Race Previews
The Race With a Statue...
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Tuesday, 23 May 2017 19:10
BUFFALO TRIATHLON - Minnesota's outdoor triathlon season is fast approaching, and we are giddy with excitement.
First up is the New Bri Tri on June 3, followed a day later by a race that triathlete RICK ABRAHAMSON, a great hairy-faced guy (photo below) who kinda looks like Harry Shearer's Derek Smalls' persona in "Spinal Tap," forthrightly claims has one of the two most outstanding venues in Minnesota: The Buffalo Triathlon. (The other super-venue is Brewhouse's new home at Island Lake.)
We agree with Rick that Sturges Park appears to have been designed with triathlon in mind. If you've ever raced, or spectated, or volunteered there, you'll doubtlessly agree. It's both a great place to race, and to watch a race....
Historically, Buffalo is one of our state's best attended swim-bike-runs, though, like every other multi, numbers have declined over the last five-or-so years. An upturn can't come soon enough, and we encourage everyone to do what they can to regrow races, both here and elsewhere.
How? Athletes can add one more race to their annual schedules. And they can also make sure that they introduce a friend-or-two, or a family member-or-two, to the lifestyle.
Few races boast a recidivism rate that is as high as Buffalo's. Amending Eddie Murphy's Billy Ray Valentine's ("Trading Places") assertion that "Once you had a man with no legs, you never go back," "once you've done Buffalo...."
Another thing that Buffalo has that other races don't, is a statue. A statue, appropriately enough, of a buffalo. It's very cool, life-size and very slippery, so don't try to climb on it. You'll probably slide off.
Another great feature of the Buffalo Triathlon is that it kicks off the popular Graniteman Series. The second race is G-Man Clearwater on July 8, and the finale is G-Man Big Lake on August 5. All are excellent events.
There are a zillion great reasons to do the Buffalo Triathlon.Come to think of it, there are no reasons not to do it.
ED. MTN race predictions will appear in a separate post.
