Race Previews

Northwoods Turns 15....

Thursday, 10 August 2017 09:10

NORTHWOODS TRIATHLON - BROOKS GROSSINGER made history here last year. He won the race for the 12th time in the event's fourteen-year history. By doing so, he broke a tie for most wins at a single Minnesota race with TONY SCHILLER, who had won the Lake Waconia Triathlon on eleven occasions.

Grossinger will be going for victory #13 on Saturday, and there is no reason to think he won't get it. Not only does he own nine of the ten fastest times here, all of them under the one-hour mark, he's racing like a banshee this year. His resume features a win (Waseca) and four 2nd  place finishes. Now 40, Brooks is the current frontrunner for the Master of the Year award.

Will he keep his string of sub-1 hour clocking alive? Barring injury or mechanical issues, sure he will.

His closest challenger on Saturday should be local star DAVID LEWIS, who is also racing well this season. He has finished 2nd here on four occasions. 

As in 2016, we think that a time in the 1:14  range should win the women's race. That was what MATA AGRE posted in 2016, and she hopes to defend....

Interestingly, we think that her closest rival will be a decorated 58-year-old from Duluth. We're talking about ROBIN TEDLUND, a true Minnesota multisport pioneer. Tedlund has won this race twice, and has a personal best here of 1:06:41, set back in 2003. In her last appearance in 2013, the then 54-year-old Tedlund rocked a 1:12.

The Agre / Tedlund battle will be fun to watch.

Here are our predicted winners in various AGs:

- 40-44M - BROOKS GROSSINGER (photo R) - The divisional record is 1:01:12 (David Lewis). Brooks should lower it to 59-and-change.

- 40-44W - NERISSA MARZOLF - Marzolf won her AG here in 2016 and 2015.

- 45-49W - CHRISTINE MITCHELL - She's won her AG here on a half-dozen occasions.

- 50-54M - ROB KAUFMAN - Rob is undefeated in his AG this year. Can he take down Larry Stracke's course record? Maybe.

- 50-54W - LINDA LANGKOS - She won her AG here in 2015.

- 55-59W - ROBIN TEDLUND - The divisional record--1:21:36--is toast.

- 65-69M - RICK HANS - Rick's 1:25:06, set in 2013, is the CR in this division.

- 70-74M - ROBERT KRANZ - Kranz is coming off an AG win at Brewhouse.

This great event, one of the few races that fill early these days, will celebrate its 15th anniversary on Saturday. We encourage folks to come out to spectate or volunteer.   RACE WEBSITE