Race Previews

21st Century Team Minnesota...

Wednesday, 15 February 2017 23:10

Not long ago a guy dared us to create "21st Century Team Minnesota," i.e. our state's Top 10 men and women during the period between January 1, 2001 and today. We loved the idea, and with some input from a couple of the MMA Selectors, we came up with our lists, which we choose tp reveal in alphabetical order, not by ranking their resumes.

The women's listing was easier to compile, so let's start with them. Here is MTN's 21st Century Women's Team Minnesota":

- MICHELLE ANDRES - Minnesota's all-time fastest and most decorated amateur female Iron distance competitor, she's a two-time IMOO champ and set her PR- 9:50:23 at Kona in 2013.

- CLAIRE BOOTSMA (photo L) - She won 13 races, most in course record times, in her short (4 years) career in which she entered only the most competitive races. Her personal best at Olympic distance was 2:09:26.

- RUTH BRENNAN MORREY - A pro since 2013, Ruth is a two-time US Elite Duathlete of the Year in addition to being our state's fastest female at long distances. Her best IM performances yielded a 9:09 and a 9:02. Her best 70.3 time is 4:13. ...

- DANI FISCHER - Dani only raced one full season--2014--on Minnesota soil, but what a spectuacular season that was. She was named USAT Amateur Duathlete of the Year and finished 2nd in the voting for US AOY behind Heather Lendway. She racked up seven wins, including two national championships, and she podiumed in four other championship races, including Tri Worlds.

- SUZIE FOX - Since 2009, the season she was named Rookie of the Year, Suzie has amassed a whopping 33 victories, 11 of those happening in 2015. For the last half decade she has been one of America's premier amateur duathletes.

- HANNA GRINAKER - Like Dani Fischer, it only took Hanna one season to demonstrate that she belongs on this Team. Arguably the best female rookie that Minnesota had ever produced. In eight starts, she won four times and placed 2nd thrice. She was named 2016 TOY, ROY and POY. In our opinion, she was one of the Top 5 amateur women in the US last year, which stacks her up alongside talented veterans like Kirsten Sass (TN), Alyssa Doehla (NC), Laura Matthews (TN) and Celia Davis-Hayes (NY).

- JAN GUENTHER - The only woman on this list that is, and has been throughout the period, a master. Jan is a true pioneer. A two-time Ironman Wisconsin amateur champion and holder of three divisional records, she has recorded more than forty victories in this young century.

- HEATHER LENDWAY - No one has changed our sport in Minnesota like Heather. She's a two-time US National Champion, a former ITU World Amateur Champion, and has a 70.3 PR of 4:10. Since entering the sport in 2012, HL has won 28 races.

- CATHY YNDESTAD - The Queen of amateur racing in our state, CY is our state's winningest multisportswoman. Since 2004 she was collected 71 victories. She was named US AOY in 2009, an honor she had been nominated for on three other occasions. She's broken 2:10 at Olympic distance a half dozen times and her IM personall best is 10:05.

- BECKY YOUNGBERG (photo R) - Becky left the multisport scene after the 2011 season, but had collected at least 36 victories since the millennial turn. She won ten races in 2014, the year she was named TOY and took home the POY award.

(FYI - 11. Marnie Walth, 12. Kortney Haag, 13. Sarah Kolpin)

The athletes honored here are the women who, in our opinion, set and unheld our state's highest performance standards.

We'll post our men's list next Monday.