The Tundra Transition Zone

Race Result: 2018 Fall Classic Duathlon

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sat, 29 Sep 2018 15:04:00 -0500

Event: 2018 Fall Classic Duathlon
Date: Saturday, September 29, 2018
Location: Lake Elmo Park Reserve
Hotel: Home, sweet home
Weather: 37F, wind from ESE at 2-4 MPH
Official Results: Overall 2018 Text Results
Previous Personal Results: 2013 (then known as the Park Tool Duathlon)

Personal Results

Goal: Top 5 in AG
Actual: 2nd
Overall: 12th (115 total); 2nd in 50-59 AG (15 total)

Race Summary

OK, so it's been awhile. To be exact, five years and two weeks since I last competed in a multi-sport event. For the past five years, I've been assisting my son as he continued his ascent within the Modern Pentathlon world. That took up a ton of time, energy, and money. Lots of traveling to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. But, a 2016 PanAm international gold medal and competing at the ModPen World Championships under the Team USA banner, along with numerous national and regional titles, sort of made it all worth while.

And now he's at the United States Air Force Academy, having accepted his appointment this past June. Life is a bowl of cherries for him. And I couldn't be happier for all that he has accomplished.

As an empty nest parent, I now have time on my hands. First order of business was to shed 42-lbs. Yep, really let myself go. Hey, it happens to the best of us.

Next order of business was to start training. Slowly. And staying injury free. I've been running steadily for about 4 and 1/2 months now, and only biking for about 7-weeks. That's not a lot to go on for trying to sneak in a year-end duathlon. So, I knew my speed and endurance would only be a fraction of what I hope it will eventually be after I've had 12-18 months of training under my belt.

And, other than the fact that it was freakin' cold, I did OK. I was most disappointed in my two runs. My legs just weren't there today. Probably the cold weather combined with fairly heavy training the last 7-10 days. Just two weeks ago, I had won a 5K in West Fargo, ND with a per mile pace of 6:41. And I didn't see any reason for me to be much over 6:40ish today. But I was. Like I said, fitness will be an issue for me until I get in a good mileage base.

The bike was OK. I had secretly hoped to get over a 21 mph average, but considering I've only been on the bike for about 7-weeks, I'll take the result.

Typically in my summaries, I compare myself against my pre-race goals. As I had zero idea of what to expect, I instead compared to what I did in this event back in 2013 at the ripe young age of 52.

The setup in transition

Run One (3 miles)
2013: 19:03 (6:20 per mile pace)
2018 Time: 21:29 (7:10 per mile pace)

This was a nice run course mainly on the paved trails of Lake Elmo park. The first mile was at 6:35, right on target pace, but the legs simply didn't have any go-go juice today.

Transition One
2013: 0:43
2018 Time: 1:41

Hey, it was my first transition in 5 years. And I had to switch out to cold weather gloves for the bike, which didn't slide on so easily. That cost me time.

Bike (14 miles; Garmin said 13.32)
2013: 37:57 (21.1 MPH Avg)
2018 Time: 40:27 (20.8 MPH Avg)

I had forgotten that this course has a few major hills in the front half. But around mile six, I started to reel in some people, and passed quite a few bikes....and was passed in return.

No major muscle cramps to report other than a slight cramp in my right calf as I left transition 2.

Transition Two
2013: 0:51
2018 Time: 1:14

Little bit better this time around. Still slow for the Old Man.

Run Two (2.5 miles)
2013: 16:31 (6:39 per mile pace)
2018 Time: 18:21 (7:21 per mile pace)

As I said, the right calf wanted to cramp up right after transition but it loosened up very quickly and I just kept a good pace. I was fairly gassed with about 1/2 mile remaining. Need to pound the pavement over the winter. No two ways about it.

Next Race

TBD - Nothing at all planned. Just taking the calendar as it comes.

How To Follow Graham at Modern Pentathlon Youth Worlds

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Fri, 8 Jul 2016 18:06:00 -0500

For friends and family, I am posting information on how you can keep tabs on Graham as he competes at Modern Pentathlon Youth Worlds. There may even be live streaming opportunities.

Note: You can click on each photo to make it bigger if you can't see it well.

Modern Pentathlon Primer

Not to be confused with the track and field pentathlon event, modern pentathlon includes horse riding, swimming, running, fencing and shooting. But athletes usually start, from about the age of eight, by competing in events combining just two or three of those.

Modern Pentathlon was one of the original Olympic sports and was in the first Olympic Games in 1912; since then there have been some changes with the length of events and the number of days in a competition.

A pentathlon competition begins with epee fencing, with every athlete facing off against all other competitors once. Each fencing bout is "one-touch" against each adversary in which the person who gets the touch is awarded a victory and the opponent has a defeat. Each bout can last up to one minute; while that sounds short, it can be a long time when an athlete has to fence 30 or more people.

Swimming is a 200-meter freestyle and follows fencing.

Next is the equestrian stadium jumping event which consists of approximately 15 obstacles with jumps up to 4 feet high. Each competitor draws a random horse and has 20 minutes to warm up, including 5 practice jumps, in a different arena before completing the official course. The equestrian component will be not part of the Youth Worlds competition as it is reserved for the Junior (19-21 yo) and Senior (22 and over) categories. But Graham has been riding since November of 2015 to begin training for that next phase.

A combined running and shooting event is the final event. Athletes shoot at a laser target, needing to make five hits at 10 meters with a laser air pistol, then run an 800-meter course. This combination is completed four times, totaling a 3200 meter run and shooting 20 targets. The start of the combined is staggered based off the scores from the first three events. The athlete who crosses the finish line first is the winner, making for a very exciting end to the competition.

Youth Worlds Information

Location: The Youth A World Championships 2016 will take place in the University of Limerick on July 14 – 18. Limerick is six hours ahead of CST back in the States.

Venue: University of Limerick is a university in Limerick City, County Limerick, Ireland. Established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989. The university was the first university established since the formation of the Irish Republic in 1922. The university is located on the banks of the River Shannon, comprising of 340 acres (110 acres on the north bank and 226 acres on the south bank). The university is located just 5 km from Limerick city centre with easy bus access from around the country.

Schedule of Events:

12 July: Arrival of Delegations

13 July: Arrival of Delegations, Equipment Control - Fencing Technical Meeting for Women’s Qualification

14 July: Women’s Qualification (Fencing Swimming Combined Event), Equipment control - Fencing Technical Meeting for Men’s Qualification

15 July: Men’s Qualification (Fencing Swimming Combined Event), Technical Meeting – Women’s and Men’s Final. Graham will compete on this day.

16 July: Women’s Individual Final (Swimming Fencing Ranking Round Fencing Bonus Round Combined Event), Award Ceremony

17 July: Men’s Individual Final (Swimming Fencing Ranking Round Fencing Bonus Round Combined Event), Award Ceremony, Technical Meeting – Mixed-Relay Competition

18 July: Mixed-Relay Final (Swimming Fencing Ranking Round Fencing Bonus Round Combined Event), Award Ceremony

19 July: Departure of Delegations

How To Follow Along

You can follow along by viewing live results via the UIPM web site. Once there, access "EVENTS" and then select "RESULTS" from the top tool bar. Select "UIPM Youth A World Championships".

Once there, you can click on the Men's tab and locate what Qualifying Group is the one Graham will be in. Your screen should look something like this:

Scores are updated as the event is in progress. Each qualifying group will typically have 36 total athletes.

For fencing, they will have 35 one-minute, one-touch bouts. For swimming, they will be seeded from slowest to fastest across 6 total heats. For the combined, the leading athlete will start, followed by each successive athlete with his stagger start time dependent on how far behind the leader they are.

The top 8 boys from each of the three qualifying groups, plus the next best 12 scores (amongst all competitors across all the groups) will make the 36-athlete final. Graham's qualification will take place on Friday (July 15). The final, for those final 36 who qualify, is on Sunday (July 17).

Live-Streaming

UIPM also offers free live streaming at: http://www.uipmtv.org/. Typically the fencing and swimming are not covered live. But check the UIPM TV site for the approximate start time of live-streaming for the combined run-shoot event. There is typically a recap of the fencing and swimming portions preceding the live telecast. I have not yet confirmed if UIPM will conduct live-streaming, but I expect they will.

How Else to Follow

You can be friends with either Jackie (Jackie Maas) or Brian (Brian Keith Maas) on Facebook. Brian will also be on Twitter (@TriGeekAddict). Both Brian and Jackie are traveling with Graham.

UIPM is also on Facebook (UIPM - International Modern Pentathlon Federation) and Twitter (@TheUIPM)

US Modern Pentathlon is on Facebook (USAModernPentathlon) and Twitter (@USPentathlon).

Expectations

This is Graham's first Worlds competition, as he declined an invitation to 2015 Youth Worlds last year as it interfered with school. It was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

As such, his only goals are 1) Gain Experience; 2) Gain Experience; 3) Gain Experience. He will be facing the best in the world. He will get his share of fencing victories, and also experience getting his butt kicked in swimming. And he'll be fine with it all.

This competition is for Youth A athletes, which is the 17-18 year old category. Graham is moving up an entire age category. If there is a goal for him, he has stated he would like to finish in the Top 20 within his 36-athlete qualification group. He thinks that would be something to build on. Youth Worlds for 2017 will be held in Prague (Czech Republic) and for 2018 in Guatemala City (Guatemala).

The US pentathlete to watch this year will be Seamus Millett, of Durango (CO). Seamus reached the finals in the 2015 Youth Worlds, and we hope he's as successful at the 2016 event. Seamus is the reigning two-time US Youth A Champion.

Seamus & Graham

Announcement of the Youth World USA Team

US Modern Pentathlon Youth World Team from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

Wayzata XC Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 9/13/2015

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 08:50:00 -0500

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Cross Country Report for the week ending September 13, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them. Also, these will be posted as time permits. There are weeks I will not be able to post updates.

True Freshmen:
(Note - Some of these freshmen may yet be red-shirted for the season)

Ian Eklin (Class of '15) - University of Iowa

Competed at the Illinois State Invitational on 9/11 in Normal, IN. Ian was 47th overall, and 9th for Iowa.

Team Recap

Full Results

Iowa returns to action October 2 with the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Indiana.

Anna French (Class of '15) - West Virginia

West Virginia University’s cross country team traveled to University Park, Pennsylvania, to compete at the PSU Spiked Shoe Invitational on 9/11. Anna did not compete.

Team Recap

Full Results

297 flags along the finish line at the Spiked Shoe Invtl. representing the 2,977 lost on 9/11

Thomas Lerdall (Class of '15) - St. Olaf

Competed at the Alumni 5K at the St Olaf Cross Country Trails 9/12. Thomas finished 12th overall and was the #9 runner for the team.

Team Recap

Full Results

Connor Olson (Class of '15) - University of Minnesota

Competed at the Oz Memorial on 9/11 held at Les Bolstad golf course.

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "Minnesota's four newcomers competed unattached on Friday night in their collegiate debuts. Connor Olson finished seventh in 19:13.0, Joey Duerr came in 15th at 19:40.6, Shane Streich finished 18th in 19:48.3 and Evan Ferlic came across the line at 19:51.9 to finish 20th."

Click on thumbnail for larger view

Jack Prazich (Class of '15) - Santa Clara (CA)

Next competes at the San Francisco Quad Invite on 9/17.

Red-Shirt Freshmen:

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

Next competes on 9/19 at the Sundodger Invitational at Lincoln Park in Seattle.

Sophomores:

Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

Next competes at the Roy Griak Invitational on 9/26.

Mary Franke (Class of '14) - Colorado State

Next competes at the Roy Griak Invitational on 9/26.

Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Competed at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invite. The women's 6000-meter race was held at the Kilkarney Hills golf course in River Falls, WI. Annika placed 3rd overall, and her 6K time of 22:27 would place her 13th in the nation as of 9/12 (all college levels; reported MileSplit times).

Full Results

River Falls XC Meet - Falcon Invitational — with Halle Marr, Nikki Betzler, Rachel Needham and Annika Halverson.

Juniors:

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Next competes at the St. Olaf Invite on 9/19.

Lauren Farquhar (Class of '13) - Bethany Lutheran College (MN)

Lauren placed sixth overall at the Dutch Invitational held on 9/5 in Pella, IA. At that time, her 6K time of 25:47 lead all MN women for that distance.

Full Results

Next competes at the St. Olaf Invite on 9/19.

Click on thumbnail for larger view

Seniors:

Mata Agre (Class of '12) - Gustavus

Competed at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invite. The women's 6000-meter race was held at the Kilkarney Hills golf course in River Falls, WI. Mata finished 14th overall.

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "Mata Agre (Sr., Medina, Minn.) (23:45.65), Lydia Hayes (So., Decorah, Iowa) (23:45.76), and Lotus Schifsky (Fy., Prescott, Wis.) (23:46.05) formed a formidable pack in the middle and rounded out the Gustie scoring, placing 14th, 15th, and 16th, respectively."

Marit Sonnesyn (Class of '13) - Gustavus

Competed at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invite. The women's 6000-meter race was held at the Kilkarney Hills golf course in River Falls, WI. Marit finished 6th overall.

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "Seniors Lauren Shurson (Chanhassen, Minn.) and Marit Sonnesyn (Plymouth, Minn.) led the Gusties on the afternoon. Shurson finished in fifth place with a time of 22:41.71, while Sonnesyn was right behind her, placing sixth in 22:44.77.

“Lauren and Marit are doing a great job in leading our team, said Bahr. “I’m proud of how they’ve both stepped up…they’ve been great role models for our younger runners.”

Halverson & Sonnesyn battle late in the race.

Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Next competes at the St. Olaf Invite on 9/19.

Wayzata XC Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 9/05/2015

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sun, 6 Sep 2015 15:33:00 -0500

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Cross Country Report for the week ending September 5, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them. Also, these will be posted as time permits. There are weeks I will not be able to post updates.

True Freshmen:
(Note - Some of these freshmen may yet be red-shirted for the season)

Ian Eklin (Class of '15) - University of Iowa

Competed at Hawkeye Early Bird Invitational on 9/4 at the Mon River Rail Trail. Ian was 3rd overall, running unattached.

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "Ian Eklin, a freshman from Plymouth, Minnesota, placed third in the men's 6,000-meters. Eklin competed unattached in his first collegiate race, finishing four seconds behind the winner in 19:13.5. Eklin, one of three unattached freshman to finish in the top 20, finished 11 spots ahead of Iowa's top scorers."

Paul Epland (Class of '15) - Sarah Lawrence College (NY)

Did not compete at the Baruch Invitational on 9/6 held at Van Courtlandt Park, Bronx NY.

15-second video of the start:

Full Results

Anna French (Class of '15) - West Virginia

Competed at WVU Alumni Open on 9/1 at the Mon River Rail Trail. Anna was 7th overall. It has not yet been determined if Anna will red-shirt or not.

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "“The most impressive high school resume is Minnesota native Anna French. Anna has the potential to have an immediate impact on the Mountaineer program,” said coach SeanCleary.

Thomas Lerdall (Class of '15) - St. Olaf

Competed at the Augsburg Dual on 9/5 geld at Riverside Park. Thomas took fifth overall, and was the top runner for St. Olaf. Note: The St. Olaf men's cross country team only sent its first years to run in the Augie Open 5K.

Team Recap

Full Results

Lerdall is in bib 3363

Connor Olson (Class of '15) - University of Minnesota

Has not competed yet.

Gopher freshmen class of Shane Streich, Evan Ferlic, Connor Olson, Joey Duerr

Jack Prazich (Class of '15) - Santa Clara (CA)

Competed at USF Invitational at Golden Gate Park's Hellman Hollow Meadow on 9/5. Jack was 49th overall.

Full Results

Red-Shirt Freshmen:

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

Competed at Nature’s Bakery Nevada Twilight Classic on 9/4. McKenna was 13th overall, and the 8th runner for Nevada.

Team Recap

Full Results

Sophomores:

Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

Competed at the Bison Open in Fargo on 9/4. Aaron placed 6th overall.

Team Recap

Full Results

Mary Franke (Class of '14) - Colorado State

Competed at the CSU Invite in Fort Collins on 9/4. Mary was 48th overall.

Full Results

Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Competed at the Augsburg Dual on 9/5 geld at Riverside Park. Annika took first overall.

Full Results

Halverson will be a top MIAC runner again this season

Juniors:

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Competed at Crown College Invite held in St. Bonifacius, MN on 9/5. Adam finished 11th overall.

Full Results (Click on Sheet 3 of the Excel file)

Lauren Farquhar (Class of '13) - Bethany Lutheran College (MN)

Did not compete.

Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Competed at the UWEC Alumni Open on 9/5.

No results posted yet.

Thorson delivers team preview (video).

Seniors:

Mata Agre (Class of '12) - Gustavus

Competed at Gustie Invite held in the Linnaeus Arboretum on 9/5. Mata was 16th overall.

Team Recap.
Full Results.

Marit Sonnesyn (Class of '13) - Gustavus

Competed at Gustie Invite held in the Linnaeus Arboretum on 9/5. Marit was second overall.

Team Recap.
Full Results.

Quote: "Marit Sonnesyn (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) was the Gusties’ leader by finishing the 5k with a time of 20:22.2, good for second place overall.

I was pleased with the way our team raced today,” said Coach Dale Bahr. "When healthy, Marit is one of the top runners in the MIAC and she proved that today with a nice performance."

Sonnesyn at Gustie Invite

Wayzata Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 4/19/2015

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 18:18:00 -0500

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report for the week ending April 19, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them.

Sunday edition

Competing this weekend:

Mata Agre (Class of '12) - Gustavus

Competed at the Carleton Relays.

Team Recap. Quote: "Mata Agre (So., Medina, Minn.) placed sixth in the 5,000-meter run (19:29.26), and Marit Henckel (Sr., Viroqua, Wis.) took eighth (20:09.23) behind her."

Full Results

Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Competed at the Don Church Twilight in Wheaton, IL Annika won the 1500 in 4:43.27.

Team Recap. Quote: "While the Royals enjoyed many strong performances on the day, freshman Annika Halverson led the way by winning the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:43.27 and ascending to 12^th place in the nation."

Full Results

Marit Sonnesyn (Class of '13) - Gustavus

Competed at the Carleton Relays.

Team Recap. Quote: "Marit Sonnesyn (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) finished behind Fermoyle in the 1,5000 in eighth with a time of 4:56.42."

Full Results

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Competed at the Tom Cat Twilight. Adam ran the Men's 1500 Meters in 4:13.57.

Team Recap

Complete Results

Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

Competed at the Sioux City Realys. Aaron ran in the Men's 10000, placing second in a time of 32:25.57

Team Recap. Quote: "Making their debut in the 10,000-meter run were freshmen Aaron Breyer and Brice Cowman. Breyer finished runner-up in 32:25.57 and Cowman took fourth in 32:42.98."

Full Results

Brian Jarvey (Class of '12) - University of St. Thomas

Competing at the Hamline Invitational. Brian anchored the Tommies 4x100 relay to a 3rd place finish in 42.49. Brian was also scheduled to run in the Men's 400 Meters but did not start his heat.

Team Recap. Quote: "Brian Jarvey took second in the 400 dash with a season-best 48.80, the third best time thus far in the MIAC."

Full Results

Joe Meister (Class of '13) - UW-Eau Claire

Competed at the Phil Esten Challenge @ UW - La Crosse. Joe ran the Men's 3000 meter steeplechase and placed 7th with a new personal best time of 9:53.57.15.

Team Recap

Full Results

James Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Competed at the Upstate Challenge at Cornell's Kane Track & Field Complex.

Team recap. Quote: "A slew of Cornellians competed at 400, sweeping places three-through-eight: seniorFrancisco Olloqui (49.97), Larry Gibson (50.33), sophomore Will Gibson (50.57), freshmanLionel Chambers (51.32), freshman Ross Clarke (51.36), and freshman James Smith(52.16)."

"In the 4x400, Cornell's three squads placed second-through-fourth:
Second Place: Tobenna Attah (49.8), Max Hairston (51.8), Cisco Olloqui (49.1), Michael Smith (48.9) = 3:19.61.
Third Place: Lionel Chambers (51.2), Will Gibson (49.3), Larry Gibson (49.9), James Smith(51.0) = 3:21.56
Fourth Place: Sebastian Roemer (51.6), Ross Clarke (53.5), Phelan McCormack (53.1), Tim Boston (52.8) = 3:31.13"

Full Results

Michael Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Competed at the Upstate Challenge at Cornell's Kane Track & Field Complex.

Team recap. Quote: "In the relays, the 4x100 quartet of Ryan Hynes, Larry Gibson, Michael Smith, and Brailin Paulino was runner-up in 42.06 (IC4A)."

"In the 4x400, Cornell's three squads placed second-through-fourth:
Second Place: Tobenna Attah (49.8), Max Hairston (51.8), Cisco Olloqui (49.1), Michael Smith (48.9) = 3:19.61.
Third Place: Lionel Chambers (51.2), Will Gibson (49.3), Larry Gibson (49.9), James Smith(51.0) = 3:21.56
Fourth Place: Sebastian Roemer (51.6), Ross Clarke (53.5), Phelan McCormack (53.1), Tim Boston (52.8) = 3:31.13"

Full Results

Obinnaya Wamuo (Class of '14) - University of Chicago

Competed at the Don Church Twilight in Wheaton, IL Obi won the 400 hurdles in 55.02.

Team Recap. Quote: "Freshman Obinnaya Wamuo clinched a win in the 400-meter hurdles by finishing in 55.02."

Full Results

Off this weekend:

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

McKenna will again tackle the steeplechase next weekend.

Lauren Farquhar (Class of '13) - Bethany Lutheran College (MN)

Was slated to run the Women's 400 hurdles at the Carleton Relays, but did not start

Mary Franke (Class of '14) - Colorado State

Competed at the University of Colorado.

Alayna Sonnesyn (Class of '14) - Vermont

Alayna will not be running track for the Catamounts this spring.

Adam Moline (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Adam appears to be off this weekend.

Derek Peterson (Class of '13) - Lipscomb (TN)

It appears Derek did not compete this weekend.

Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Josh appears to be off this weekend.

Wayzata Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 4/12/2015

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 09:18:00 -0500

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report for the week ending April 12, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them.

Sunday edition

Competing this weekend:

Mata Agre (Class of '12) - Gustavus

Competed at the Lee Krough Invitational. Mata ran the Women's 3000 Meter Steeplechase, placing 3rd with a time of 12:12.51.

Complete Results

Team Recap. Quote: "Rounding out Gustavus’s top performances with third place finishes was Kaitlin Bembenek (Jr., Prior Lake, Minn.), Haley Kemper (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.), and Mata Agre (So., Medina, Minn.). Bembenek went 1:01.51 in the 400-meter dash, Kemper clocked a 1:12.44 in the 400-meter hurdles, and Agre posted a time of 12:12.51 in the 3000-meter steeplechase."

Mata has run even faster this season, with a time that places her 45th in the nation for D3 colleges.

Click on thumbnail for larger view.

Mata during the steeplechase.

Lauren Farquhar (Class of '13) - Bethany Lutheran College (MN)

Competed at the Lee Krough Invitational. Lauren ran the Women's 3000 Meter Steeplechase, placing 4th with a time of 12:52.66.

Complete Results

Team Recap

Mary Franke (Class of '14) - Colorado State

Competed at the University of Colorado Invite this weekend. She ran the Women's 3000 in 10:46, placing ninth. If Mary was not red-shirted, her time would place in the top 10 for the Mountain West Conference.

Team Recap

Full Results

Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Competed at the Hamline Invitational. Annika won the Women's 1500 Meters in 4:39.79. Depending on other weekend results, her time should place her within the top 10 in the nation amongst D3 colleges.

Complete Results

Team Recap. Quote: "The Royal women enjoyed particular success in the distance events on Saturday, as several athletes easily surpassed their season and career-bests. Freshman Annika Halverson ascended to No. 15 (actually 14th...see below) in the nation in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:39.79, while teammates Mollie Gillberg and Melody Waltontook the top-two spots in the 3000-meter steeplechase."

Halverson won the 1500 at Hamline on Saturday.

Click on thumbnail for larger view

Marit Sonnesyn (Class of '13) - Gustavus

Competed at the Lee Krough Invitational. Marit ran the Women's 5000 meters, placing 2nd in a time of 18:42.81. Should her time hold through the weekend, she'll be in the top 3 in the MIAC.

Complete Results

Team Recap. Quote: "On the track, Courtney Branch (Jr., Minnetonka, Minn.) and Marit Sonnesyn (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) both finished runner-up in their respective race. Branch crossed the finish line in 5:09.30 in the 1,500-meter run, and Sonnesyn came in behind Fermoyle in 18:42.81 in the 5,000-meter run."

Marit's time places her 3rd best in the MIAC.

Click on thumbnail for larger view.

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Competed at the Hamline Invitational. Adam ran the Men's 5000 Meters in 16:07.84.

Complete Results

Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

Competed at the Husker Spring Invite in Lincoln, NE. Aaron ran in the Men's 3000, placing tenth in a time of 9;01.97.

Team Recap
Full Results

Brian Jarvey (Class of '12) - University of St. Thomas

Competed at the UW-Platteville Invitational. Joe ran the Men's 3000 meter steeplechase and placed 5th with a time of 10:19.15.

Heat Sheets
Live Results

Derek Peterson (Class of '13) - Lipscomb (TN)

Competing at the Boston-Moon Classic in Nashville. Derek was scheduled to run in the Men's 1500 Meters, but did not appear in the results.

Full Results

Team Recap

James Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Competing at Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic. James was scheduled to run the Men's 400 on Sunday, but appears to have not run.

Team Recap

Full Results

Michael Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Competing at Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic. Michael ran the Men's 400, placing 11th with a time of 48.93. He also ran the third leg of the Men's 4x100 which placed 8th with a time of 42.55. He is also anchored the Men's 4x400 relay on Sunday to a 4th place finish in a time of 3:16.49.

Full Results

Team Recap. Quote: "Sophomore Tobenna Attah led the 400 group in ninth place (48.86), just ahead of Michael Smith (11th, 48.93), sophomore Will Gibson (49.82), and freshman Lionel Chambers (50.48)."

"In the 4x400 relay, the group of Attah (50.0), senior Max Hairston (49.1), senior Francisco Olloqui (48.7), and Michael Smith (48.5) placed fourth in 3:16.49 (IC4A)."

Obinnaya Wamuo (Class of '14) - University of Chicago

Competed at the UChicago at Chicagoland Championships (Glen Ellyn, Ill.), Wamuo ran 56.34 in the Men's 400 Hurdles, placing third. His time betters his previous PR by 2.7 seconds. That time puts him 5th fastest for the 400 hurdles in the University Athletic Association. The time also landed him in at 50th fastest in the nation for D3 schools.

Team Recap
Full Results

Off this weekend:

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

McKenna will again tackle the steeplechase next weekend.

Alayna Sonnesyn (Class of '14) - Vermont

Alayna will not be running track for the Catamounts this spring.

Adam Moline (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Adam appears to be off this weekend.

Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Josh appears to be off this weekend.

Wayzata Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 4/5/2015

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sat, 4 Apr 2015 16:39:00 -0500

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report for the week ending April 5, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them.

Sunday morning edition

Note - There was no edition last weekend, as my son was competing in California for his first ModPen event of 2015. It was well worth the trip as he won the Youth A (17-18 yo) group, despite being 14 currently. A short highlight video can be seen here.

Boy from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

Competing this weekend:

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

The Wolfpack is at the Legends Invitational, hosted by UCLA. McKenna was scheduled to run in the Women's 5000 meters, but did not start. I'll try to find out more information.

Update: I did reach McKenna who stated, "I did 2miles of the 5k coming off from a bruised heel and am looking forward to doing the steeple in 2 weeks!"

Team Recap

Live Results

Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

Competed in Sioux Falls at The Duels. Ran 2:03.67 in the 800, good for 10th place. Aaron also placed 9th in the 1500 with a time of 4:09.44.

Team Recap. Full results.

Up next: The Coyotes travel to Lincoln, Neb., next Saturday for the Husker Spring Invitational.

Joe Meister (Class of '13) - UW-Eau Claire

Competed at the Ashton May invite in LaCrosse. Joe finished 18th in the 1500 with a time of 4:06.58

Team Recap. Results.

Michael Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Michael, just weeks off recovering from a minor hamstring injury, competed at the Stanford Meet and finished 26th in the 400 with a time of 48.83 seconds. That time puts him 3rd fastest in the D1 Ivy League conference.

400 results.
Team recap, quotes:

"In the 400, freshman Michael Smith led the charge at 48.83, ahead of sophomore Tobenna Attah (48.94), freshman Stanford Cooper (49.09), and junior Larry Gibson (50.45), who is on the comeback trail from an indoor injury. The 4x100 relay placed ninth in 42.24 (IC4A) and the 4x400 quartet of Tobe Attah, Larry Gibson, Stanford Cooper, and Michael Smith ran 3:19.26."

Full Stanford results are here: http://www.rtspt.com/events/stanford/invite2015/

Up next: Up next for Cornell is the Bucknell and George Mason Invitational, which will take place next weekend.

Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Competed at the Ashton May invite in LaCrosse. Josh finished 1st in the 1500 with a time of 3:55.61. That time puts him 6th fastest in the nation amongst D3 schools.

Team Recap. Results.

Obinnaya Wamuo (Class of '14) - University of Chicago

Obi competed in the 400 hurdles at the Ted Haydon Invitational (Outdoor) in Chicago on April 4. He placed 3rd in the Men's 400 Hurdles with a time of 1:00.66. His time places him 12th in the University Athletic Association (UAA) conference.

Full results.

Off this weekend:

Lauren Farquhar (Class of '13) - Bethany Lutheran College (MN)

Lauren will run outdoor track for the Vikings this spring. She is a hurdle specialist. In 2014, she placed 5th in the 400 hurdles at the UMAC outdoor championships. Word is she will run the steeple this coming season. Her first outdoor meet will be April 11 at Gustavus.

Mary Franke (Class of '14) - Colorado State

Injury issues have interrupted Franke's freshman year, and she has been red-shirted. She continues to workout with the Rams team and is currently gearing up for the outdoor season where she will run unattached.

Up next: In Boulder next weekend.

Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Up next, Hamline Invitational on April 11.

Alayna Sonnesyn (Class of '14) - Vermont

Last competed at NCAA Nordic Championships. March 11-14. Word is she will run outdoor track. I'm attempting to verify if she is running this weekend.

Marit Sonnesyn (Class of '13) - Gustavus

If Marit runs track this spring, the first meet will be April 11 at Gustavus.

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Up next: Hamline Invite on April 11.

Brian Jarvey (Class of '12) - University of St. Thomas

Up next: Hamline Invite on April 11.

Adam Moline (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Adam had the weekend off from competing.

Derek Peterson (Class of '13) - Lipscomb (TN)

It appears the men's distance team has the weekend off.

James Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Up next: Bucknell and George Mason Invitational, which will take place next weekend.

Wayzata Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 3/22

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sat, 21 Mar 2015 17:01:00 -0500

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report for the week ending March 22, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them.

Saturday edition

Note - Due to my son competing in California next weekend, the next report will be for the week ending 4/5.

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

The Wolfpack travels to Sacramento, Calif. for the Hornet Invite on Saturday, March 21. At this time, it appears McKenna is not listed in any event.

Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Annika flew to San Diego, California this week for the Point Loma Nazarene University Invitational. Annika ran the 800 and finished in 4th place (23 total runners) with a time of 2:17.50. As of this posting, that would place her 8th nationally in D3 and fastest in the MIAC. It is also a PR for her, having run 2:19.83 for Wayzata high school in 2014.

Team Recap. Results. Quote:

"The Bethel University track and field teams enjoyed a great day on the track in sunny San Diego, as the Royals competed against nine to ten other teams in the 2015 Ross and Sharon Irwin Invite. Riding the momentum from the MIAC Indoor Meet, Miriam Nordquist finished fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.55 seconds. Jillian Krier finished eighth in both the 100- and the 200-meter dash. Annika Halverson competed in the 800-meter race and finished fourth overall with a time of 2:17.50. Paige Thielen finished third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:07.93, while Amanda Passaglia finished second in the hammer throw with a toss of 40.65 meters."


Annika currently sits 8th in US for D3 colleges

And in early season standings, leads the MIAC

Point Loma Outdoor track. Um, yeah, that must have been rough.

Click on thumbnail for larger image.

Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

Up next: At Tulsa (OK) Duals, March 20-21.It appears only field athletes made the trip.

Derek Peterson (Class of '13) - Lipscomb (TN)

Up Next: Alabama Relays, March 19-20

Derek anchored Lipscomb to a 11:02.08 in the DMR.

Off this weekend:

Lauren Farquhar (Class of '13) - Bethany Lutheran College (MN)

Injury issues have interrupted Franke's freshman year, and she has been red-shirted. She continues to workout with the Rams team and is currently gearing up for the outdoor season where she will run unattached. Next race tentatively set for March 28th in Fort Collins (CO). 5K or 10K distance.

Alayna Sonnesyn (Class of '14) - Vermont

Last competed at NCAA Nordic Championships. March 11-14. Word is she will run outdoor track. Schedule TBD.

Marit Sonnesyn (Class of '13) - Gustavus

If Marit runs track this spring, she will travel to San Diego to compete in the Point Loma Nazarene University Invitational on March 28.

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Up next: Hamline Invite on April 11.

Brian Jarvey (Class of '12) - University of St. Thomas

Up next: Hamline Invite on April 11.

Joe Meister (Class of '13) - UW-Eau Claire

Up next: At Emory Classic, March 27-28.

Adam Moline (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Next at Emory Classic on March 27-28.

Note: Moline was named to the 2015 Indoor USTFCCCA All-American team.

James Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Up next: At Texas Relays (Austin), March 26 - 28.

Michael Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Update on Michael: He suffered a minor hamstring injury and is expected back to competing in the near future.

Up next: At Texas Relays (Austin), March 26 - 28.

Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Next at Emory Classic on March 27-28.

Note: Thorson was twice named was named to the 2015 Indoor USTFCCCA All-American team.

Obinnaya Wamuo (Class of '14) - University of Chicago

Up next: Ted Haydon Invitational (Outdoor) in Chicago on April 4.

Wayzata Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 3/15

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 12:02:00 -0500

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report for the week ending March 15, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them.

Sunday edition

Competing this weekend

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

Competed outdoors at Aggie Open in Davis, CA. McKenna competed in the Women's 2000 meter steeplechase, placing 4th overall. She ran unattached as the coach is determining which freshmen he red-shirts for the outdoor season.

Complete results.

Wolfpack team recap. Quote:

"The Pack also had a few competitors compete unattached and post some notable finishes. Freshman Alaina Anderson ran to a fifth place showing in the 5000m run, crossing the finish line at 17:57.34. Classmate McKenna Evans also ran unattached in the 2000m steeplechase and finished fourth with a time of 7:13.20."

Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Competed at 2015 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Bethel Team Preview here. Quote:

"Among those invited from Bethel was distance runner Annika Halverson and field participant Alyssa Solberg. Halverson reached the national meet in the one-mile race, thanks to a time of 5:00.99 at Grinnell's Darren Young Classic on February 14. The freshman's national meet appearance is her first career, but second NCAA Championship event. Halverson reached the Division III meet for cross country earlier this fall."

The only Fr in the field, Halverson toes the line at 1:30 Fri. Live results: http://t.co/1ZgfwEKn4r @WayzataGirlsTF pic.twitter.com/BkO6CSnS3j
— Brian Maas (@TriGeekAddict) March 13, 2015

Good luck to Annika Halverson & Alyssa Solberg, who compete at the @NCAADIII Championships today and tomorrow! #d3tf pic.twitter.com/7e1ZI7vBzP
— Bethel Royals (@BethelRoyals) March 13, 2015

In a "who will blink first" race, @BethelRoyals Halverson falls just 0.04 from making finals in WMile at D3 Natls. http://t.co/1ZgfwEKn4r
— Brian Maas (@TriGeekAddict) March 13, 2015

When reached for a quote, Annika said: "The race was definitely interesting, a lot of elbows thrown my way, and quite a few shoves but in the end I learned a lot about tactics and I know I'll be more ready for outdoor nats if I make it!"

Annika also received additional honors this past week:

Frosh Halverson makes MIAC All Cnf Team, twice. http://t.co/06HfOMf8m9 @WayzataGirlsTF #doublethefun pic.twitter.com/Z6ZrhyL6oG
— Brian Maas (@TriGeekAddict) March 13, 2015

Alayna Sonnesyn (Class of '14) - Vermont

Competing at NCAA Championships. March 11-14. Pre-NCAA story here.
Quote:

"The UVM women have their own breakout star in Sonnesyn, the league's Nordic rookie of the year. Sonnesyn and former Rutland High School standout Cirelli had success at the same venue in the league finale (fourth and sixth, respectively, in freestyle), which their coach feels sets them up for another strong showing."

Day One Catamount Recap here. Results here. Quote:

"Alayna Sonnesyn, the 2015 EISA Women's Nordic Rookie of the Year, was 22nd (15:35.5) in her NCAA debut to round out the Catamounts competing."

Day Three Catamount Recap here. Results here. Quote:

"Stephanie Kirk finished 21st (50:42.9) and Alayna Sonnesyn was 28th (52:14.8) to complete her first NCAA Championship experience."

Alayna & Mom, Jill

Brian Jarvey (Class of '12) - University of St. Thomas

While off from competing this weekend, Jarvey received honors nonetheless. He was named Outstanding MIAC Track Athlete. Quote:

"Jarvey was named the top track athlete at the 2014 meet for his role in St. Thomas' 31st-straight MIAC indoor title, as the Tommies have now won the meet in each of its 31 years of existence. Jarvey won a second-straight MIAC title in both the 200- and 400-meter dash, as he won the 200 with a time of 22.52 seconds, and the 400 in 49.37 seconds. He also anchored St. Thomas' first-place 4x400-meter relay team, which finished with a time of 2:23.77, to help him go a perfect 3-for-3 in his MIAC indoor races."

Brian Jarvey: From Popp's School of Speed to MIAC Outstanding Track Athlete. http://t.co/28vKKRCvaF @WayzataTrack pic.twitter.com/DW8qvwCnrz
— Brian Maas (@TriGeekAddict) March 13, 2015

Adam Moline (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Competed at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Roanoke College.

Blugold team recap on DMW National victory. Quote:

"The distance medley relay of Adam Moline (Jr.-Maple Grove, MN/Wayzata), Will LaJeunesse (Jr.-Belle Plaine, MN), Ryan Graham (So.-Maple Grove, MN) and Josh Thorson (Fr.-Plymouth, MN/Wayzata) flew past the competition posting a time of 9:54.82 which was more than 3.5 seconds faster than their next closest finisher. Their time shattered the school record of 9:59.45 set on March 5, 2011 at UW-Stevens Point."

Complete results. Men's DMR results.

Moline leads off the National winning DMR. Click thumbnail for larger view.

Michael Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Competed at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Roanoke College. Anchored the national winning DMR and placed 3rd in the Men's 3000.

Blugold team recap on DMW National victory. Quote:

"The distance medley relay of Adam Moline (Jr.-Maple Grove, MN/Wayzata), Will LaJeunesse (Jr.-Belle Plaine, MN), Ryan Graham (So.-Maple Grove, MN) and Josh Thorson (Fr.-Plymouth, MN/Wayzata) flew past the competition posting a time of 9:54.82 which was more than 3.5 seconds faster than their next closest finisher. Their time shattered the school record of 9:59.45 set on March 5, 2011 at UW-Stevens Point."

Complete results. Men's DMR results. Blugold team recap. Quote:

"Josh Thorson (So.-Plymouth, MN/Wayzata) placed third in the 3,000-meter run with a school record time of 8:11.80. Thorson broke his previous school record of 8:17.90 set on February 13, 2015 at the St. Thomas Invitational."

Thorson anchors the National winning DMR. Click thumbnail for larger view.

National recap here. Quote:

"In the men’s race, national record holders Amherst established a very solid lead with 800 meters to go on the anchor leg. Behind them, something that would have qualified as "strange" if not for the women’s 5k was playing out. Whitewater dropped the baton very early in the race and fell about 150 meters behind. Their anchor leg, Dawson Miller, was running in lane 2 so as to avoid interfering with the actual race. But late in the leaders’ leg, Miller ended up with the chase pack about ten meters–in his case, 210 meters–behind Amherst. He appeared to say something to Eau Claire’s Josh Thorson, tucked into the rail, and Miller and Thorson actually caught Amherst anchor Greg Turissini. Once the gap was closed, Thorson powered away from the field and beat Amherst by five seconds, 9:54-9:59. La Crosse slipped in for second and the Lord Jeffs grabbed third. (That’s much better than their tenth place finish at nationals the last time they set the DMR national record in the regular season) Whitewater was later disqualified for Miller’s pacing."

Here’s what the Eau Claire boys had to say about the whole race:

Here's my bootleg video of the 3000 meter race:

Thorson 3000 D3 Nationals from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

Off this weekend:

Lauren Farquhar (Class of '13) - Bethany Lutheran College (MN)

Injury issues have interrupted Franke's freshman year, and she has been red-shirted. She continues to workout with the Rams team and is currently gearing up for the outdoor season where she will run unattached. Next race tentatively set for March 28th in Fort Collins (CO). 5K or 10K distance.

Marit Sonnesyn (Class of '13) - Gustavus

Her first outdoor meet will be April 11 at Gustavus.

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Up next: Hamline Invite on April 11

Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

Up next: At Tulsa (OK) Duals, March 20-21

Joe Meister (Class of '13) - UW-Eau Claire

Up next: At Emory Classic, March 20-21.

Derek Peterson (Class of '13) - Lipscomb (TN)

Up Next: Alabama Relays, March 19-20

James Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Up next: At Texas Relays (Austin), March 26 - 28.

Obinnaya Wamuo (Class of '14) - University of Chicago

Up next: Ted Haydon Invitational (Outdoor) in Chicago on April 4.

Upper Midwest Notable News

Erin Teschuk (NDSU)

Erin placed 5th in the Mile, 7th in 3,000m at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Bison recap.

Wayzata Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 3/8

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Fri, 6 Mar 2015 06:45:00 -0600

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report for the week ending March 8, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them.

Sunday night edition

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

Up next: NCAA Indoor Championships, March 13-14. Albuquerque, N.M

Lauren Farquhar (Class of '13) - Bethany Lutheran College (MN)

Injury issues have interrupted Franke's freshman year, and she has been red-shirted. She continues to workout with the Rams team and is currently gearing up for the outdoor season where she will run unattached. Next race TBD.

Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Up next: MIAC Championships, March 6-7. ON Friday night in Moorhead, MN Annika took 3rd overall in the mile in 5:06.17. Annika also ran the 1000 on Saturday, placing 2nd in 3:00.20. That 1000 times places Annika (as of Saturday night) 8th in the nation for D3 colleges.

Bethel team recap - Day One.

Bethel team recap - Day Two.

Quotes from recap:

"With just the national meet remaining on the collegiate schedule, the indoor season is over for most athletes. Bethel's Alyssa Solberg knows she will earn an invitation to the NCAA Division III Championships, while Annika Halverson is hopeful to see her name on the final list in the women's 1,000-meter run."

2015 MIAC Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships Team Preview.

Quotes from Preview:

Athletes to Watch
• Annika Halverson (Distance, Fr. | No. 4 in MIAC for 1000m, No. 2 in mile)

By the Numbers
• 2: Annika Halverson appeared in the 2014 NCAA Division III National Cross Country Meet this fall and she's eager to reach her second national meet in as many chances. Her time of 5:00.99 in the mile race ranks No. 23 nationwide, so look for her to drop below five minutes in this event Friday.

Off the Track (and Field)
• Freshman distance runner Annika Halverson moved around with her family quite a bit growing up. Halverson lived in Boston, Cheshire, England, and back in Minnesota before moving to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania at age 10. She moved back to Wayzata in her teenage years, but this summer Halverson is going back to Tanzania for the first time since living there and serving the community of Madala. Together, her and a team of others will run a clinic for children that will provide sporting activities, tea parties, and Bible study.

LIVE RESULTS | MEN | WOMEN |
MEN: Entries - Heat Sheet
Heptathlon: Heat Sheets - Live Results

WOMEN: Entries - Heat Sheet
Pentathlon: Heat Sheet - Live Results

MIAC Website

Alayna Sonnesyn (Class of '14) - Vermont

Up next: NCAA Championships. March 11-14. Still, big weekend for Alayna.

"BURLINGTON, Vt. – A total of 16 Catamounts earned All-East honors following the team's fifth straight EISA Championship last weekend. Will St. Germain of the alpine team and Alayna Sonnesyn of the Nordic team were named EISA Rookie of the Year in their respective disciplines to highlight the Vermont honors."

Full story.

Alayna was also named to the 2015 National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team. Full story here.

Big recognition day for @WayzataGirlsTF alum, Alayna Sonnesyn. pic.twitter.com/qXcQBRubjS
— Brian Maas (@TriGeekAddict) March 8, 2015

Marit Sonnesyn (Class of '13) - Gustavus

Up next: Outdoor track once Nordic season ends.

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Up next: MIAC Championships, March 6-7. At this time, it appears Adam will not be running.

Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

Up next: NCAA Indoor Championships, March 13-14.

Brian Jarvey (Class of '12) - University of St. Thomas

Up next: MIAC Championships, March 6-7. On Friday, Brian won the 400 with a fantastic 49.17. On Saturday he also won the 200 in 22.52. Jarvey also anchored the winning 4x400 relay in 3:23.77 with Chris Mueller, Ryan Queenan, and Cole Boughner.

Partial team recap here. Quote:

"St. Thomas track and field swept the men's and women's team championships in Moorhead. The UST made it 31-for-31 all-time in team titles as it nudged ahead of St. Olaf to win, 162-141. St. Thomas competed without three important injured athletes, including All-America Connor O'Neill, but used a strong performance by Brian Jarvey and depth to take first."

Full team recap here.

Jarvey (r) with 4x400 teammates

Star Tribune quote:

"Tommies rule in track

St. Thomas won the men’s and women’s titles in the MIAC indoor track and field meet in Collegeville, Minn. It was the 30th conference title in a row for the men, the 15th for the women. Brian Jarvey of the Tommies won the 200 (22.44 seconds) and 400 (49.68) and anchored the winning 800 relay (1:29.46) to help them compile 186 points. St. Olaf was second with 126 points and Hamline third with 115.5. Bryan Thell was another double winner for St. Thomas, taking first in the shot put (49-6½) and weight throw (58-8)."

MIAC Preview. Quotes from Preview:

...there are six other athletes back attempting to defend MIAC titles in their respective events, led by St. Thomas' Brian Jarvey in the 200- and 400-meter dashes.

The Tommies have high hopes to continue their amazing reign at the top, led by the return of Jarvey in the sprinting events.

LIVE RESULTS | MEN | WOMEN |
MEN: Entries - Heat Sheet
Heptathlon: Heat Sheets - Live Results

WOMEN: Entries - Heat Sheet
Pentathlon: Heat Sheet - Live Results

MIAC Website

Joe Meister (Class of '13) - UW-Eau Claire

Up next: UWSP Last Chance, March 7. Joe did not compete.

Adam Moline (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Up next: UWSP Last Chance, March 7. Adam did not compete.

Derek Peterson (Class of '13) - Lipscomb (TN)

Up Next: NCAA Indoor Championships, March 13-14.

James Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Up next: Indoor IC4A Championships, March 7-8 in Boston. In reviewing the heat sheets, it appears James did not qualify for this meet.

Michael Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Up next: Indoor IC4A Championships, March 7-8 in Boston. Michael was injured last weekend, and in reviewing the heat sheets, it appears Michael did not compete despite meeting qualifying times in the 200 and 400.

Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Up next: UWSP Last Chance, March 7. Josh did not compete.

Obinnaya Wamuo (Class of '14) - University of Chicago

Wamuo ran at the Wisconsin-Stevens Point Last Chance Meet. He ran second leg in the 4x400 relay which finished 6th overall in 3:19.20

Full Results.

Upper Midwest Notable News

Erin Teschuk (NDSU)

Up next: NCAA Indoor Championships, March 13-14.

JUST ANNOUNCED: Erin Teschuk has been named the Midwest Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year! pic.twitter.com/cECNfrAziy
— NDSU Track & Field (@NDSUTrackField) March 6, 2015

Wayzata Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 3/1

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 13:27:00 -0600

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report for the week ending March 1, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them.

Monday morning edition

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

McKenna is running in the Mountain West Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. On Friday, she anchored the Women's DMR to a 7th place finish with a time of 12:08.55.

Friday's Results. Saturdays's Final Results. Final Team Scores. Wolfpack Team recap.

Up next: NCAA Indoor Championships, March 13-14.

Evans takes the anchor hand-off.

Mary Franke (Class of '14) - Colorado State

Injury issues have interrupted Franke's freshman year, and she has been red-shirted. She continues to workout with the Rams team and is currently gearing up for the outdoor season where she will run unattached. Next race TBD.

Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

While the majority of the Bethel team was at the Kilt Classic, hosted by Macalester on Feb 27, a small contingent attend the Ole Opener in Northfield. Annika anchored the Women's DMR to a 3rd place finish with a time of 12:08.19.

"The day actually started for the women at the meet in Northfield as the Royals sent their distance medley relay team to St. Olaf to try to secure a spot in the national meet. The women broke the school record with a time of 12:08.19, which currently places them 12th in the nation with the top 15 teams qualifying for nationals."

Ole Opener Results. Bethel Team recap.

Up next: MIAC Championships, March 6-7.

Alayna Sonnesyn (Class of '14) - Vermont

Alayna is skiing in the EISA Championships (at St. Lawrence) Feb 27-28. On day 1, she finished 4th overall on the Women's 5K freestyle.

Day One Results

Day One Team Recap

"The Vermont women finished 3-4-5-6 in the freestyle Nordic race. Stephanie Kirk earned her first podium appearance of the season, placing third with a time of 16:09.9. Teammates Alayna Sonnesyn, Marion Woods and MK Cirelli, followed in fourth through sixth, respectively, as the Catamounts dominated the top-10 finishers."

On Saturday, Alayna finished 9th in the 15K Classic event.

"In the women's classic race four Catamounts finished in the top-10, led by Marion Wood's fifth place finish, her best of the season. Woods crossed the finish line in a time of 53:51.6.

Annika Taylor of New Hampshire won the race with a time of 53:10.8 and the Middlebury duo of Heather Mooney and Kelsey Phinney rounded out the podium.

MK Cirelli was the second Catamount across the finish line to place seventh overall. Alayna Sonneysen and Stephanie Kirk followed in ninth and 10th place, respectively."
Day Two Results.

Vermont team recap.

Up next: NCAA Championships. March 11-14

Marit Sonnesyn (Class of '13) - Gustavus

Marit just finished the Nordic season at NCAA Regionals this weekend. She finished 12th overall in the Women's Freestyle 5K. Full Results. She also finished 18th overall in the Women's Classic 15K race. Full Results.

Marit plans to compete in outdoor track this coming season.

Click on thumbnail for larger image.

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Adam ran in the 3000 at the Ole Opener in Northfield on Feb 27. His time was 9:20.06.

Ole Opener Results

Tommies Team recap.

Up next: MIAC Championships, March 6-7.

Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

USD is competing at the Summit League Championships on Feb 27-28 in Fargo. Breyer ran the 3rd leg in the DMR helping the USD team to a 2nd place finish in 10:17.99.

On Saturday, Breyer finished 11th in the mile with a time of 4:22.63, bettering his season best by nearly 8 seconds.

Complete results. Coyote team recap.

Up next: NCAA Indoor Championships, March 13-14.

Derek Peterson (Class of '13) - Lipscomb (TN)

Derek competed at the Atlantic Sun Indoor Championships Feb 27 - March 1. He led off the DMR, which took 3rd place with a time of 10:30.32. On Day Two, he placed 10th in the mile with a season best time of 4:27.30

Live results
Bisons Team recap Day 1.

Up Next: NCAA I Indoor National Championships, March 13-14

Brian Jarvey (Class of '12) - University of St. Thomas

Brian anchored the 4x400 relay to first place at the Ole Opener in Northfield on Feb 27. The finishing time was 3:21.77.

Ole Opener Results

Tommies Team recap.

Up next: MIAC Championships, March 6-7.

Joe Meister (Class of '13) - UW-Eau Claire

At WIAC Championship, Feb 27-28. Joe appears to have the weekend off from competing.

Complete results. Blugold team recap.

Up next: UWSP Last Chance, March 7.

Adam Moline (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Competing at the WIAC Championship, Feb 27-28.

On Friday, Moline led off the DMR, and helped the team to a 3rd place finish in 10:13.68. Saturday, Moline ran a 1:56.07 in the 800, good for a 9th place finish..

Complete results. Blugold team recap.

Up next: UWSP Last Chance, March 7.

James Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

At Indoor Heptagonal Championships, Cambridge MA on Feb 28. James appears to have the weekend off from racing. James did not compete.

Michael Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

At Indoor Heptagonal Championships, Cambridge MA on Feb 28. Michael ran the 400 prelims on Saturday in a time of 48.36 and makes the finals with the 2nd fastest time. He also ran in the 200 prelims, coming in with the 6th fastest seed (21.96), but was unfortunately DQ'd due to a lane violation.

Michael did not compete in the 400 finals will be run on Sunday, as per team reports, he had to withdraw due to injury.

"Sophomore Tobenah Attah blazed to a runner-up performance of 48.25 (IC4A, #8 all-time) in the 400, after running 49.10 in the prelims. Michael Smith ran a fine prelim time of 48.36 (IC4A), but had to withdraw from the final due to injury."

Cornell team recap. Results.

Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Competing at the WIAC Championship, Feb 27-28.

Friday Evening Update: Josh placed 7th in the mile with a time of 4:15.15, just off his season best of 4:13.88. On Saturday, Thorson set a facility record in the 3k, with a wining time of 8:20.56. As of Saturday, that time is 5th fastest in the nation for D3 schools.

Complete results. Blugold team recap.

Up next: UWSP Last Chance, March 7.

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Obinnaya Wamuo (Class of '14) - University of Chicago

Wamuo ran in the UAA Indoor Championships this past weekend. In 400 prelims, he ran a 50.39 to qualify for the finals. He finished 5th in the finals, with a 49.91. Wamuo also ran the 2nd leg on the 4x400 relay, which finished in a time of 3:21.44

"With a one-point margin of difference in the team scores, the men's title came down to the final race of the meet – the 4x400-meter relay. The Bears ended up capturing the event win and the conference championship. UChicago's 4x400-meter relay (Clark, freshman Obinnaya Wamuo, junior Ryan Manzuk, freshman Nathan Downey) finished second and posted a school-record time of 3:21.44."

Results. Maroon team recap.

Up next: At Wisconsin-Stevens Point Last Chance Meet

Upper Midwest Notable News

Erin Teschuk (NDSU)

Erin is competing Summit League Championships on Feb 27-28 in Fargo. On Saturday, she won the mile in 4:41.28 and won the 800 in 2:10.21. She also anchored the winning DMR, with a time of 12:03.54.

Note: North Dakota State's Erin Teschuk broke a 17-year Summit League Championship record in the women's mile run with a time of 4:41.28.

Complete results.

Up next: NCAA Indoor Championships, March 13-14.

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Wayzata Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 2/22

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 16:44:00 -0600

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report for the week ending February 22, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them.

Sunday edition

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Brandt competed at the St. Olaf Tostrud Classic, in Northfield on Feb 21. He ran a 9:23.04 3000, placing 10th overall.

Full Results.
St. Thomas recap.

Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

At the USD Twilight Vermillion, S.D. held on Feb 20, Breyer placed 4th in the Men's Mile with a 4:31.20 clocking. Breyer then doubled, winning the 1000 meters in a time of 2:38.23. A nice victory for the true freshman workhorse. Breyer's 1K time currently sits 8th fastest in the D1 Summit League.

"South Dakota’s distance program racked up six total wins. Junior Kelsey Barrett captured the women’s mile in 5:15.75 while sophomore Mach Dojiok clocked 1:57.33 to win the men’s 800. Sophomore Lottie Grimshaw and freshman Aaron Breyer each added wins in the 1,000 meter run. The Coyotes also swept the top-three places in the men’s and women’s 3,000-meter run. Senior Taylor Chapman led the way for the men with a time of 8:41.76 and freshman Bailey Oettel took the women’s side in 10:34.82."

Full Results.

USD Recap.

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

Next indoor meet is 2/26 - 2/28, Mountain West Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.

Big Board Note - Evans is on the Big Board this season for having one of the fastest Distance Medley Relay times in the Mountain Region, D1.

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Mary Franke (Class of '14) - Colorado State

Injury issues have interrupted Franke's freshman year, and she has been red-shirted. She continues to workout with the Rams team and is currently gearing up for the outdoor season where she will run unattached. Next race TBD.

Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Halverson competed at the at the Parent's Day Open, at the U of MN on 2/21. She placed 3rd in the mile with a time of 5:01.69, just off her season best of 5:00.99.

Full Results.

Bethel team recap.

The Bethel women's track and field team had a great showing at the Darren Young Classic at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, with a top-four team finish. Individually, the Royals' top highlight came courtesy of Annika Halverson (Wayzata, Minn.) who continued her marvelous rookie season with an outstanding performance in the one-mile run. For her performance, the MIAC sports information directors honored Halverson Wednesday with the MIAC Women's Indoor Track Athlete-of-the-Week. Full story.

Big Board Note - Halverson is on the Big Board this season for having one of the fastest mile times in the Central Region, D3.

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Brian Jarvey (Class of '12) - University of St. Thomas

At U of Minn. Snowshoe Open held at the University of Minnesota on Feb 20, Jarvey anchored the Tommie 4x400 to a 3rd place finish time of 3:19.76. Full Results.

St. Thomas recap.

Big Board Note - Jarvey is on the Big Board this season for having one of the fastest 4x400 Relay and 400 times in the Central Region, D3.

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Joe Meister (Class of '13) - UW-Eau Claire

Meister competed at the Big Dog Invitational in Stevens Point, WI on Feb 21. He placed 16th in the mile running a 4:31.90.

Full results.
UWEC team recap.

Adam Moline (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Moline competed at the Big Dog Invitational in Stevens Point, WI on Feb 21. He ran leadoff in the Distance Medley relay, with the team clocking a 10:01.03 for 4th place in a tight finish.

Full results.
UWEC team recap.

Big Board Note - Moline is on the Big Board this season for having one of the fastest 800 times in the Midwest Region, D3.

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James Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

James competed at the Deneault Memorial meet, Ithaca, N.Y., Feb 21. James took 5th in the 200 with a time of 23.09 and 2nd in the 400 with a time of 50.99.

"On the track, the Big Red men were impressive in the long sprints and middle distances. Freshmen Stanford Cooper (50.23) and James Smith (50.99) went one-two in the 400. A quartet of sophomores swept the 500: Will Gibson (1:07.17), Richard Zidani (1:07.23), Justin Love (1:07.30) and Wynn Curtis (1:07.30). Junior Connor Herr won the 800 (1:56.15, just .01 from an IC4A qualifier) with freshman Tim Boston (1:56.55) in close pursuit in second."

Full Results. Cornell recap.

Michael Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Michael had the weekend off from competing.

Big Board Note - Smith is on the Big Board this season for having one of the fastest 4x400 Relay times in the Northeast Region, D1.

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Alayna Sonnesyn (Class of '14) - Vermont

Next Nordic ski event is the EISA Championships (at St. Lawrence) Feb 27-28.

Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

At Pointer Eastbay Invitational, Feb 21.

Thorson competed at the Big Dog Invitational in Stevens Point, WI on Feb 21. He ran anchor in the Distance Medley relay, with the team clocking a 10:01.03 for 4th place in a tight finish.

Full results.
UWEC team recap.

Big Board Note - Thorson is on the Big Board this season for having one of the fastest mile times and the fastest 3000 time in the Midwest Region, D3.

Click on thumbnail for larger image

Upper Midwest Notable News

Erin Teschuk (NDSU)

Competed at the Alex Wilson Invitational, South Bend, Indiana. Feb 21.

Teschuk, Milbrath, Andrushko & Van Beek run 11:10.49 in the distance medley at Notre Dame. New school record by, oh, you know, 25 SECONDS!
— NDSU Track & Field (@NDSUTrackField) February 21, 2015

Bison team recap. Full results.

In case you missed it, Teschuk was honored with the Flotrack KICK OF THE WEEK: Erin Teschuk vs. Nicol Traynor.

Watch more videos on Flotrack

Big Board Note - Teschuk is on the Big Board this season for having the #1 fastest mile and 3000 times in the Midwest Region, D1.

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Wayzata Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 2/15

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 10:23:00 -0600

Welcome to the first Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report of the season, as we take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them.

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

Evans celebrated her birthday week by traveling to Boise, ID to run in the Boise State Team Challenge. She anchored the winning Distance Medley relay, running for the Nevada 'B' team.

She later returned to the track to run the open 800 placing 8th overall, just off her lifetime personal record of 2:18.08. Full Story can be found here. Full Results.

Click on thumbnail for larger view

Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Bethel's Annika Halverson shattered the meet record at the Darren Young Classic in the mile. And her time puts her 12th nationally for D3 colleges and 2nd in the MIAC behind Ruth Steinke of Carleton. Full Story can be read here. Full results.

This is coming off a week in which Halverson clocked a 3:01.86 in the 1000, which puts her 12th nationally for D3 schools and 2nd overall in the MIAC behind Emily Gapinski of St. Thomas. When asked about the 1000 afterwards, Halverson indicated she "really enjoyed it". Perhaps we will see her run the 1000 again this season.

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In addition, Halverson currently ranks 12th in the MIAC in the 3000.

Michael Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

On Friday, Michael Smith ran 22.26 200 at the SPIRE Invitational in Geneva, OH. That time tied the #10 mark in Cornell school history. This also ranks him 12th overall in the Ivy League Conference. He returned to the track on Saturday to anchor the 4x400 relay to a 4th place finish. The 4x4 team of Attah (48.8), Olloqui (48.4), Cooper (48.2), and Smith (47.2) ran 3:12.68 which is the #8 all-time mark in school history. Full story can be read here. Full results.

Last weekend, Smith ran a 48.31 400 at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup in State College, PA which places him 4th overall in the Ivy League Conference. Smith has a 47.40 personal best time in the 400.

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Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

At the South Dakota State Classic, Breyer placed 6th overall for the Coyotes in the 3000 with a time of 8:54.16. The time places the freshman 20th overall in the Summit League thus far in the indoor season.

Breyer has also clocked a 4:30.11 in the mile this season, good for 26th overall in the Summit League

Full results.

Alayna Sonnesyn (Class of '14) - Vermont

Fresh off skiing internationally for Team USA at the World Junior Championships in Kazakstan, Sonnesyn returned to Vermont to finish 11th in the Women's 5K freestyle skate. This helped the Vermont Catamounts to a 143-point win over Dartmouth at the Middlebury Carnival. The victory was Vermont's 20th straight win on the EISA Circuit. Full story. Full Results.

Brian Jarvey (Class of '12) - University of St. Thomas

The Tommie junior won the 400 (50.08) and took fourth in the 200 (22.91) at the UST Showcase indoor meet in Anderson Fieldhouse. Full story can be found here. Full results.

Jarvey currently ranks 35th nationally in D3 schools in the 400 (49.94) which is also good for 2nd overall in the MIAC. He ranks 4th for the 200 (22.91) in the MIAC.

Adam Moline (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

The Blugold junior took second in the 800 (1:55.10) at the UST Showcase indoor meet in Anderson Fieldhouse. Full story can be found here. Full results.

He ranks 21st in the 800 (1:55.10) in D3 schools. Moline has also run a 4:21.81 mile this indoor season.

Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Thorson won the 3,000-meter run in 8:17.90—good for second nationally in D3 and breaking the school record at the UST Showcase indoor meet in Anderson Fieldhouse. Full story can be found here. Full results.

Thorson has also run a 4:13.88 mile this indoor season, good for 10th nationally for D3 schools.

Click on thumbnail for larger view

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Brandt ran a 16:16.20 5000 at the UST Showcase indoor meet in Anderson Fieldhouse. Full Results.

Brandy currently sits 16th on the 5000 MIAC leader board.

Joe Meister (Class of '13) - UW-Eau Claire

Meister ran a 9:01.67 3000 at the UST Showcase indoor meet in Anderson Fieldhouse. Full results.

Meister has also run a 4:33.80 mile this indoor season.

James Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY): Smith ran a 50.80 in the Men's 400 and was lead leg (51.5) for the 2nd place 4x400 relay at the Cornell Sunday Invitational on Sunday (2/15). Full story can be read here. Full results.

Notable Wayzata News

Former Wayzata track and cross country coach, Bill Miles, receives recognition from the Wayzata Public School Board for winning the National High School Cross Country Coach of the Year Award.

WHS Coach Bill Miles Recognition 2/09/2015 from Wayzata Public Schools on Vimeo.

Upper Midwest Notable News

North Dakota is now the second leading oil production state. But they aren't about to stop there.

After a stellar weekend of racing at the Iowa State Classic, NDSU standout Erin Teschuk finds herself amongst the top of the national leader board with some of the current greats of distance runners. Teschuk posted a then national best time of 9:02.40 in the 3000-meter run, setting the ISU Classic meet record in the process. Full story here. Iowa State Classic full results.

Click on image for larger view

That Wayzata Girls Movie......

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Thu, 6 Nov 2014 17:01:00 -0600

Disney has released the first trailer for McFarland, USA. The film follows coach Jim Lee (Kevin Costner), who transformed a team of unlikely cross-country runners into state champions back in 1987, and this initial footage indicates that the movie aims to strike the delicate balance between heartwarming melodrama and a lighthearted fish-out-of-water story.

I'm a bit astonished that a feature film about cross country is finding its way to the silver screen. And it gave me pause as a little less than a year ago, a local parent had touted the idea of doing a feature film on the 2013 Wayzata girls cross country team that stunned the high school cross country pundits by winning a national championship in Portland, OR.

Wayzata High School - Girls 2013 Nike National Champions - Photo Montage from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

I shot it down. "Who would watch a movie about cross country?", I had asked. Well, Disney for one. Of course, that begs the question, which actor would play each pivotal role in a movie on the Wayzata Seven? Let's take a look.

The Coaches

Dave Emmans, head coach (Benedict Cumberbatch)

Addy Hallen, assistant coach (Emily Blunt)

The Runners

McKenna Evans (Scarlett Johanssen)

Mary Franke (Emma Watson)

Anna French (Natalie Portman)

Annika Halverson (Reese Witherspoon)

Michaela Keller-Miller (Jennifer Lawrence)

Annika Lerdall (Anne Hathaway)

Alayna Sonnesyn (Keira Knightly)

So, there you have it. The movie won't be cheap to make because of the actor salaries, but it is bound to make somewhere in the range of $160-$170 million in US domestic sales in the first weekend alone. I think it worth the risk. Of course, it will need a producer/director. And who else to bring this film to the silver screen but the film writer himself, Thomas Franke. Afterall, it Franke who first had the idea. And since he is a parent, and obviously would have a minor role in the film, we need to cast his part also.

Tom Franke (Chris Hemsworth)

And there you have it, the first production meeting for the Wayzata Girls Cross Country feature length movie. Funding is being worked on by selling commemorative shoe laces.

Have your own suggestion for the lead roles? Leave a comment.

Minnesota State Cross Country 2014 Predictions - Class AA

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 13:31:00 -0500

Everyone will have their predictions and virtual meets this coming week in anticipation of the 2014 Minnesota State Cross Country Championships at St. Olaf College in Northfield on November 1. The AA boys, with defending champion Wayzata, kick things off at 1 PM. Followed by the AA Girls, with Wayzata going for a three-peat, at 2 PM.

My issue with these prognosticators, is they will base their predictions on everyone's season best times. I just don't think that is valid for many reasons including, and not limited to: course distances, course surfaces, course topography.

I conducted a virtual meet using ONLY the results from the eight sections. I then compiled all the team qualifiers (two teams per section) plus the individual qualifiers. I then crunched the numbers, scoring teams based on just the team qualifiers, as individual runners do not figure into team scoring. Of course, the same argument (varying courses) can be used with this method as well, but at least we are using data from each runners last race prior to the State Meet. So, going with the hot hand, and rewarding those teams/individuals riding upward momentum.

Keep in mind, this is just for fun, and just creates additional topic for any debate:

Boys AA

Wayzata	38
Hopkins	78
STMA	165
Stillwater	179
Chaska	184
Rochester Century	195
Centennial	195
Prior Lake	202
Shakopee	218
Alexandria	260
Red Wing	262
Rosemount	275
Bemidji	285
Elk River	304
WBL	331
Andover	350

Girls AA

Wayzata	89
Willmar	112
Edina	121
Marshall	177
Lakeville South	183
STMA	189
Bemidji	191
Chaska	202
East Ridge	207
Forest Lake	207
Austin	224
Eagan	269
Centennial	299
Duluth East	301
East View	316
White Bear	383

Boys AA Top 20 Individuals

Klecker, Joe		Hopkins High School
Olson, Connor		Wayzata High School
Cayo, Chase		Saint Michael-Albertville High School
Hesse-withbroe, Bailey		Stillwater High School
Carpenter, Jaret		Wayzata High School
Mahmoud, Faysao		Burnsville High School
Kurak, Reed		Centennial High School
Duerr, Joey		Chaska High School
Eklin, Ian		Wayzata High School
Ramlet, Logan		Edina High School
Hoeft, Owen		Hopkins High School
Hyytinen, Justin		Farmington High School
Ali, Hamza		Minneapolis Washburn High School
Lawson, Nick		Saint Anthony Village High School
Sell, Andrew		Minneapolis Washburn High School
Goodell, Jackson		Albert Lea High School
Quirk, Andrew		Wayzata High School
Massot, Seth		Rochester Century High School
Rachel, Kyle		Shakopee High School
Shaleen, Nicholas		Wayzata High School

Girls AA Top 20 Individuals

Hasz, Megan		Alexandria Jefferson High School
Hasz, Bethany		Alexandria Jefferson High School
Misgen, Tess		Shakopee High School
French, Anna		Wayzata High School
Armstrong, Jasmyn		Red Wing High School
King, Rachel		Saint Michael-Albertville High School
Christensen, Emma		Rochester John Marshall
Covert, Emily		Minneapolis Washburn High School
Korzenowski, Anastasia		Chanhassen High School
Benner, Emma		Forest Lake
Lerdall, Annika		Wayzata High School
Boersma, Claire		Marshall High School
Keller-miller, Michaela		Wayzata High School
Mosborg, Amanda		Edina High School
Hanson, Samantha		Willmar High School
Betz, Emily		East Ridge HS
Hamrin, Sadie		Bemidji High School
Peterson, Lauren		Farmington High School
Heil, Lizzy		Saint Michael-Albertville High School
Berg, Maria		New Prague High School

It will be interesting to see if this methodology is any more, or less, accurate than that of using season-best times.

Top MN Freshmen XC 2014

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 09:45:00 -0500

Top 10 Minnesota Freshmen (as of 10/26/2014) by various classes and MN State Sections (AA Only) as ranked by MileSplit database.

Note: Click on each image for larger viewing of screenshot.

Overall (AA & A)

AA Only

A Only

1AA

2AA

3AA

4AA

5AA

6AA

7AA

8AA

Maas Honor Roll - Wayzata Boys & Girls National/State/Sections Rankings

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 14:50:00 -0500

My good friend, Steve Aesoph, went out for a trail run this past Sunday. Steve lives in my hometown of Jamestown, ND. He must be getting old, or something. As his run time seemed pretty slow.

If you were to just look at his time on the surface, you'd not even bat an eye. However, if you also knew that A) Steve's course is rated as the #1 toughest XTERRA tri and run course in the NATION, B) If you saw the elevation map of this run you'd probably wet your pants, and C) His run time bettered my BIKE time the lone time I biked this course....then what would you say?

The challenging Pipestem Creek Single track

In 2010, I was on my way to the Bismarck Triathlon and stopped off to visit with Steve on his XTERRA Pipestsem Creek course. We hopped on our mountain bikes and rode the short loop course. I must have fell off six or seven times. I should have known the course would be brutal, since my old high school cross country coach, Russ Schmeichel, helped design the thing. The next day, Steve and I raced the Bismarck triathlon. I got third overall, Steve fourth. And we were both bored to tears with the flat bike and flat run courses. Steve's like me. We'd rather watch paint dry than go out and race an unchallenging course.

And that's the point of this blog entry. When I review top high school cross country times from around the nation, I see lots and lots of incredibly fast times. Because none of the times talk about the topography of the course, or the actual distance verification....."Yeah, I think it's about a 5K, give or take 600 yards".....it's all subjective. And often means diddly-squat. And Steve knows this. And I know it. And each of us doesn't care about doing time comparisons as we're in it for different reasons.

It's the way I'm been raising the Boy. Flat course? Who cares. Hills. Mud. Water. Now you are talking turkey.

Myself & the very young Boy riding the trails

Mud. Guts. Glory. Only, here in The Tundra, none of us care about the glory either. We'd rather keep that to ourselves. Which is how you'll find the Wayzata cross country team. Accolades are nice, but these kids would rather just find a tough-as-nails course and run it until their feet bleed. Which is why I'm stepping in to give them some love. We'll let the California kids run their flat-as-pancake courses with hard surfaces and even (GASP!) blacktop. Heck, that's just road racing. The Wayzata kids will take the mud.....

.....and the guts....

...and leave the glory to the California kids.

Drumroll, please. I now give you the first Maas Honor Roll for the boys & girls of the Wayzata cross country team to give some love to the kids who are ranked tops in the nation, state, and section. All information derived from Mile Split results, week ending 9/21.

In the Top 200 in the Nation (Overall): Girls 4K

24 - Annika Lerdall (National Elite Gold Level)
36 - Anna French (National Elite Gold Level)
102 - Jaycie Thomsen (National Elite Silver Level)
163 - Samantha Lettenberger (National Elite Silver Level)

In the Top 200 in the Nation (Senior Class Only): Girls 4K

15 - Anna French

In the Top 200 in the Nation (Juniors Class Only): Girls 4K

123 - Michaela Keller-Miller
128 - Melissa Drenkhahn

In the Top 200 in the Nation (Sophomores Class Only): Girls 4K

7 - Annika Lerdall
29 - Jaycie Thomsen
44 - Samantha Lettenberger
181 - Libby Johnson

In the Top 200 in the Nation (Freshmen Class Only): Girls 4K

64 - Ellie Emerick
80 - Brooke Young
127 - Gina Kalker

In the Top 100 in the State, MN AA (Overall): Girls 4K

9 - Annika Lerdall
14 - Anna French
36 - Jaycie Thomsen
53 - Samantha Lettenberger

In the Top 100 in the State, MN AA (Senior Class Only): Girls 4K

5 - Anna French
58 - Maeve Andrews
75 - Claudia Schmitt

In the Top 100 in the State, MN AA (Junior Class Only): Girls 4K

31 - Michaela Keller-Miller
34 - Melissa Drenkhahn
96 - Mandy Behling
97 - Ava Jean Gondack

In the Top 100 in the State, MN AA (Sophomore Class Only): Girls 4K

2 - Annika Lerdall
11- Jaycie Thomsen
15 - Samantha Lettenberger
51 - Libby Johnson
100 - Anna Bumgardner

In the Top 100 in the State, MN AA (Freshmen Class Only): Girls 4K

22 - Ellie Emerick
27 - Brooke Young
40 - Gina Kalker
78- Courtney Kern
82 - Naomi Long

In the Top 50 in the Section, MN 6AA (Overall): Girls 4K

1 - Annika Lerdall
3- Anna French
8 - Jaycie Thomsen
14 - Samantha Lettenberg
29 - Ellie Emerick
35 - Brooke Young
36 - Michaela Keller-Miller
40 - Melissa Drenkhahn
45- Gina Kalker
47 - Libby Johnson

In the Top 50 in the Section, MN 6AA (Senior Class Only): Girls 4K

1- Anna French
11 - Maeve Andrews
16 - Claudia Schmitt
19 - Meghan Jette
22 - Thalia Alarcon
30 - Katie Farquhar
46 - Abby Silbaugh

In the Top 50 in the Section, MN 6AA (Junior Class Only): Girls 4K

4 - Michaela Keller-Miller
7 - Melissa Drenkhahn
17 - Mandy Behling
18 - Ava Jean Gondack
21 - Evelyn Frenz
22 - Kristine Keller-Miller
23 - Emily Short
36 - Izzy Lockheimer-Toso
43 - Kaitlin Schwarz
45 - Kaylin Bach
48 - Lauren Dahl
50 - Lizzy Berg

In the Top 50 in the Section, MN 6AA (Sophmore Class Only): Girls 4K

1 - Annika Lerdall
3- Jaycie Thomsen
6 - Samantha Lettenberger
18 - Libby Johnson
26 - Anna Bumgardner
42- Laura Allen
47 - Grace Albright
48 - Emma Bernard

In the Top 50 in the Section, MN 6AA (Freshmen Class Only): Girls 4K

7 - Ellie Emerick
8 - Brooke Young
9 - Gina Kalker
17- Courtney Kern
18 - Naomi Long
27 - Chloe Wagener
31 - Ellen King
32 - Anna Healy
34 - Taylore Henkel
35 - Miranda Mead
38 - Carmen Rottinghaus
46 - Kayla Dohm
50 - Carisa Chen

In the Top 200 in the Nation (Overall): Boys 5K

33 - Connor Olson (National Elite Gold Level)

In the Top 200 in the Nation (Senior Class Only): Boys 5K

22 - Connor Olson

In the Top 200 in the Nation (Juniors Class Only): Boys 5K

76 - Jaret Carpenter (National Elite Silver Level)

In the Top 100 in the State, MN AA (Overall): Boys 5K

1- Connor Olson
7 - Jaret Carpenter
10 - Ian Eklin (National Elite Silver Level)
38 - Nick Shaleen (National Elite Silver Level)
74 - Jack Prazich
83 - Andrew Millan
84 - Andrew Quirk
90 - Paul Epland

In the Top 100 in the State, MN AA (Senior Class Only): Boys 5K

1 - Connor Olson
8 - Ian Eklin
34 - Jack Prazich
38 - Andrew Quirk
42 - Paul Epland

In the Top 100 in the State, MN AA (Junior Class Only): Boys 5K

2 - Jaret Carpenter
12 - Nick Shaleen
36 - Andrew Millan
42 - Kyle Brandt
50 - Wes Heal
99 - Jacob Smith

In the Top 100 in the State, MN AA (Sophomore Class Only): Boys 5K

15 - Paul Weiler
17 - Josh Halverson
28 - Nick Kerbeshian
42 - Gemechu Meskele
46 - Jeremy Gilbertson
79 - Tyler Carlstrom
86 - Daniel Urke
100 - Jack Olson

In the Top 100 in the State, MN AA (Freshmen Class Only): Boys 5K

31 - Anders Sonnesyn
41 - Graham Maas
47 - Khalid Hussein
59 - Blake Buysse

In the Top 50 in the Section, MN 6AA (Overall): Boys 5K

1 - Connor Olson
3 - Jaret Carpenter
4 - Ian Eklin
14 - Nick Shaleen
21 - Jack Prazich
22 - Andrew Millan
23 - Andrew Quirk
24 - Paul Epland
29 - Kyle Brandt
33 - Wes Heal
34 - Paul Weiler
37 - Josh Halverson
47 - Nick Kerbeshian

In the Top 50 in the Section, MN 6AA (Senior Class Only): Boys 5K

1- Connor Olson
3 - Ian Eklin
5 - Jack Prazich
6 - Andrew Quirk
7 - Paul Epland
26 - Martin Johnson
27 - Thomas Lerdall
32 - Carter Blankenship
45 - Andrew Carter
46 - Bobby Anderson

In the Top 50 in the Section, MN 6AA (Junior Class Only): Boys 5K

1 - Jaret Carpenter
8 - Nick Shaleen
14 - Andrew Millan
18 - Kyle Brandt
19 - Wes Heal
24 - Jacob Smith
35 - Calvin Cahill
48 - Zachary Garvis

In the Top 50 in the Section, MN 6AA (Sophmore Class Only): Boys 5K

5 - Paul Weiler
6 - Josh Halverson
9 - Nick Kerbeshian
12 - Gemechu Meskele
13 - Jeremy Gilbertson
20 - Tyler Carlstrom
22 - Daniel Urke
24 - Jack Olson
26 - Jesse Kulberg
33 - Andrew Stanek
34 - Liban Jama
46 - Alexander White
49 - Gunner O'Reilly

In the Top 50 in the Section, MN 6AA (Freshmen Class Only): Boys 5K

3 - Anders Sonnesyn
4 - Graham Maas
6 - Khalid Hussein
9 - Blake Buysse
19 - Jacob Rohrer
20 - Grant Matthews
25 - Ben Bastin
27 - Frank Fetrow
28 - Luc Golin
31 - Andy McKenzie
36 - Sam Smith
37 - Markus Braun
48 - Alex Pierce

Next Maas Honor Roll, sometime late October.

It Takes a Community to Train a Modern Pentathlete

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 09:43:00 -0500

After taking the silver medal at the 2013 US ModernPentathlon National championships, Graham Maas returned home and immediately made a vow to return in 2014 and bring back gold. In this age of limited attention spans, one year is a long time for a boy of fourteen to stick to a plan.

For those unfamiliar with Modern Pentathlon, the sport includes fencing, swimming, running and shooting. Athletes younger than nineteen do not compete in equestrian events, the fifth pentathlon element, for liability reasons. If you think getting your child to soccer practice each week is tough, try scheduling practice for four events on a daily basis.

The first step in Graham’s plan was to become an even faster runner. Fortunately, he runs for the Wayzata cross country team. In his final middle school season, Graham went from being a middle of the pack runner to one of the top five runners on the team. Graham singled out the coaching of Chad Bartels and Kraig Lungstrom who worked with him to become better at pacing and using proper form. All of which paid off in spades.

Graham finishing up a cross country race for Wayzata in 2013

Graham swims year-round with the Life Time Bears swim team. It’s not every swimmer that gets to swim with the US Paralympic national coach, but again fortune shined on Graham when the swim team named Tom Franke as its head coach. Franke, was recently tabbed the Paralympic National Coach of theYear. Franke helped Team USA to an astonishing 41 medals at the 2012 London Paralympics as co-head coach of the U.S. squad.

Graham & swim coach, Tom Franke

Franke also individually coached Team USA's three captains: Anna Eames (silver), Cortney Jordan (three silvers, one bronze) and Justin Zook (gold and a world record). Zook has been a key motivator for Graham, providing all the depth and knowledge required to become an Olympian.

Before swimming at the Olympic Training Center Aquatic Center, Graham always pays a visit to the photo of Justin Zook, one of his swim coaches back in Minnesota

In the three months following cross country season, Franke had lowered Graham’s 200 freestyle time by twelve seconds. Graham also credits Franke with something else: firing the inner Olympic spirit in him and more importantly, being a gracious and humble competitor.

In late winter, Graham was struggling with his fencing. He was losing more than ever before. He was having performance meltdowns on the fencing strip. It simply was not working for him. The stars aligned again when Minnesota Sword Club director Rich Jacobson introduced Graham to Jim Johnson, the competitive instructor at the club. Johnson and Graham immediately clicked. As Graham stated, “Prior to Coach Johnson, I was just told to ‘do this’ or ‘do that’ but no one ever connected the dots for me so I never knew why I was doing something with my footwork or with the blade. Coach Johnson explained to me the why, and it all became so clear. I guess I’m sort of cerebral and I just needed to see the end game.” Graham became a much more confident fencer and it started to show in tournaments. Progress was being made.

Graham & Minnesota Sword Club competitive epee instructor, Jim Johnson

It was also time for Graham to start training for track. The weather outside was cold, but Graham was invited to train inside the dome at Central Middle School each Friday afternoon where 400 interval training was going on. Graham would finish up his running session and head straight over to the pool to get in a two hour workout. The days were getting long for him now, and would not ease up until late June. He stayed dedicated.

2014 Track Training - Central MS Dome from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

On March 29 at the start of spring break, Graham traveled to San Antonio, Texas, to compete in the Paul Pesthy Memorial Pentathlon, which served as the Texas Regional Championships. Maas fenced at the newly built and fully dedicated fencing building on the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word.

2014 Paul Pesthy Memorial Pentathlon from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

The day before, Graham received a private fencing lesson from John Moreau who was a member of 1984 and 1988 US Olympic Fencing Team. During competition Graham fenced well enough to take him to the title of overall male winner for the regional event, his first overall pentathlon win.

Graham and John Moreau fence together in San Antonio

The very next week Graham was competing in a much colder spot, Mendota Heights. Snow was still on the ground as Graham competed in the Great Prairie Pentathlon, the regional event for the Midwest. Instead of aging up and competing with the older boys, he stayed within his natural age group to compete and start to get ready for Nationals. His combined run-shoot time had the timers simply shaking their heads. How could someone run that fast and yet shoot so accurately? Confidence was growing.

Graham completes the Minnesota regional Pentathlon

2014 Great Prairie Pentathlon from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

Track season arrived and again Graham found himself working with Kraig Lungstrom. There was a barrier to breakthrough and Graham was hell-bent on achieving it: A sub-five minute 1600. Lungstrom again coached Graham to proper pacing and calculated workouts. Graham finished the season with that sub-five minute 1600. On three separate occasions. But even more impressive was running the 3200 in 10:40, the second fastest by an 8^th grader in Wayzata high school history. That was important because in the run-shoot combined of pentathlon, Graham would be called upon to run 4x800 meter circuits with precision shooting in between each 800. Graham now had the confidence to run faster and shoot well.

April 28th Intervals with Kraig from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

Graham has always been a strong shooter and many consider that aspect to be his best pentathlon element. But that doesn’t mean advice is not needed. On April 26, Graham competed in the New Mexico Modern Pentathlon regional held in Roswell, New Mexico. The day before the competition, he worked on shooting with New Mexico Military Institute head coach Jan Olesiński. Olesiński’s credentials include competing in the 1980 Olympic Games.

Graham and Jan Olesiński

The next day at the competition Graham, the youngest competitor by far, finished second in the field. He simply blew everyone away during the shooting phase.

2014 New Mexico Modern Pentathlon from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

It was now time for final tune-up stages for Nationals. School was finally out. Graham was working out three, sometimes four, times per day. He refused all sweets. He only drank milk. He didn’t even want soda in the house. His personal pentathlon coach, Todd McIntyre, started to prepare Graham mentally for Nationals. Now that Graham had participated in three regionals in 2014, he knew nearly all his competitors. McIntyre would play the part of one of the competitors at fencing practice and Graham would have to quickly adjust his focus and movements for that person. It was a crucial last step. Fencing is the first event up during a day-long pentathlon event. And Graham would need a fast start.

On July 5^th at 8 AM at the fencing building on the campus of the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, the boy’s National event began. Each competitor faced 42 grueling one touch fencing bouts. Graham immediately started off with a win. After ten bouts he was 8-2. After twenty bouts he was 14-6. He finished with five straight victories for total of 27 wins and just 15 defeats for a win percentage of 64%, a personal record. And he not only led the Youth C (13-14 year old) category, he was tied for fourth overall out of twenty-two athletes.

At 11 AM, Graham swam a personal best in the swim which was all the more impressive because it was at altitude as Colorado Springs sits at 6500 feet elevation. He still led Youth C and was still sitting in fourth place, this time all by himself.

At 1 PM, the combined event started. Graham ran and shot a personal best yet again and earned his first national championship. Graham performed so well that he was the top scorer from all groups and winner of Youth C with 1,091 points. Reigning National Youth A and Junior champion Brendan Anderson won Youth A with 1,068 points, Seamus Millett won Youth B with 1,068 points and Alexander Yue won Youth E with 897 points. The full results of the Youth Boys US National Championship can be viewed by clicking here.

2014 US Modern Pentathlon Nationals - Graham Highlights from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

While Graham said his coaches were the key to the victory, his friends and fellow competitors also had a key role. Floridian Michael Hoffmann, arguably the best youth male pentathlete fencer in the country, did not hesitate to provide Graham with advice. Neither did Hoffmann’s coach, Egyptian pentathlete Omar El Geziry, one the top male pentathletes in the world. Up-and-coming pentathletes such as Colorado’s Seamus Millett and California’s Noah Rescate provided not only fantastic and stressful competition, but valued and long-lasting friendship. The USA Modern Pentathlon youth team will be a force to be reckoned on the international stage with in the coming years. I'm not sure the youth deep has ever been so deep in talent.

Graham’s next goals? Another successful cross country season, this time under the tutelage of Bill Miles, the long-tenured coach of the 2013 Minnesota State champion Wayzata harriers. Then try out for, and make, the 2013 Minnesota State champion Wayzata swim team.

Longer term, Graham has his eye on Buenos Aires in 2015 and Dublin in 2016 where the Youth World Modern Pentathlon championships will be held. It will take a lot of work to get there. All of which Graham has shown he is willing to do.

Response to "An Open Letter to The Administrators at Wayzata High School"

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sun, 8 Jun 2014 09:34:00 -0500

"My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy

There is one item floating around Facebook this week, to which I need to respond. Openly, candidly, and without reservation.

I’m referring to the blog article: An Open Letter to The Administrators at Wayzata High School. The opinion article is a heartfelt message, written shortly after yet another tragic death at Wayzata High School this week. And this death hit very close to our home.

Robert Pettis (most knew him as Bobby Moore) was a valued and respected member of my son’s swim team. Bobby had a wonderful smile. When we were remembering Bobby this week, that’s the first thing that came out of people’s mouths. “What a wonderful smile Bobby had.”

I recall a swim meet when Bobby forgot his swim cap. My son immediately gave Bobby his. Because that’s what Bobby would have done for you. The swim team has continued to come to grips with this tragedy this week. With the great mentoring and support of the coaches, parents, and athletes themselves, they have begun to heal.

However, this open letter wishes to find blame for the too-early deaths of Bobby and others. It asks the WHS school administration, “What are YOU going to do about it?”

Finding someone to blame (and then blaming them) may give us a substitute sensation for having solved a problem when we haven't really understood cause and effect at all. Sure, anger and self-righteousness are exciting feelings, but we mustn't become so hooked on the excitement of the moment that we stop being able to see more subtle shades of cause and effect. Blaming others is a neat little way of letting ourselves off the hook.

The opinion article also seems to point fingers at the aggressive nature of the athletic program at WHS. The author postulates that there is too much emphasis placed on success and little to no emphasis on the importance of the individual.

For me, that is where the line was crossed. I’m familiar with the athletic program in the Wayzata school district. The coaches stop at nothing to ensure that each student athlete is made to understand they are important to the program. No matter how fast or slow, how weak or strong, how talented or not. Each. Athlete. Has. Value.

I had the great fortune of being a parent volunteer for one of the middle school sports programs this past school year. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The value of each and every athlete on the team was underscored on the second day of practice.

There were over one hundred athletes spanning the three Wayzata middle schools. The head coach, a middle school teacher, went to each and every athlete, pointed and said his name. Then he said, “You are important to this team.” So many new faces, and yet every name was 100% accurate. And every athlete left that day knowing he was important to the program and to the head coach.

Bobby’s passing was tragic. Many tears flowed this week after it was announced. He will be truly missed. But it was not the fault of one person or one group. Of course, sometimes an organization or individual really can be woefully, even fatally, negligent; in that case, just blame is right and proper. Terrible life-threatening mistakes are made sometimes. But on a day-to-day level, I think it's more true that passing the buck is now a cultural pastime.

If everything is someone else's fault, then what part do I play in my own life? Are my actions entirely without consequence? Am I that powerless? Or do all my actions only lead to good outcomes?

My sincere and heartfelt message to the young people who stumble across this blog entry: Life is full of people who take emotional shortcuts and blame others unfairly or aggressively; for the sake of the human race, don't be one of them.

It is a big problem when finding blame becomes more important than finding ways to put things right. We need to develop the capacity to be objective enough about ourselves to avoid assuming that we could never possibly create problems on our own.

I do not want one more teen suicide at WHS. Not ever. So how do we prevent them?

We start, not by asking others what THEY are going to do about it. We start by asking ourselves what WE can do about it. Don’t play the blame game; step up to help.

“…ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

Team Of Steel Wins Nike Cross Country Nationals

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 23:52:00 -0600

Wayzata high school has been on a roll, as of late. Both the boys & girls cross country teams won at the Minnesota State Meet. The girls swim team followed that with their first ever state championship. But the best was yet to come.

I had been predicting a national championship for the girls cross country team as far back as October 23 when I witnessed absolute and utter domination, the likes I'd never seen in my five decades of running. And I've been on dominating teams myself. I was a 16:30 5K runner who never once cracked the varsity squad. We were simply too deep. We had more kids running in the cross country program than went out for the football team. Our top runner later went on to become the N.A.I.A National Champion in the men's 3000 meter steeplechase in college. We were damn good.

Let's return to the 2013 Minnesota 6AA girls cross country sectionals. As good as I've seen, and as good as I've been around......I'd never seen this before. Take a gander:

1. Wayzata

1 Anna French, 11 14:08.4

2 Annika lerdall, 9 14:33.8

3 Annika HalvErson, 12 14:34.3

5 Alayna Sonnesyn, 12 14:40.3

7 Mary Franke, 12 14:41.9

8 Michaela Keller-Miller, 10 14:43.8

9 McKenna Evans, 12 14:46.7

That's OK, rub your eyes if you must. The text is correct. All seven runners finished in the top nine. A 6.5 second spread between the #2 and #5 runner. An even more mind boggling 12.9 seconds between #2 and #7. This is the race that garnered national attention. This is the race that spoke volumes and gave the national pundits pause. Don't tell me this team wasn't hand-picked by the heavenly cherubs of God's very own orchard.

When it came time for the NXN Nike National web cast, I was glued to the screen. My heart was oscillating like a filament in a 100-watt bulb. The pre-race talk neglected to talk about Wayzata at all. They were ignorant.

Meanwhile the girls were warming up, gold glitter on their cheeks and gold pixie dust exploding from their feet. The cannon signaled the start....and the race for the team title was decided between the 4K and 5K marks.

The girls won, as I knew they would. Yet, the announcers didn't believe. It was as if they refused to crown them champion. Their comments of denial were all over the place like a deranged women's fried breakfast. I was flabbergasted. It was not until the standings were posted, that they proclaimed Wayzata national champions.

This group of girls from Wayzata had brought to Portland a box of oils and an easel and painted a picture of near perfection that would make Satan weep. And weep I did. Out of sheer admiration for the girls. And for my beaming pride for my Running Daughter, Mary Franke.

But I wanted to get a personal perspective from someone who was actually at the race. And I found a person, who witnessed what is being called the fifth best women's high school cross country team of ALL-TIME.

The following is that person's hand written account. These eloquent words are not mine. And to protect this person, we're just going to call the writer "Clark Kent", because this was the Team of Steel, after all.

Date – December 7, 2013

Column that appeared in the “Daily Planet” as reported by Clark Kent

It was a cold and windy day at the Portland Meadows Race Track. The meager sun was shining, and the snow-covered Mt Hood to the east gave a sense that the cold would continue throughout the morning. The collapsed peak of Mt St Helens to the north gave pause to onlookers that today might yield a possible volcanic outburst that would shake the cross country world. Seven-time Fayetteville-Manlius was in town to continue their dominance of the Nike Cross Nationals. If the horse track could have been filled with betting enthusiasts, most surely would have laid their money on the FM team. Most, but not all. One statistician had run a series of mathematical algorithms that predicted a relatively unknown team from the Heartland Regional might have the best chance to break the streak of Fayetteville-Manlius. A team from a state known for hockey as well as eternal frustration in professional sports had emerged over the fall 2013 cross country season. The Wayzata High School girls team arrived in Portland on Thursday with an impressive resume: Undefeated season. Winners of the Roy Griak Invitational with a record low team score and all seven runners in the top 25. Wayzata went on to win the Lake Conference Meet with a staggering low total of 17 points. These same girls then scored 18 points to win the Section 6 title and qualify for the Minnesota State Meet. At that meet, the girls ran a phenomenal team race, finishing in a pack that averaged 14:34 and a 6.6 second spread from 1^st to 7^th runners. Additionally, all seven girls were ALL STATE. One week later, emotionally tired from state and down their top runner, the Wayzata girls went to Sioux Falls and the Heartland Regional. The girls won both divisions of the competition and qualified for Nike Cross Nationals. In anticipation of this national meet, they were asked to create a team photo. They decided upon a “Superman” theme, calling themselves “The Team of Steel.” While some thought the photo a bit audacious, the girls were simply having fun.

Once the team arrived in Portland, they spent time mentally preparing for the race the same way they had all season. They shared fun together, laughed in the moment, and tried to remain positive. On race day, the girls tied their hair into ponytails (fitting for the Portland Meadows Race Track), added ribbons to their ponies, and streaked their cheeks with gold glitter. Cold on the outside, they were warmed by fleece blankets and a sense that this was their opportunity to achieve a truly historical goal. These girls were bonded by a friendship and focused by a common goal that was both individual and team oriented. If each member of the team ran their best, found Manlius runners on the course and tried to pass them, they might have a shot at immortality.

The cannon shot announced the race, and off they went. Anna French literally took off and chased the top runners.

Anna French prepares the lethal injection to dethrone the reigning team champion

Team mates Annika Lerdall and Mary Franke went wide to avoid the crowd, and perhaps enjoy a better view of Mt Hood to the east.

Lerdall and Franke take a ride on French's Superwoman cape

The race looked great for Manlius, who doubled up on the next fastest team at the 1K race mark. Wayzata was not even in the top five. After 2K, Wayzata had made a move and were in contention … in second place, but Manlius had half the points of Wayzata. Undaunted and not having any idea where they were in the competition, the girls raced on.

Michaela Keller-Miller broke from the pack and set her sights on Mary and Annika up ahead. Through the wind and the cold, the Wayzata runners ran with a purpose, each pushing herself to do her best for the team. One in the front, two and then one more in the middle, the Wayzata girls kept racing.

Keller-Miller ran with such ferocity in the second half, it could have powered a nuclear experiment

But this race, like all of the other races during the season was not only about a lead runner, but about “the pack.” Every race, some of these girls had run in a pack, and while the names changed from race to race, the “Wayzata Wall” was always present. Sometimes the pack was three, four, five, six, and even seven.

The Wayzata Wall charged the atmosphere vibrating like the strings of a heavenly harp

Today, the pack was made of three seniors: Annika Halvorsen, McKenna Evans, and Alayna Sonnesyn. They were the pack. They were the “Wayzata Wall.” They were the ones determined to find and pass anyone wearing bright green … the color of the Manlius singlets. At the 4K mark, Wayzata was still in second place and closing in, but the announcers were convinced that this race belonged to Manlius. “They always close well and finish strong,” stated one race analyst on the live webcam feed to anxious followers across the US.

Anna French was the first to cross the finish line, eighth overall, and easily qualifying for All American honors. She was the catalyst this day. She had set the tone. Forty-five seconds later, Annika Lerdall crossed the line. Not far behind was Mary Franke. Michaela Keller-Miller could see Mary just ahead and was yelling, “Go Mary!” Michaela crossed the finish line … three Manlius runners already across the stripe, but four from Wayzata. Once again, this race was decided by the pack. Unknown to the announcers who were either distracted or else too sure of their 4K prediction, they announced that all five Manlius runners had crossed the line. Too bad they never noticed that the pack of Alayna, McKenna, and Annika had already crossed that line, passing two Manlius runners in the final 1000 meters. All seven Wayzata runners had finished ahead of the 4^th Manlius runner.

Exhausted but joyous with their great race as a team, the Wayzata girls huddled, hugged, and congratulated each other. They had come to Portland to race … to give it their best … and they had done exactly that. A lone cameraman and reporter talked to the girls. Michaela shared that they were thrilled to be second, echoing the sentiment of the race announcers. They had done their best and they were proud.

With the expectant camera crew surrounding the anxious Manlius runners, and with the announcers praising their dynasty, screams broke out at an unexpected location. “There seems to be some screaming over there. I do not know what team is there,” mentioned the commentator. But the parents and coaches who had shared such a glorious journey were standing with the Wayzata girls … and it was those girls who were now screaming. The scoreboard showed … 1 WAYZATA.

Unspeakable joy rushed upon the girls in such a hurry that none could contain what they felt and experienced inside. Tears flowed freely down the gold-glittered cheeks. Coaches hurried in to hug the girls and share the moment. Parents and siblings cheered wildly alongside. Still, the announcers were not convinced that the scoreboard was correct. “These preliminary results have been known to change,” one commented. “I will not be sure until Tony makes the word official,” stated another.

But the results didn’t change. The scores were official. Wayzata 108 … Manlius 120. Kara Goucher, a former Duluth East standout and two-time Olympian was especially thrilled to see girls from her home state of Minnesota take home the most coveted prize in cross country running.

With fellow Minnesotan, Kara Goucher, now confirming Wayzata as national champions, the announcers went missing like the children in the Blair Witch Project

Shortly afterward, the top three teams received their trophies. Davis from Utah had finished strongly to claim third, Manlius had finished in second, and the Wayzata runners were victors on this suddenly bright, sunny, and windless day. To the girls, it felt like it was 80F outside. Their bright smiles, their giddy and delirious spirits, and their genuine appreciation of this moment were infectious. They were humble in their hearts. They answered all of the questions asked of them with dignity, humility, honesty, and unabashed happiness. Running fans across the country embraced this team and enjoyed the moment with them.

The Wayzata team danced across the turf like a cat-burglar upon heavenly clouds. They snuck in, pick-locked the back door and stole the gold

Long after the race was over; after the awards banquet was completed; after Anna French had received her All-American and Top 10 award; after Alayna Sonnesyn had received her “Anchor Award” for being the first 5^th place runner to cross the line; after the Wayzata girls had received a standing ovation initiated by the Wayzata boys; after the Wayzata girls danced the night away with the Wayzata boys; after East Ridge girls and Edina boys had shared their congratulations; after the thankful and emotionally weary Wayzata girls had gone to bed, this reporter reflected on what had happened this day.

For nine years, teams from 49 states not named New York have tried to take the top spot at Nike Cross Nationals. For seven years, teams not named Manlius had tried to take the top spot at Nike Cross Nationals. This means that over the past seven years, and including this year, 168 teams have tried to win this event and end the dynasty of Fayetteville-Manlius. But on this glorious day, on this seemingly miraculous day, seven girls in pony tails, ribbons, and gold glitter had done what 167 other teams could not do. It was not a miracle that these girls won, they simply decided to do it. A junior had finished first among these seven, followed by a freshman, then a senior, and then a sophomore. All of the four high school grades were represented equally. But it was the pack, the “Wayzata Wall” of three more seniors who had crossed the line unnoticed by the media who had made the difference. This was a victory that belonged to the team because each runner had made a difference, and when the point spread between first and second is only 12, every point earned by a runner who moved up when others in the race faltered proved the difference. And in the eyes of this mild-mannered reporter from the Daily Planet, these seven girls had run with iron will; they had persevered through personal struggles of failure and disappointment; they were bonded by friendship for each other and a love of running; and they forged that iron will into the strongest of metals. With steely eyes fixed on the prize, they had torn off their jackets, ripped off their glasses, and revealed to everyone that they are “THE TEAM OF STEEL.”

Clark Kent reporting for the Daily Planet, December 7, 2013.

2013 Wayzata Nike National Teaser from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

Introducing "The Mary"

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 16:53:00 -0600

You've heard of the Mobot?

The Mo-bot, as performed by Mo Farah and his training partner Galen Rupp after they won gold and silver respectively in the 10,000m. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

When Mo Farah and then Usain Bolt performed it before tens of thousands of cheering fans, the so-called Mobot became the object of worldwide speculation. What was this gesture, asked armchair critics, that provoked such delight? A symbol of Olympian greatness? A gesture of self-declared genius?

The perhaps disappointingly mundane answer, however, lies in a television program. During an episode of Sky1's A League of Their Own, Farah was told by host James Corden that he needed a move with which he could celebrate Olympic victory. And it was the BBC TV presenter Clare Balding - who would herself go on to become one of the more unlikely stars of London 2012 - who came up with the by-now famous hand-to-head gesture. "I think you should do the 'M' from YMCA, the M for Mo," she said, performing the move to illustrate her point.

Mo Farah and Usain Bolt swap gestures as they celebrate winning gold in the 5,000m and 4x100m relay. Photograph: Christophe Karaba/EPA

Farah, smiling, said he liked the idea. "I'll definitely do it. I'll give it a go," he said, trying out the move with Corden in a mock race finish. The Gavin and Stacey star then put the finishing touches to the invention, exclaiming: "I've just named it. It's only called the Mobot! He's going to do the Mobot!"

Now that I've explained that, let's discuss the celebration that ensued once the Wayzata girls cross country team learned it had become the 2013 NXN Nike National champions. The girls had finished the race, and were all thinking they had come in second place. But that was all changed once it was learned that Wayzata put all seven of its runners ahead of runner-up Fayetteville-Manlius' fourth.

Wayzata scored 108 points and seven-time champ F-M scored 120. Davis (157), Carmel (182), Monarch (211), Fort Collins (212) and Unionville (214) finished in the top seven. The girls celebrated with a mixture of joy and disbelief. The poster child for this was senior Mary Franke.

Mary Franke caught in a moment of sheer joy. Photograph: Kraig Lungstrom

Hands over her face, heels clutched tightly against her bottom.....once can feel the raw emotion felt by the team, coaches, and family.

And The Mary is born. Send me your own The Mary photo and I'll post it to this blog entry. You can also Instagram it to @briankeithmaas. Or Twitter to me using #TheMary.

Lets get it started. Here is one such The Mary.

Graham Maas of Plymouth MN

Race Result: 2013 Trees and Trails 5K

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 13:13:00 -0500

Event: Trees and Trails 5K
Date: Saturday, September 21, 2013
Location: Wildwood Park, Mahtomedi MN
Hotel: Home, sweet home
Weather: 50F, wind at 4 MPH from the W
Official Results: Overall Text Summary
Previous Results: First time at this event

Personal Results

Goal: Sub 19:50
Official Result: 20:14 (6:31 per mile pace)
Overall: 1st (72 total); 1st in 50-59 AG (12 total)

Garmin

Direct Garmin Summary Link

Splits

Elevation and HR

Summary

This was a little race put on by FrontRunner that I had signed up for over New Year's during which time FrontRunner had their races at a special 1/2 price cost. Which is really nice from a cost perspective, but hard to plan for if you find yourself injured, sick, etc., since some of the races would be 7-11 months out.

The first part of the race took place on a paved bike/walking trail. I jumped out to a quick pace and found myself leading. The course went slightly uphill for about 3/4's of a mile at which point there was a Y in the path. I spied white arrows indicating I should turn right and started to, but the runner behind me indicated that was wrong so we went left. Then others behind us started yelling that was wrong.

That meant about five people had passed me and had opened up about a 40-yard lead. I had to bear down for a bit to regain contact with the leaders and then surged to try and open up a bit of a gap.

Later on, I again had the dilemma of which way to turn and initially turned wrong, but quickly corrected myself. In the end, it meant I ran a bit longer and my time/pace reflects that.

We hit actual dirt trail with about a mile to go which provided rolling hills. I have been suffering from a sinus infection and my breathing was turning bad, and I felt I was going to hurl given all the nasal mucous which seemed to suddenly fill up my stomach. A couple of quick peeks over the shoulder showed I had about 40 to 50 yards on second position. So I couldn't give up. But the last mile was sufferable, given my poor fitness and health.

In the end, I was able to hold on for the overall victory. Bit of a laughable winning time for a 5K. However, I was pleased with my pacing for the first two miles, with the second mile split actually being faster than the opening mile.

Next Race

October 19 - Run For the Apples 5-Miler, White Bear Lake MN. Will be at the Olympic Training Center with Podium Boy
October 26 - Trick or Treat 5K, Fargo ND

On Deck

November 16 - Turkey Trot 5 Mile, Fargo ND

Loving the Luce Line

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 15:40:00 -0500

This past Friday (9/13/13), I used the Go Pro head strap setup while training on the Luce Line with the middle schoolers. The best part of cross country ARE the workouts. The U of M college boys were out there cranking repeats that afternoon as well. We let them them know we were in a recovery day and that usually we train at 4:34 pace. I think they bought it. ;)

Have a look at the video as I used some various editing features that brought in some interesting features.

Loving the Luce Line from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

Race Result: 2013 Park Tool Duathlon

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 18:07:00 -0500

Event: 2013 Park Tool Duathlon
Date: Saturday, September 14, 2013
Location: Lake Elmo Park Reserve
Hotel: Home, sweet home
Weather: 61F, wind from S at 6-10 MPH
Official Results: Overall 2013 Text Results
Previous Personal Results: First time at this event

Personal Results

Goal: Top 3 in AG
Actual: 1st
Overall: 10th (104 total); 1st in 50-54 AG (6 total)

Garmin

I used the 910XT, having successfully figured out the Multisport mode. It's neat, but there are two things I don't like about it.

One, the display will give you time and distance only. I can't seem to figure out how to setup custom data fields under the Multisport mode. If anyone has figured this out, please let me know. I don't really care about the total distance traveled. What I want to know is what is my average pace for each run and what is my average speed for the bike.

Two, when you upload the data it goes into Garmin connect as five separate summaries. Run 1, transition 1, bike, transition 2, and run 2. I'd like something in one summary.

Run One Link

Run 1 Elevation and HR

Run 1 Map

Bike Link

Bike elevation and HR

Bike map

Run Two Link

Run 2 Elevation and HR

Run 2 Map

Race Summary

It has been a very low key multisport year for me. I'm giving most of my time to Podium Boy as he continues his ascent within the Modern Pentathlon world. This takes up a ton of time, energy, and money. In fact, I did not do a single triathlon this year. Just a rash of duathlons.

I'm now volunteer coaching the Wayzata middle school cross country team. So I'm likely to just park the bike and focus on running for the remainder of 2013.

Note - All times & distance below are per my Garmin

Run One (3 miles)
Goal: sub 6:30 pace
Time: 19:03 (6:20 per mile pace)

This was a nice run course mainly on the paved trails of Lake Elmo park. I went off in Wave 3 (males 40 and over) and led the pack for the first 1/4 mile before some young 40-yo's took over.

I was very pleased with the outcome as I seem to be getting back into run shape. The first mile was just under 6-flat and I seemed to be able to hold my pace longer than previous races this year. Next step is to get that avg pace closer to 6:15 for a 5K, and I'd be very happy.

Transition One
Goal: 1:10
Time: 0:43

Light numbers meant easy in/out transition.

Bike (14 miles; Garmin said 13.36)
Goal: 20.7 mph avg
Time: 37:57 (21.1 MPH Avg)

Wow, this course has a few major hills in the front half. Plus we were riding into a good headwind. So about midway through I was averaging only in the 19 MPH range. Once the wind was behind us, I was able to crank it up a notch.

No major muscle cramps to report other than a slight cramp in my left foot.

Transition Two
Goal: 1:10
Time: 0:51

No issues.

Run Two (2.5 miles)
Goal: sub 6:50 pace
Time: 16:31 (6:39 per mile pace)

The left calf wanted to cramp up right after transition but it loosened up very quickly and I just kept a good pace. I was in no-mans-land with no one ahead and no one behind to push me. So I was happy here as well. Running intervals with the middle school cross country team has certainly benefited my current run fitness.

Next Race

September 21 - Trees and Trails 5K

On Deck

October 19 - Run For the Apples 5-Miler, White Bear Lake MN
October 26 - Trick or Treat 5K, Fargo ND

Race Result: 2013 Minneapolis Duathlon

briankeithmaas@msn.com (Brian Maas) — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 08:50:00 -0500

Event: Minneapolis Duathlon
Date: Sunday, August 25, 2013
Location: MPLS MN
Hotel: Home, sweet home
Weather: 81F, winds at 16-17 MPH from SSW, heat index of 84 (humidity at 70%)
Official Results: Overall 2013 Text Results
Previous Personal Results: 2009 (35th out of 814; 1st in 45-49 AG out of 44)

Personal Results

Goal: Top 3 in AG
Actual:1st
Overall: 27th (572 total); 1st in 50-54 AG (31 total)

Garmin

I used the 910XT in a race for the first time. I attempted to use the multi-sport mode, but it ended up taking mile splits....which screwed up the separate event times. I'll have to read deeper into the manual to try and figure this out.

Direct Garmin Summary Link

Elevation and HR

First 5K splits

Second 5K Splits

Race Summary

I did this race just to get in a speed workout as I've only been seriously training the last few weeks ever since resigning from my job. My bike is still really slow, as shown in this race. Back in 2009 I averaged 22 MPH. Only was able to muster 20.5 on the same course this time around.

As in 2009, the race was chock full of newbies. There were hybrid bikes, mountain bikes, and even some single speed bikes. So I had made sure to sign-up in the elite wave so that I could start in Wave 1 and avoid the maddening bike traffic jams that would ensue by starting in a later wave.

This also had the added benefit of being ahead of the heat. As the race was called due to heat shortly after I finished. I had never heard of a 'wet bulb' temperature, but glad they were monitoring it. Speaks volumes for what I raced in and why times were slow. I felt worse on the 1st run than the second, actually.

"The wet bulb temperature at the finish line of the Minneapolis Duathlon reached 84 degrees. It is the policy of the Medical Director to call the run when the wet bulb temperature exceeds 79 degrees. For runner safety, the start of the second run was just halted. Duathletes will now receive their finisher medals at the end of the bike. Although this decision was difficult to make, it was made for the safety of the racers."

All-in-all, I was happy to have gotten in a good workout.

I really question some of the results. I listed myself as 27th, as there is no way that the person listed ahead of me could have a slower first run by 10-mins, a slower bike by 4-mins, yet still end up ahead of me in final time. That essentially means he ran his last 5K in 10-mins. Not. Humanely. Possible.

Run One (3.1 miles; Garmin said 3.03)
Goal: sub 6:30 pace
Time: 21:12 (6:50 per mile pace)

The course was long. My actual pace was much faster (see Garmin summary). By mile 2, I was already feeling the heat. Well, the humidity. Just was not able to sweat fast enough in order to cool. I was glad I had remembered the water bottle for the bike. Otherwise, I would have been screwed.

Transition One
Goal: 1:10
Time: 1:40

Sort of a long stretch from the timing mat to the bike corral, so I'm not worried about being over my goal.

Bike (15.9 miles)
Goal: 20.5 mph avg
Time: 46:29 (20.4 MPH Avg)

The bike was OK. What was most pleasing is that I did not cramp up in the calves. I was worried about this since I had not raced since May, and figured I'd be dehydrated enough to experience some cramps. But , I lucked out.

Transition Two
Goal: 1:10
Time: 2:23

Even longer than the first transition. Not sure I've ever run that far in my bike cleats. I was tempted to just stop running and take them off, but kept on trucking.

Run Two (3.1 miles; Garmin said 3.03)
Goal: sub 6:50 pace
Time: 21:42 (7:02 per mile pace)

The right hamstring was very tight and ready to cramp up as I began the run. By mile 1, I was able to open up a bit more. But I stayed within my limits as the heat was really starting up.

Next Race

September 14 - Park Tool "Fall Classic" Duathlon

On Deck

September 21 - Trees and Trails 5K