Race Previews

Alexandria Preview....

Friday, 19 July 2024 00:10

ALEXANDRIA TRIATHLON PREVIEW – The fourth edition of this great event is on the horizon. July 27, to be exact. This means that you have time to enter, if you haven't done so already. So you know, Minnesota has numerous outstanding tri venues, and Alexandria's is near the top of that list.

Let's talk about the competition. Weather permitting, we think it will take a course record to win the men's race. That's saying a lot since COREY NYGAARD's record 55:54, set in 2023, was a full two minute improvement on the prior CR.

Well, Corey's back and intent on defending his title. And a peek at his scorecard tells us that he's poised to do just that. Nominated for Minnesota;s Most Improved Triathlete last year, Nygaard has won four of his last six races, in addition to nuking his previous 70.3 PR....

But we cannot discount SPENCER SYVERTSON, last year's runner-up here. Like Corey, he has gone to the next level in 2024. Certainly his performance at Lake Minnetonka proved that. Two-time Minnesota Triathlete of the Year PRESTON YOUNGDAHL has been invincible for the last two years, and Syvertson managed to stay close to him at LMT, closer than any other Minnesota triathletes have been able to.

 Our pick to finish third is NICK JASMER. We were impressed with his effort here last season, and like Corey and Spencer, has improved dramatically since then, Nick is coming off a win at Average Jo.

 At this point in time, the obvious choices to take the top two spots in the women's race are local star KADIE HOKANSON and JOELLEN KOHLMAN-PETRICK. Joellen won the first edition of this race by 16-seconds over Hokanson. Kadie returned the favor in 2022 and 2023, though decorated elite CAMI ECKHOFF won in '22.

 Hokanson, 43, who was nominated for Master of the Year last season, faced Kohlman-Petrick at Average Jo last month, and came out on top by a satisfying margin. Our pick to win the women's race is Kadie Hokanson.

 Approximately 300 triathletes are expected to race on July 27. RACE WEBSITE