Nordic Ski Foundation
City of Lakes Loppet
Tri-Loppet
Trail-Loppet
Hoigaard's Challenge
Junior Olympics 2011
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2009 Tri-Loppet a thunderous success despite the wet weatherAlmost 600 racers, including 45 teams and several Anderson and Anwatin Middle School TRI team members, competed Saturday in the 4th annual City of Lakes Tri-Loppet. Rain greeted the competitors as they arrived at Lake Calhoun, but backed off as the day progressed to make for a terrific day of racing.There was vigorous competition in the various race categories – with locals Zach Handler and Kim Rudd posting the fastest individual times and winning the Wilderness Inquiry grand prize trips. In the team competition, “When Pigs Fly” was the fastest family team, winning a trip to Maplelag Resort! Doubles On the women’s side, Kim Rudd of Plymouth, Minnesota repeated as champion with a time of 1:40:15. Rudd needed a strong bike leg to pull away from elite runner Elaine Nelson (formerly Eggleston) of Duluth, who finished second thanks to her dominant run. After the race Rudd cited the new single track in the bike section as a major advantage to her because of its technical nature. “I’m pretty good in the single track relative to some of the other women, so the rain and the little bit tougher riding was good for me,” commented Rudd after the race. One particular highlight of the Doubles race was Anwatin Middle School’s TRI team member Kieran Schwartz’s 91st place finish, including the 35th best canoe time. All the TRI team members had a great day and, as one Anderson TRI member said, “The boating and the running were the best parts, but the biking was a little tough in the mud.” Despite the muddy conditions all team members felt prepared and excited because of their biweekly practices with Coach Caitlin Compton. Each week the kids met to practice either canoeing - with Hoigaard's providing the boats; mountain biking - thanks to the Trips for Kids program – sponsored by Penn Cycle and Quality Bike Products; or an alternate running intensive activity. Solo In the women’s Solo category, Danielle Pellicano of Minneapolis used the run leg to pull ahead of 2nd place finisher, Aino Salimaki, also of Minneapolis, and take the title. Pellicano finished in a time of 1:56:47. Last years winner, Kelly Rogers of Esko, MN finished third with a time of 2:01:04, just 5 seconds out of 2nd place. However, she repeated her paddling dominance winning that leg of the race in a time of 52:02. Family Team Mom and Dad – Kathy and Jim – took their leg seriously – improving their paddling technique with the Minnesota Canoe Association’s Wednesday night clinics. They also mentioned a key equipment change, switching from an aluminum canoe to a lighter boat. The Pigs needed the extra push, as they just edged out Team Anni (Brad and Kelli Skillikorn and their seven-year-old daughter, Anni – who helped on the paddle and then rode a tandem bike with Dad on the bike leg). Team Anni came out of the water with a seven-minute lead over the Pigs, but the Pigs moved up steadily from there, with son Ian posting a 23:04, the fourth fastest run time overall for the day, and son Andrew posting a 29:11 in the bike – also a top-10 finish in that leg. In the end, the Pigs were 1:30 ahead of the Skillikorn team. The final finish order was When Pigs Fly! in 1:46:56, Team Anni in 1:48:30, followed by the Pfeilsters in 2:05:09. True North Adventures Corporate Team Category Men’s Team Women’s Team Mixed Team Postscript
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