Race Previews

The Guys...

Friday, 25 May 2012 02:30

The apparent absence of David Thompson, who is on the verge of fatherhood, has made our job a little easier. We were hoping to see a rematch between DKT, Apple's six-time champ and pro course record holder, and rookie pro Dan Hedgecock, who set an amateur CR here last year. At the US Elite National Championships in March, Hedge took the men's title and David placed 3rd. Dan was hitting on all cylinders in that one; an injured DKT was not.

With David on the sidelines, Hedge is our clear choice to win. We are anxious to see if he can approach, or perhaps eclipse, David's incredible race record, 1:19:57. Dan's amateur best / PR on this 5K-33K-5K course is 1:21:31. Can he go 1:35 faster than last year?

We can't wait to find out.

We believe that the silver medal position will be taken by reigning Amateur National Du Champ Patrick Parish. PP's personal best time on the Apple route is 1:23:05, an amateur record set in 2010 and lowered by Hedge last year. Is Parish ready to take the record back? To do so, he'd have to turn in a time on Saturday that's 1:34 faster than his '10 clocking.

We think he can do it.

We believe that several athletes will battle over the final podium/prize money spot. In alpha order, we think that either Dan Arlandson, Iowan Jesson Baumgartner, North Dakota's Sean Cooley, Chad Millner or Canadian Kevin Smith will pocket the $250 prize. Let's analyze this:

* Dan Arlandson - A victory at Cinco Du Mayo and a 3rd at Oakdale tell us that he has a shot on Saturday.

* Jesson Baumgartner - Though an infrequent multisport racer, this former collegiate All American Cross Country runner demonstrated his awesome potential with a 2nd place finish at Du Nationals in 2011.

* Sean Cooley - A top five finisher at Apple in 2011, Sean is dedicated to his growth as an athlete. We expect him to be much faster in all of his races this year. Fast enough to podium at Apple, though?

* Chad Millner - Third at Apple last year and 3rd last weekend behind Hedge and PP at Gear West, we really like his chances of returning to the podium this weekend.

* Kevin Smith - This Canadian pro is a veteran of eight World Duathlon Championships. He's raced at Apple the last two years, his best placing, a 6th in 2011.

Wait, we believe there is a darkhorse in the field. His name is Nate Hoffman. He was Apple's top junior in 2001 and 2002. He placed 6th here in 2006. We watched him race three times last year and were impressed with his run speed and his potential for growth as a cyclist.

Good luck on Saturday, Nate.

Now it's prediction time. We feel that Millner will pocket the dough.

Will we see you in Sartell on Saturday? RACE WEBSITE

(Photo above R - Brooks Grossinger, Chad Millner and Dan Hedgecock matching strides at Apple '11.)