Race Previews

Weekend Preves & Predictions...

Wednesday, 03 August 2016 05:06

There are four adult triathlons in Minnesota this weekend and we've been able to see the entrants lists for three of them. We're talking about Saturday's Waseca Sprint and Sunday's Brewhouse and Graniteman-Big Lake.

We have not seen the reg. list for the Minnewaska Tri, but we hope that they, like the aforementioned races, will enjoy a satisfying turnout.

Yup, that's right. Brewhouse (500ish), Waseca (240ish) and Big Lake (350ish) have sweet enrollments that will be added to in the coming days. We certainly hope this is demonstrating an upswing in race attendance.

So, now for some mini-previews, replete with some predictions.

WASECA SPRINT - This race has been around for eight seasons and though attendances have been disappointing at times, thanks largely to scheduling issues, the folks from Waseca, which is an awesome small city, have insisted...

that it not go away. Their patience and faith will be rewarded with a nice turnout, 300ish participants, on Saturday.

A glance at the reg. list tells us that Brooks Grossinger and Melanie Rabino deserve to be considered favorites. A win for Brooksie would be, according to our records, the 28th of his multi career, and a great tune-up for his next race, the Northwoods Triathlon one week hence. There, he hopes to win for the 12th (!) time.

Not many of Minnesota's adult triathletes are aware of Rabino, who has been doing mostly collegiate events for the last several seasons, but she is a talented triathlete. FYI, so is her younger sister Sophie, who we believe will podium on Saturday. RACE WEBSITE

BREWHOUSE - This northland classic will celebrate its 30th birthday on Sunday, and the fourth anniversary for its awesome Island Lake venue. David Thompson is returning, so naturally we expect him to pick up his 6th BH win in as many starts. A W will be the 107th of his storied multisport career. His pro record at Island Lake is 1:56:11. We'd like to see him knock a minute or two off that on Sunday.

Our clear choice for amateur male champ is Josh Blankenheim. He's coming off a fast win at Toughman Sprint, an effort that is already receiving Performance of the Year scrutiny .

Last year, Bridget McCoy and Lisa Lendway finished 1-2. Once again, this one may be too close to call. It should be noted McCoy has endured some bad luck of late. A flat at HOLT and problems at Toughman Sprint that conspired to land her in a very uncharacteristic 16th place. If Karma is on her side, she will right her ship at Island Lake.

As for the Sprint, we believe that Mike Ward will win the event for the 3rd time. Joining him in the Winners Circle, we predict, will be Bettina Keppers, who has gone to another level in 2016. In two starts, she has a dominant win (Timberman Sprint) and a 2nd (Buffalo Sprint).  RACE WEBSITE

GRANITEMAN-BIG LAKE - This Sprint portion of this great event will turn seven on Sunday. Its Olympic race will turn two.

Let's start with the Olympic race. Some might predict that defending champ Casey Miller, who has already won three races this season, will repeat. He might, but we're leaning toward David Holden, who does his best work on Olympic distance courses. He's one of the best amateur swimmers in our region and we believe that will give him the early lead he'll need to stay in front.Holden, 47, is a three-time Master of the Year nominee and former member of Team Minnesota.

Sheena Dauer won the Graniteman-Clearwater Olympic race in record time a few weeks back, and we believe she'll do the same on Sunday.

Our picks to win Big Lake Sprint are Most Improved frontrunner Wade Cruser and teen standout Lauren Steinke. Her junior record at Lake Waconia was arguably the junior performance of the year, gender not-withstanding. We expect records from both athletes, a men's overall best for Wade, and a 19U mark for Lauren. RACE WEBSITE