mastery of several types of riding.
Cool stuff.
Hengel, now 25, decided to give triathlon a go last year, racing four times with decent results, albeit not the kind that immediately portended elite potential.
Elena went into last Sunday's Buffalo Sprint Triathlon flying well under the radar. Four-time champion CHERYL ZITUR, and BETTINA KEPPERS, a perennial podium finisher here who was rocking a cool diamond nose stud, were favored, with 2021 Chisago Sprint winner DEANNA JAGIELO, three-time Master of the Year nominee CHRISTEL KIPPENHAN and underrated master KELLI MORETTER-BUE expected to challenge for top spots...
Records Tumble at Sturges Park...
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Monday, 06 June 2022 00:10
Photo - Fun bringers at Buffalo, including Darin, Lang and Jordan who nuked the men's relay record. Also: Mary, Jeff, Eric, Betsy Nine Toes and another guy.
16th BUFFALO OLYMPIC TRIATHLON - Subtracting 25-degrees and 30 miles-per-hour gusts, conditions plaguing last years race, made a huge difference at yesterday's race. Last year's windy inferno kept a talented field of men from cracking the 2-hour mark, and a strong women's field from breaking 2:20. On Sunday, when conditions were perfect (temps in low 60s, negligible wind), four men broke two hours, the first of whom doing so by more that 6-minutes, and four women needed less than 1:40 minutes to go the distance. These stats have been matched at a few prior editions of this race, but never exceeded...
"I Did My Best to Recommit"...
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Friday, 03 June 2022 00:10
By Dani Treise
First race of the year- check!
Chattanooga North American 70.3 Championship - Lots to say and lessons learned, but overall I’m proud of how I managed the adversity of day.
Swim: I was aggressive at the start (something that doesn’t come naturally!) took some risks and came super close to making a better pack than usual! I’ve been getting more consistent in the water and am excited making progress each race.
Bike: I have done a ton of work on pushing strong power the aero position in the past few months and started the ride feeling pretty good. But about 12 miles into the 56-mile ride, I got slapped with my first ever penalty – 5 minutes for drafting.
I was trying SO hard to stay legal distance back, but a lapse of attention must have allowed me drift a bit too close. After the ref gave me the news, I immediately dropped a good amount back and ended up alone with my thoughts for the rest of the ride. But my goal for the ride was to stay super focused and positive, so here was my opportunity I thought! I did my best to recommit to the effort and keep my mind out of the negative – but wow was this tough! But I did way better than I have doing this in the past, so small win here....
E+R+O...
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Sunday, 29 May 2022 00:10
By Katie Deregnier
Chattanooga 70.3 Race Report - I decided to race Chattanooga for 2 reasons- 1. Tune up for Des Moines 140.6 2.To race with Kristen Hawkins (training partner since Aug 2021). It turns out, Chatty gave me so much more than I anticipated! Between hanging out with Kristen and our families, and running into several race challenges, this may have been the most unforgettable race I've ever done!
The swim was refreshing in the Tennessee river! 1.4 miles with the current was a pretty fun experience. The sunrise was behind us, making it easy to spot each buoy until the end where volunteers pulled us out of the water, ready for our next leg of the race! I finished the swim in 29 minutes, right on par!
At the start of the bike, there was a bit of a headwind along with a few hills. It felt a little challenging, but I knew it wouldn't be long until the tailwind, which would be super fun! I had just started experiencing the tailwind along with some super cool rolling hills and amazing views when I noticed my back wheel sounding like it was riding on the rim- uh oh! I pulled over and sure enough, it was flat.
In the back of my mind I had Paul and Tracy Serreyns voices talking to me- they had just finished giving me a "flat tire clinic" teaching me how to finish putting the tire on using a lever. They said to me, "a flat will not put you out of the race". I knew I had to try! Step by step I did what I was taught to do. In the midst of it all, Kristen rode by and screamed to me, "you got this, Katie!"-words that motivated! Next, I thought- do I know how to use CO2? Many cyclists may laugh at me, but I have been afraid to use co2 since I started biking in 2011! By some miracle I did it! It may not have been perfect, but it was done well enough to finish the last 20 miles! ...
Old Bogie's Bar & Bikes Leaning Against Trees....
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Wednesday, 25 May 2022 00:10
By Jason Larson
Triple R Triathlon Race Report - Flaters resort in Holcombe, WI put on their 33rd annual Triple-R triathlon on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Due to being an early season event, the Flaters triathlon is formatted as a run-bike-paddle race, with racers starting off right at noon. The course is one large loop with a start/finish, separate T1, and still another T2.
The race starts at Flater's Resort in Holcomb, WI. The weather can be variable and this year it was 74 and sunny at the start. A little warmer than most would like but still manageable. The run is approximately 2.5 miles through both pavement and offroad trail through the woods. It ends at Old Bogie's Bar, where the bikes are mounted. This is a fairly small event, so no racks or transition zones here - bikes are all staged leaning against trees, fence posts, or just right on the ground. There aren't even any timing mats at the transitions, just one timing mat at the start/finish. This year's run took place after a couple of recent rains, so racers were navigating muddy ATV tracks on the way to their bikes. About 100 racers total set off from the start, but that doesn't include the relay racers who were already staged at T1 and T2.
The bike course follows sawdust road for about 11 miles (shortened this year) until racers reach River's Edge Park where the canoes or kayaks are staged. Again, this isn't a large scale event so boats are staged right on the river's edge and bikes are usually left in the grass along the riverbank or along more...
Last Weekend Today....Updated...
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Tuesday, 24 May 2022 00:10
Dane Nelson Photo - Alyssa Knese throwing down a breakout performance at Apple.
APPLE & OAKDALE DUATHLONS - The pandemic's "uncertainly" effect on the multisport racing scene was STARKLY evident last weekend, as both the Apple and Oakdale duathlons experienced lower that normal participation. Still, "The Race Must Go On," and there were plenty of positive takeaways. At Apple, which celebrated it's 40th anniversary, Sartell's ANDY ZABEL collected his dozenth career W, doing so in a time that lowered his Apple PR by one second. He and former Apple amateur winner BROOKS GROSSINGER went one-two, managing to stay in front of decorated out-of staters STEPHEN ELES of Colorado and TOM WOODS of Nebraska, guys who cracked the overall Top 10 at last month's Duathlon National Championships.
Finishing 4th between Eles and Woods was 2021 Junior of the Year runner-up / current JOY frontrunner NOAH BILLINGS. ...
