Race Previews
Good Vibe...
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Wednesday, 17 July 2013 05:10
HOLT Preview - Minnesota triathletes are "Come Early, Stay Late-ers." Historically, they seem to spend more time chatting and laughing in the transition area before an event than they will spend on the race course. Then they hang-out for a similar amount of time afterwards. It's a totally cool deal.
This phenomenon is especially apparent at the Heart of the Lakes Triathlon, where the "Come Early, Stay Late-ers" come even earlier and stay even later. Yes, indeed, there is something special about this event that bills itself,...
correctly we think, as "Minnesota's Favorite Triathlon."
By "Favorite," they're referring to the event's palpable "Happy Vibe," which has been in place since HOLT was designated as the "Minnesota State Triathlon Championships" in 1996.
The vibe is a real thing.
Guess what? The registration hasn't closed yet and folks will likely be allowed to sign-up until sometime on Saturday.
Now, let's talk about Sunday's race, starting with the Sprint.
* We are picking Christine Agazzi to win. Juli Currie and 2012 winner Karen Bebchuck (photo) will also land on the podium. Karen will be wearing a skort and she'll look fabulous.
* The male winner will be over 40.
Now for the Long Course predictions:
* Records will fall hard in the 60-64 AG thanks to Kent Schwitzer and Pammy Stevens, both of whom appear to be shoo-ins for 2013 Grand Master of the Year award nominations.
* Greg Dummer will have the biggest arms.
* Beth Zirbes will smile constantly and talk real, real fast.
* Jan Guenther will look 20 years younger than her age.
* Tony Schiller, who also looks two decades younger than his true age, will pulverize the 55-59M CR, lowering it by at least five minutes.
* A talented tri rookie named Nicole Heininger will sneak onto the women's overall podium.
* We think that Marcus Stromberg and Diane Hankee will be crowned Sate Champions.
We're anxious for Sunday to get here. The race starts at 8:00 AM. The vibey transition area will probably be 50% full when we arrive at 5:00 AM.
