On the last point--hanging out--we suggest lunch and drinkies in one of Stillwater's fine eateries or drinkeries or a stop in Marine on St. Croix, which has a totally cool General Store, appropriately named "General Store" and an ice cream shop called Village Scoop.
So, if you haven't SIGNED UP yet, do so at your earliest opportunity or just show up on race morning. Yes, there will be race day registration. If you're fitness is not where you had hoped it would be, we suggest that you do the new sprint course--a 10-mile ride bracketed by 2-mile runs. The original long course is 5K-20-miles-5K.
After the race, hang out with 150-200 of your peers and consume massive quantities of Casa Lupita's major league tacos. Uh-um! That's good eatin'.
Oh yeah, look for Red Wing's fleet-footed Jesse Nelson, who's coming off a fine 2nd place effort at Falls Du, to lead the way for the men. He should get a good push from Wisconsin's Tim Petrie.
The women's favorite? Don't know, but we're pulling for Michelle Mussell of Hugo. Why? She has a seriously powerful name.