2009 Tri-Loppet a thunderous success despite the wet weather

Almost 600 racers, including 45 teams and several Anderson and Anwatin Middle School TRI team members, competed Saturday in the 4^th 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!
See full results

Doubles
Taking the male Doubles crown this year was Karl Schultz of Lakeville, Minnesota. Schultz bested his 10^th place finish from the 2008 event with a time of 1:33:15. Schultz flew through the run with a blistering 6:51/mile pace (the 5K run was really more like 5.3K and with a very hilly course this was a very fast pace) and took the crown from last year’s champion, Duluth’s David Pipho, in the bike section, where Schultz tore through the newly designed course almost two minutes faster than the nearest Doubles competitor. Pipho came in second at 1:34:11 and was followed by third place finisher David Nelson (1:35:35) – who won the Hoigaard’s Challenge (fastest person in the Loppet, Tri-Loppet and Trail Loppet combined) in 2008.

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 91^st place finish, including the 35^th 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 solo male category local talent Zach Handler bested his closest competition by more than 7 minutes, finishing as both Solo and Overall Champion with a time of 1:32:14. Handler said the course went smooth and even attributed some of his quick paddling to Mother Nature’s raising of the water level this morning.  (Handler paddled in a kayak – which he said he “used to race a little bit.”). Following Handler was Todd Ellison of St. Paul, Minnesota (the only person to best Handler in the paddle) and in third was Dartmouth College student and former Southwest High School skiing star Gordon Vermeer of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Vermeer had the fastest Solo time in both the run and bike sections of the course but could not close the gap after falling behind Ellison and Handler in the paddle.

In the women’s Solo category, Danielle Pellicano of Minneapolis used the run leg to pull ahead of 2^nd 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 2^nd place. However, she repeated her paddling dominance winning that leg of the race in a time of 52:02.

Family Team
Pigs finally flew in the family relay when the returning 3^rd place team from 2008, When Pigs Fly!, the Young/Steinberger family, took the win and the grand prize trip to Maplelag Resort. The Young/Steinbergers thought that their training for this year’s race made the real difference in their move from third to first.

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
The Bergquist Company relay team returned to defend its title and won by nearly twenty minutes over teams from the Canadian Consulate General and Medica. Bergquist Company used team members from last years team, Jonathan Drexten, Greg Steinacker, Tim Shiebie, and added team member Jeremy Hammond to complete their title defense.  For their efforts, the Bergquist Company won a gift certificate for a training session with True North.

Men’s Team
Team Fly Boys (Joe Glaccum and Larry Larson) won the men’s team relay with a time of 1:52:06. Several of the middle school TRI teams also took part in the men’s relay race.

Women’s Team
Team Charlie’s Angels (Kelly Lindberg, Leann Thooft, and Jennifer David) won the women’s relay with a time of 2:11:22. These three women went wire to wire in their division, taking 1^st in each event.

Mixed Team
Team Carson’s Hero’s (Jeff Greenwood, Maddie McAlister, Mike Radant) paddling and biking expertise propelled them to a win after the 2^nd place team, Bee Squared, attempted to bridge the gap opened on the water with a 1^st place running leg.

Postscript
Despite rain overnight and in the early morning, event veterans and new participants were in high spirits as many enjoyed the new, albeit wet, bike course, citing Mother Nature’s own addition of a hefty helping of mud as a fun bonus. Start preparing for the 2010 Tri-Loppet – brats, beer, and another exciting race guaranteed . . . We’re still working on the sunshine…