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On The Radar...
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Saturday, 17 August 2024 00:10
As we reach the two-thirds mark of the 2024 Minnesota tri season we are impressed with the emergence of athletes that were not on our radar a year ago. In alpha order, here are a few who have captured our attention this season:
KAITSY BAKER, 24, Plymouth
A rookie, Kaitsy has cracked the Top 5 in both of the tris--Clearwater Sprint & Northwoods--she's entered this season. She's already riding at a 20 mph clip and running sub-7. She will only get faster with each race.
NICK JASMER, 32, Menagha
Nick showed “promise” in 2023, but we weren't ready to embrace him fully because his effort at Timberman Olympic was not competitive. This year is much different. His results are very good and will only get better with time. We like his trajectory. Here is his 2024 scorcard to date:
1st @ Average Jo
2nd @ Hoot Lake (Behind Corey Nygaard)
3rd @ Northwoods (Behind Blankenheim and Grossinger)
4th @ Alexandria (Sprencer Syvertson, Corey Nygaard & Easton Syvertson...
Brandon & Cami...
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Thursday, 15 August 2024 00:10
YOUNG LIFE TRIATHLON PREVIEW - The 21st edition of the Young Life Olympic & Sprint Triathlons will happen this Saturday (8/17) on the scenic northern shoreline of Detroit Lake in, appropriately, Detroit Lakes. Though online registration has closed, 10 race-day walk-ups will be allowed. 294 athletes are currently enrolled in the traditional triathlons, with another 29 registered in the paddle tris....
21st Northwoods Preview...
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Thursday, 08 August 2024 00:10
21st NOORTHWWODS TRI PREVIEW - Here are some of the talented athletes wh will racing at Northwoods on Saturday:
MATA AGRE, 31, Nisswa - Three wins here and a consistent Top 5er.
JOSH BLANKENHEIM - This could be the year that Brooks Grossinger doesn't win the Northwoods Tri. Josh presents him with his greatest challenge so far. Blank is racing lights-out this year, and we suspect that the Blankenheim / Grossinger battle will produce a course record.
MITCHELL CLAYTON - With a win, two 2nds and a 3rd this season, Mitch has a shot at a pordium on Saturday. We predict that the battle for 3rd place will be between him and Nick Jasmer.
CAMI ECKHOFF. 35, Detroit Lakes - Last time here, Cami placed 2nd. She's our pick to win this time around. She has two 2nds in 2024, both behind Minnesota's Triathlete of the Year frontrunner Elena Jasper.
BROOKS GROSSINGER, 47, Mayer - He's won this race seventeen times. To get #18, he'll need to outrace Blankenheim. Brooks has a win and a 2nd on his 2024 scorecard thus far.
MISSY HEILMAN, 46, West Fargo - Based on her consistent podium efforts at Alexandria and Northwoods, we think a Top 6 is doable.
NICK JASMER, 32, Menagha - Nick's been paying his dues for the last few years, now he's moved to the front of the race. He could give David Lewis a run for the 3rd podium. spot behind Grossinger and Lee. Nick placed 2nd last weekend at Hoot Lake....
Brisk Racing...Updated...
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Sunday, 04 August 2024 00:10
2024 GREEN LAKE INTERMEDIATE PREVIEW - We are anticipating some brisk racing next Sunday at the 18th edition of the Green Lake Intermediate (.75 - 22 - 6) Triathlon. Defending champ COREY NYGAARD is returning. He's racing at a Team Minnesota level this season and, weather permitting, become the 13th man to break 1:50 here. He'll need that kind of time to repeat. He'll be facing JOE ADRIAENS, a legitimate sub-2-hour Olympic-distance racer. Will Joe have put his Covid symptoms behind him by race time? We're guessing he will.
UPDATE: Corey Nygaard collected his third W of the season this morning at Hoot Lake by a four-minute margin.
MERILEA OSTERLUND has two wins and a pair of 3rds in this race. Her PR here is 2:07. We're picking her to finish 2nd on Sunday behind KADIE HOKANSON, who is making her Green Lake debut. Kadie was nominated for Master of the Year last year and her times are even more impressive this season. A sub-2:04 would be one of this race's Top 10 fastest women's times ever. We think that Kadie is ready to throw down that kind of performance.
AG Prediction: We believe the husband/wife team of JEFF GILMER, 65, and MARY DEEG, 62, will rewrite their respective divisional records. Jeff already owns the 60-64M mark. Jeff will need to better 2:19:07, which we believe is very doable. Mary need a sub-2:30:34. A lot to ask? Sure....
Magic Kona Coffee Beans...
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Friday, 02 August 2024 00:10
By Kenneth Downer
Instead of a typical blow-by-blow race report, this one simply shares a few vignettes from my experience at Ironman Lake Placid 2024 to convey a sense of the race and the atmosphere of an Ironman event. I hope you enjoy it.
Before the Gun.
• 3:15 AM. Coffee. The beans I grind are part of a quarterly delivery I get from Kona, Hawaii. My daughter and I toured the Heavenly Hawaiian Farms coffee plantation after I raced on the Big Island in 2019. I signed up for regular shipments to maybe keep that Kona spirit alive. I hope that perhaps those beans might somehow add a little something special to my race today.
• Standing with our toes in the moist sand on the starting beach of Mirror Lake, we listen as a local singer belts out the National Anthem with commendable skill. Her final words are drowned out as an Apache helicopter gunship roars out of the leaden sky and over our heads.....
