Race Previews
A Record For Cami?
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Friday, 19 August 2022 00:10
YOUNG LIFE TRIATHLON PREVIEW - The 19th edition of this great event will happen on Saturday and will feature a very competitive Olympic race. We believe it will also feature a women's course record in its Sprint contest. Let's start there.
Tara Makinen set the women's Sprint record back in 2010. Her time was formidable: 1:03:32. The closest anyone has come to that mark since is local triathlete CAMI ECKHOFF's 1:05:47, which she turned in in 2021, her rookie season.
Eckhoff is much faster this year. In fact, she is one of the frontrunners for the 2022 Most Improved honor. Her win at Alexandria was impressive. Her 2nd behind national classer Christina Roberts at Tri West was even moreso. Cami is ready to do some rewriting. We suspect she'll pop a 1:02 (or faster) on Saturday, which should put her in the overall (men and women) Top 3 once again. (She placed 3rd overall in 2021.)
We are loving Eckhoff's competitive trajectory. We see her as being the next true tri star from Detroit Lakes, a city that has produced Doug Davis and Hanna Grinaker Cooley. ..
The Most Competitive Tri of 2022?
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Saturday, 13 August 2022 00:10
MAPLE GROVE TRIATHLON PREVIEW - The 13th edition of this great event is happening two Saturdays from now (Aug. 27). Staged at Weaver Lake Park, one of out state's premier tri venues, the Olympic and Sprint races promise to be the most competitive on the 2022 Minnesota calendar. With an anticipated 1000 entrants, MG should also be our state's second largest swim-bike-run behind the YWCA Women's Tri....
Urban Grandeur and Rural Charm...
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Thursday, 11 August 2022 00:10
SUNDAY RACE PREVIEWS - There are two great triathlons next Sunday. One is huge. The other is medium-sized. One is urban. The other is rural. One has filled. The other will close its registration window tonight (Thursday) at 11:59 PM...
Brand Loyalty & the Return of "Big Daddy"...
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Wednesday, 10 August 2022 00:10
NORTHWOODS TRIATHLON PREVIEW - Few races can boast the level of "Brand Loyalty" that next Saturday's Northwoods Triathlon enjoys. One of our state's few remaining "early fillers," the fast, scenic north country event feels more like a reunion than a typical triathlon. This is because the vast majority of its entrants are recidivists, many of whom have done most the race's previous eighteen editions. BROOKS GROSSINGER, for instance, has raced here on sixteen occasions, missing only in 2005 and 2006. Notably, he has won all 16 times. Even more notable is the fact he has broken the magical one-hour mark on fourteen occasions. Only three other men --Jordan Roby, David Lewis and Casey Miller--have cracked 60-minutes here.
Will Brooks win for the 17th time next Saturday? Probably, but the more interesting question is whether he will continue to break one hour on the .25 - 14.09 - 3.1 course.
Similarly, the question of whether super-Grand Master CHERYL ZITUR, 57, the hands-down pre-race women's favorite, will repeat as champion is not nearly as interesting as whether she will, once again, break 1:10. So you know, the next fastest time by a 55-59 woman at Northwoods is ROBIN TEDLUND's 1:13:07, set in 2017. Tedlund, in case you don't know, is a two-time Worlds medalist / Minnesota...
Beans and Bagpipes and Not Having to Drink Light Beer...
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Friday, 29 July 2022 00:10
BREWHOUSE PREVIEW - The definition of a true "Classic," Duluth's flagship triathlon will celebrate it's 35th edition next Sunday. It will also be the 10th anniversary of its "new" spectacular venue at Island Lake, a 15-minute drive north of the multi-nicknamed town, e.g. the Zenith City, the Air-Conditioned City (because of Lake Superior's cooling effect in the summertime), Portland of the Midwest etc.
As expected, sharing the same weekend with Nationals has leeched some BH regulars, still, the race should field between 350 and 400 participants. This is happy news. (The 2023 Brewhouse will not go head-to-head with the Age Group Championships.)
The list we perused, which is almost two weeks old, suggested that SHYANNE MCGREGOR will continue to dominate the Sprint race, though BETTINA KEPPERS will keep her honest, and ELAINE NELSON should notch her sixth W on this course, despite what we assume will be some post Chisago 70.3 aches. LISA FILZEN should land on the Olympic podium for the second consecutive year. We predict that she will set a new BH personal best.
JOSH BLANKENHEIM was not on the list we saw. If he's not going to Milwaukee, we think he will do, and win for the 4th time, his beloved hometown tri. ...
Chisago XVI Preview...
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Thursday, 28 July 2022 00:10
2022 CHISAGO LAKES TRIATHLON PREVIEW - Approximately 900 triathletes are expected for this Sunday's 16th-edition Chisago Lakes 70.3, Sprint and inaugural Olympic triathlons. The CLT is a fantastic event at a fantastic venue: Paradise Park in Chisago City....
