Race Previews

David & Sara. Kevin & Simone...

Saturday, 17 August 2019 23:10

Photo - Teen standouts Jack Hennen and Simone Lundquist.

YOUNG LIFE TRIATHLON - Past champions of both genders claimed victories once again yesterday at this popular 16-year old triathlon. 2018 men's Olympic winner DAVID LEWIS successfully defended his title, and was joined on the Top Step by SARA CARLSON, women's Olympic winner here in 2017. Both enjoyed girthy margins of victory, as Lewis's time was 6:11 faster than the men's runner-up, and Carlson bettered her closest rival by 3:46.

SIMONE LUNDQUIST, now 16, posted her first career tri victory at Young Life's Sprint race in 2018. Like Lewis, she was able to successfully defend her title. Her tme was 1:10:18, which was 20-seconds faster than last year, but her margin of victory, only 21-seconds last time, was 6:32 yesterday.

Lundquist now has three career multisport victories....

Winning the men's Sprint was Billings, Montana resident via Aberdeen, South Dakota KEVIN BJERKE, who is the current head women's triathlon coach at Montana State University. Bjerke won the YL Sprint back in 2015, and placed 2nd in the YL Olympic in 2014, a year he won the amateur titles at the Outland Challenge and River Man Triathlons in his then-home state of South Dakota.

A total of 313 athletes finished this year's swim-bike-runs. Additionally, the Young Life festivities also featured a Paggle Sprint Triathlon (30 finishers) and Paddle Olympic (5 finishers)  RESULTS