Race Previews

Minnesota's Original Destination Triathlon...

Tuesday, 28 June 2016 05:10

TIMBERMAN XXXII - Minnesota's original Destination Triathlon will celebrate its 32nd anniversary on July 9. If you're not registered yet, we encourage you to do so at your earliest opportunity. This event is truly special.

 And this year's event will be extra special from a competitive standpoint. Comparing this year's field with the fields of the past, we believe that T-Man (International Distance) hasn't seen a field this talented since 2004. 

Leading the way for the women will be Team Minnesota's #1 and #2 ranked women in 2015, both of whom are racing well this season, too. We're talking about three-time T-Man winner Suzie Fox, and Christina Roberts. who is a Timber-rookie. These ladies haven't faced each other in a triathlon yet this season, thus we are very anxious to see how they fare against each other.

Suzie has won two races--Gear West Du and Cooper Creek Sprint--so far this season. Christina has one win (Lake Minnetonka) and a pair of 3rds (Buffalo Olympic and Lake Waconia), and her times have been very fast.

The Fox/Roberts match-up promises to be epic.

At least six women are capable of rounding out the podium. Andrea Myers, 40, set a masters record at Buffalo (Olympic), and placed 2nd overall at Liberty (Olympic). Her times were impressive, thus we are predicting a Top 3 for her on July 9.

The men's race should be just as exciting as the women's. On paper, Brooks Grossinger, a four-time winner here, will have to outrace Josh Blankenheim and 2016 Most Improved frontrunner Wade Cruser, if he hopes to record victory #5. All three of these guys are racing impressively right now, but they have to race error-free, or guys like Jordan Roby, Steve Sander, Scott Myers and Jason Crisp will steal there podium spot.

Good stuff.

Adam Himes has won the T-Man Sprint six times. Is this the year that someone bumps him off his pedestal? We are not ready to bet against him yet, but we believe that Lee Brown will give him a heckuva race.

In 2015, Jena Ogston nipped Tara Mackinen by two seconds, the closest finish in women's sprint history. We totally believe that these women will claim the top two spots again. We're leaning toward Mackinen for the win because, well, she's won this event four times and she already has a victory (Average Jo) under her belt this season. Ogston, an elite water skier (How cool is that!), has one win and five 2nds here. She has yet to race in a multi this season, thus we give the slightest edge to Tara.

Also, the battle for the girl's Olympic junior title could effect post season JOY nominations. We have our eyes on Hannah Bettandorf,17, and Kaytlin Garrison, 18. Garrison was nominated in 2015, while Bettandorf lacked sufficient racing volume, though she managed to beat Garrison in their only meeting.

We're anxious to see how that head-to-head battle shakes out.

Once again, registration is open. RACE WEBSITE