(Photos: The run start pic above and the finish shot lower right provided by Steve Stenzel, who looks pretty darn good in a Speedo.)
Records are doomed on days like this. The cool temps and unkind winds that greeted the participants of every outdoor multi staged thus far this season were replaced by perfect conditions. Add to this the fact that many of today's Oakdale Duathlon's 500-plus participants brought hunger and enthusiasm to the start line. Those who also brought elite credentials (both frontrunners and AGers), and there was no shortage of these folks, were going to rock!And they did!
In an effort that certainly rivaled his Performance of the Year at Manitou in 2006, Brooks Grossinger (photo) held off a great men's cast and ultimately lowered both of Neil Miller's course record.
Both? What?
Neil's Oakdale CR was 1:04:56, set in 2007. His fastest time on this course, however, was a 1:04:42, set at the Younglife Du, also in '07.
Pushed and pulled by Falls Du winner Chad Millner and defending champ Kevin O'Connor, both of whom dipped under Miller's OD mark, Brooks crossed in a time of 1:o4:36.
O'Connor's performance was circumstantially amazing, given the state of his health. Looking rather "thin in the skin," Kevin had recently battled illness and the inability to train. When he was overtaken in the later stages of the final run, it was apparent that his recovery was incomplete. Still, he can away with a PR. Heroic.
Kristin Miller's seven-year-old women's best finally went down, and did so in a big way, though not, as expected, by pre-race fave, Marlo McGaver, who had to settle for 3rd today in what would otherwise have been the 2nd fastest time in race history (1:06:08) had not runner-up Shelley Nelson (1:15:39) and last week's Cinco Du Mayo record setter Jenny Wilcox (1:13:50!) had the races of their careers. Wilcox's 2nd win and 2nd CR in an eight-day period was a whopping 1:47 improvement on Miller's former standard.
Jenny and Shelley, like Brooks, Chad and Kevin, were nothing short of brilliant today. And they weren't the only ones. Former OD and Younglife winner Scott Penticoff absolutely obliterated the men's masters record. His clocking on this great 5Kish-14ish miles-5Kish route was 1:06:27. The old mark belonged to Rocket Rod Raymond, a 1:08:43, set in 2007.
* New Age Group Course Records (Does not include "Open Class," i.e. 20-39 divisions):
* 00-19W - Janelle Yonker, 16, White Bear Lake - 1:30:31 (Old CR - Chelsea Willett's 1:45:38 - 2005)
* 00-19M - Kyle Serreyn, 19, Lakeville - 1:12:13 (Old CR - John Heinlein III's 1:12:48 - 2009)
* 40-44M - Scott Penticoff, 40, Woodbury - 1:06:27 (Old CR - Rod Raymond's 1:08:43 - 2007)
* 45-49M - James Kelley, 49, Osceola, WI - 1:09:15 (Old CR - Todd Firebaugh's 1:09:37 - 2009)
* 60-64W - Liz Wahlberg, 61, St. Paul - 1:45:05 (Old CR - Ann Rhea's 1:54:08 - 2009)
* 65-69W - Sandra Dahquist, 69, Rochester - 1:44:01 (Old CR - Betty Meck's 2:09:53 - 2003)
Stay tuned for Photos.
Oakdale Duathlon 2010: RESULTS
