IN SEARCH OF PERFECTION...

(WARNING: This post contains embellishments.)

Team Minnesota's Devon Palmer is a quiet, private and introspective young man. He exudes levels of intelligence, confidence and maturity that belie his age (23). Though he rarely allows himself to be dragged into contentious debates on the major political, social, environmental and economic issues of our era, there is one quasi-major topic he is willing to openly discuss: Why is it so darn hard to find a good burger these days?

Admit it. You are concerned about this, too. Truly world class burgers are getting harder and harder to find and unless you plan to visit every backwoods tavern in Wisconsin, the chances of finding that perfect bunned and condimented sandwich are slim.

Sure, "decent" burgers are available, like the ones you'll find at Keys (Devon's favorite restaurant) or 5-8 (home of the "Juicy Lucy") and it is not our intent to besmirch such establishments. But Devon seeks pattie perfection; ground beef nirvana; thus his Quixotic quest continues.

If there is anyone out there who believes they have located the perfect hamburger, and are willing to share that information with Devon, please contact us.

We'll pass your information to Mr. Palmer, albeit not before we have taste tested the alleged perfect sandwich and confirmed its indefectibility.

Here's some other stuff you may not know about Devon Palmer:

Occupation: Student and coach

College? Where? Degrees? BS in Kinesiology with a minor in coaching from the U of M where I am Starting an M.Ed. this spring in Sport and Exercise Science.

Favorite food: I don't have a favorite food, rather, food is my favorite.

Favorite books: Running with the Buffaloes, Mountains Beyond Mountains, The Ugly American, Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Its Not About the Bike

Favorite Movies: For A Few Dollars More, Pumping Iron

Favorite actors & actresses: Andy Samberg and Clint Eastwood

Favorite TV shows: Bones, The Closer, Top Gear, and from my friends at Comedy Central: The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and South Park

Favorite Junk Food: A GOOD BURGER!

Favorite Restaurant: Keys Cafe

Favorite Pro Teams: Garmin-Chipotle and Saxo Bank, also a fan of our ocal pro runners on Team USA MN

Favorite College Teams: Gopher swimming and running teams

Heroes? Bill Bowerman

Dream Vacation Destination? Norway

Winter Training? How do you train in the off-season? Swim, bike, and run Netflix will get me through the time on the

trainer.

IN CASE YOU MISSED ANY OF THESE...

Nine of the 10 male members of Team Minnesota '09 have been profiled in our "Going Off-Course" features. St. Paul's Devon Palmer (see photo) has yet to appear in a "GOC" post. But that's about to change, so stay tuned.

Here are links to the previous biopics:

1. DAVID THOMPSON (A man of many unspoken words)

2. KEVIN O'CONNOR (Born in the USA)

3. DEVON PALMER

4. BRIAN BICH (His Father's Son)

5. SAM HAUCK (He's not really into Miley Cyrus, is he?)

6. JONATHAN BALABUCK (Former Ne'er-do-well)

7. MATTHEW PAYNE (He met his wife in a mosh pit)

8. PATRICK PARISH (Young man with an old soul)

9. DENNIS DANE (Bambi killer)

10. DAN COHEN (Don't expect him to share his buffalo wings)

NATIONALS HEAD FOR VERMONT...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon has announced the picturesque city of Burlington, Vt., will host the 2011 and 2012 USAT Age Group, Sprint and Elite National Championships.

The date of the events has not been determined, but organizers expect the events to be held in August in both 2011 and 2012 at a venue near Lake Champlain and Battery Park. READ

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH BIKINI WAXING...

Hey ladies, waxing your skis can be fun! No kidding. It's especially enjoyable if you happen to be eating chocolate and drinking wine in between all the dripping and scraping.

So don't miss the "Women's Only Ski Waxing Clinic" at Gear West Ski in Long Lake on Thursday, January 14 at 6 PM. You'll learn that waxing need not be intimidating. You'll learn why it is important to wax and that it is easy to do. The clinic will be conducted by world class triathlete, nordic skier and chocolate-loving wine drinker, Jan Guenther.

For more information, call 952-473-0377

MAJORING IN TRIATHLON...

On Sunday, February 7 you'll have the opportunity to learn from the best at the 4th annual Gear West University. The faculty includes Professors Thompson, O'Connor, Wood, Swarthout, Cohen and other distinguished tri-pedagogues. The wide-ranging curriculum is designed to serve everyone from tri-freshman to those seeking multisport Ph.ds. LEARN MORE:

BORN IN THE USA...

Going "Off-Course" with Team Minnesota's Kevin O'Connor.

Kevin O'Connor likes to improve things. A decade ago, he bought an already successful business and made it even better. In doing so, he's dramatically improved the quality of life of his family members, employees and customers. Not surprisingly, at the top of his list of hobbies is home improvement projects.

When you read Kevin's answers to our questionnaire you'll detect a patriotic thread. As one who lives and reveres the American Dream, he values hard work and fairness and believes that respect, like wealth, must be earned.

Kevin O'Connor has certainly earned our respect and gratitude.

Occupation: Owner, Gear West Bike & Tri

College? Where? Degrees? Iowa State University, B.S., Exercise Science.

Favorite food: The food with calories.

Favorite books: I haven't read a book since 1988.

Favorite Movies: Cinderella Man & Seabiscuit.

Favorite actors & actresses:

Favorite TV shows: 24

Favorite Singers or Bands? Bruce Springsteen, John Mellancamp, Alan

Jackson, Martina McBride.

Favorite Songs? Independence Day, Martina McBride

Favorite Junk

Food: Golden Oreo's

Your Perfect Meal: Spaghetti, Red Sauce, and a huge glass of milk. All

washed down with vanilla ice cream.

Favorite Restaurant: McDonald's

Favorite Alcoholic Beverage: Michelob Golden Light

Non-Tri Hobbies: Home improvement projects.

Favorite Pro Teams: I have a tough time getting e

xcited about watching

multi-millionaires.

Favorite College Teams: See

above answer.

Heroes? "The greatest generation". Guys like Bob Powers. The ones who

survived The Great Depression and WW II.

Dream Vacation Destination?

Winter Training? How do you train in the off-season? I take off all the tracking

devices (power meter, watches, poolside pace clock) and change my attitude about training. I don't "train" but I still "work out." If I am going to race the following season I make certain not to put to too much weight. My race weight is about 20lbs below what my body wants to be at, so it is tough for me to get down to race weight. Oh, and I don't swim from August until April or May. Come January I will ride my Tacx more and run more. I always run outside and ride outside above 5 degrees.

BEST OF THE US CHAMPS RETURN TO SOCAL...

For the first time in its six-year history, the Best of the US Championship will return to a location for an encore....

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BEST OF THE U.S CHAMPIONSHIP RETURNS TO ORANGE COUNTY TRIATHLON; NEW OCTOBER DATE

January 10, 2010, Saint Paul, MN—For the first time ever, the Best of the U.S. Championship will return to a location for an encore presentation. “The response of the athletes to the course at Orange County Triathlon was overwhelmingly positive,” says BOUS Director Trudy Marshall. “This was the most challenging, competitive course yet, a true championship-caliber event.” The new 2010 date is October 10.

The return to Orange County Triathlon (octriseries.com) makes production of the Championship easier and more efficient than moving to a new location. But it required significant effort on the part of Pelican Coast Events race management, and cooperation from the City of Mission Viejo, when it was discovered that its traditional calendar date was the same weekend USA Triathlon had chosen for its Age Group Nationals.

“The City of Mission Viejo is very supportive of the Orange County Triathlon,” says co-director Bill Leach. “We are proud to host Best of the U.S., and truly appreciate the City’s flexibility in adjusting the weekend, so we could bring the Championship back.”

“It’s impossible to avoid all date conflicts,” said Marshall. “We may lose some qualified athletes to Ironman Hawaii, but that happens sometimes anyway. The one thing Best of the U.S. will not do is conflict with Age Group Nationals. It’s simply not good for the sport. Best of the U.S. exists to provide additional competitive opportunity focused on amateurs, not to force difficult choices.

FLEISCHKUEKLE, RHUBARB WINE & LAWRENCE WELK...

Going "Off-Course" with Team Minnesota's Marnie Walth. (WARNING: Much of what is printed here is made-up.)

Marlina Walth is a proud North Dakotan. In fact, she's a a model citizen for the state that she robustly claims to be "one of the two best Dakotas in America."

What does it mean to be a "model" North Dakotan, you ask?

First of all it means that you were born and raised on a farm and that you've known how to drive a tractor since you were 11. It also means that you unashamedly own and listen to scratchy old Lawrence Welk records. ("The Minot Polka" is Marnie's favorite song!)

As a model North Dakotan, it should come as no surprise that Marnie's favorite food is Fleischkuekle (see disgusting photo below), which she prepares with bison meat--VERY North Dakotaish!--instead of ground beef. She likes to serve her Fleischkuekles with ice cream, thereby insuring that at least one of the components of the meal will actually taste good. She likes to wash her meal down with several jelly jar glasses full of North Dakota's finest Rhubarb Wine, which can be purchased at Prairie Liquors in Mandan for $2.99 a gallon.

As a young adult, Marnie moved to Bismarck because she liked the name. It reminded her of her second favorite food. It was there that she met Shane (or Zane?) Walth, got married, had several remarkable children, cut back on her Rhubarb wine consumption (one jelly jar a day) and became a very fast runner and triathlete.

(NOTE: We thank Marnie and our many wonderful friends from the great state of North Dakota for being such good sports.)

USAT'S 2009 ELITE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR...

Jarrod Shoemaker, Sarah Haskins and Tim O'Donnell are among those selected for special USAT recognition.

READ:

ERIK'S IRON ODYSSEY...

(Photo: Erik Hull and a groupie at Ironman Wisconsin. She digs his pects!)

"Little background.

"I have cheered at every IMWI since 2002 and couldn't have imagined doing my first ironman anywhere else...." READ

LAKE MINNETONKA IS FULL..

The 2010 Lake Minnetonka Triathlon has filled. A small number--50-- of "Charity Slots" will be made available, however. Visit the event's WEBSITE to learn more. This is the second straight year that the LMT, which was named "Triathletes Choice Race of the Year" in 2009, has been our state's fastest-filling multi.

CHASKANS CHAT...

Purloined from his blog on gearwestbike.com, here is veteran tri star Curt Wood's informative interview of 2009 Minnesota Rookie of the Year and fellow Chaska resident, Suzie Finger: READ

GOODBYE, CINDY...

Decorated snowshoe and multisport athlete Cynthia Brochman, 44, of Maplewood, lost her battle with a rare form of cancer on December 27.

We miss you, Cindy.

Her memorial service will be held on Sunday, January 10 (2 PM) at Eaglebrook Church in White Bear Lake. Obituary

TOLTEC WISDOM, MIKE WEIR, JASON BOURNE & MORE COWBELL!!

Cathy Ennis-Yndestad is a very curious girl. She's always been curious. Her range of interests is large and ever-expanding. She loves to learn. She's VERY bright. And she loves to try new things. More often than not, she becomes much more than simply proficient at what she tries.

Raised on the cloudy and wind-swept eastern coast of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, curious teen Cathy migrated from St. John's to Ames, IA, where she was recruited to play golf for Iowa State University. At ISU she demonstrated LPGA potential and was a four-time Academic All American.

Today, Cathy works hard and, not surprisingly, is climbing her company's corporate ladder more quickly than her colleagues of similar experience. We know what she's accomplished as a triathlete. Heck, she may be the best female amateur in America.

At home, she reads, her tastes ranging from ancient Toltec wisdom to Vince Flynn's political thrillers. She enjoys movies that are fast-paced and intricate, demanding focused attention.

She loves travel, warm weather, a great variety of food and activities. And people.

Especially people.

Occupation: Technical Auditor, Wells Fargo

College? Where? Degrees? Iowa State University, Ames, IA. BA Exercise Science, Business Management. 4X Academic All-American.

Favorite food: BIG salads-Think Whole Foods Salad bar.

Favorite books: The Lone Survivor, Marcus Luttrell. The Four Agreements, Don Migel Ruiz. Also a huge Vince Flynn Fan (The Mitch Rapp Series).

Favorite Movies: The Bourne Series (Jason Bourne).

Favorite TV shows: 24

Favorite Singers or Bands? Kerry’s garage band, “More Cowbell” (KY plays drums).

Favorite Songs? I enjoy a wide a variety of music, but there’s always a special place for Irish Folk music to refresh my Newfoundland heritage. My workout play list includes an eclectic mix (think FM 92.5 mixed with 103.1).

Favorite Junk Food: Baked goods-Banana Chocolate Chip muffins.

Your Perfect Meal: Seafood (i.e. Wild Alaskan Salmon, served with Asparagus and some sort of rice pilaf).

Favorite Restaurant: Noodles (KY and I eat there at least 2x week), and Oceanaire

Favorite Alcoholic Beverage: Red Wine (Pinot Noir) or something with

beach flair (70.3 Runner-Invented and enjoyed in Clearwater this year!)…Margaritas seem to move to the top of the list during visits to the Southwest.

Non-Tri Hobbies: Golf, Tennis, Mtn Biking.

Favorite Pro Teams: Toronto Maple Leafs (but that’s been harder and harder these days).

Favorite College Teams: I have to say the Iowa State Cyclones. I’ll be in Tempe to see how the Football Team fares against the Gophers at the Insight Bowl. (The Cyclones won!)

Heroes? The Navy Seals

Dream Vacation Destination? Any place with temps above 85 that includes beaches, ocean and open roads. Yes, Hawaii works very well.

Winter Training?

How do you train in the off-season? This year will be a little different than years past. I will find out in Feb if I’m doing the Leadville 100mtn bike race next year. If so, I will be spending a lot of time on my bike this winter, and doing a lot of strength training. If not, I plan to just do random fun workouts, such as XC skiing, Cross fit, and plenty of Tennis. I had my first Tennis lesson on

Monday, December 22.

.

(NOTE: As for the "Mike Weir" reference in the title, Mike is Canada's premier golfer.)

39 RACES OPEN REGISTRATION...

By our count-- Calendar--69 adult outdoor tris and dus (not including paddle tris) will be staged in Minnesota in 2010.

Whoa!

And most will draw satisfying numbers.

Registration has already opened for at least 39 of the aforementioned multis. One of those events--2009 Race of the Year Lake Minnetonka--should fill any day now.

In Minnesota's "quality conscious" tri culture, many races have limited enrollment ceilings. Many events, like Minneman, Timberman, Manitou and Liberty to name but a few, that could easily draw four-digit fields accept 500 or fewer entrants.

And be aware that some of the great newer events--Trinona, RochesterFest, Wingman etc.--should lure record attendance and be forced to close early. Also, the brand new Maple Grove Triathlon has a great date, a super venue and a 500-entrant limit. Procrastination can leave you on the sidelines.

The point is this: Now is the time to plan your racing schedule. And do your research. Contact race directors (or us) and monitor registration activity. And understand that several of our races will fill by March 1. Some much sooner than that.

SHE DOES LIKE DARK CHOCOLATE...

When Team Minnesota's Susan Williams did not initially respond--she's been very busy lately--to our "Going Off Course With..." questionnaire, we posted what we assumed, based on what little we knew about her--she's tall and 36--and on how she is dressed in her Facebook picture, must be true about her. We used our incisive powers of induction, which along with $1.85 will get you a cup of coffee at Dunn Brothers, to conclude that she went to college on the east coast, visits her dentist bi-annually, loves Tears for Fears and eats Kohlrabi.

Susan has responded to that post and submitted her questionnaire. How close, or far off, were our conclusions?

See for yourself.

Here are Susan's answers. Our earlier guesses are in parentheses.

COLLEGE: Undergrad at Northwestern. MBA at Michigan. (Our guess: Princeton)

MAJOR: Economics & International Studies (Our guess: Biochemistry or Runway Modeling)

(Comment: We guessed that Susan was educated on the "East Coast." While the coastal part turned out to be untrue, you have to admit that Evanston, IL and Ann Arbor, MI are east of her ancestral home in Stevens Point, WI. We were half right.)

FAVORITE SINGERS/BANDS: Arcade Fire, Keane, Death Cab, Flaming Lips, Radiohead, Solid Gold (Our guess: Tears for Fears & The Scorpions)

UNUSUAL SKILLS: World Class Beer Pong Player (Our guess: Striking unnatural runway model poses. Applying whitening strips in record time.)

FAVORITE JUNK FOOD: Dark Chocolate, though she agrees that it is almost "health food." And "Juicy Lucys." (Our guess: Dark Chocolate) (Comment: WE GOT ONE RIGHT! WE ROCK!)

FAVORITE HEALTHY FOOD: Salmon, Pad Thai, Risotto, Egg Sandwiches

(Our Guess: Organic vegetables, especially kohlrabi)

FAVORITE BOOKS: Special Topics in Calamity Physics (Huh?) (Our Guess: Special Topics in Runway Modeling)

FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE: Red, red wine (Our guess: White, white chardonay)

NON-TRI HOBBIES: Drinking red, red wine and playing beer pong (Our guess: Watching UCONN women's basketball games and eating dark chocolate-covered Kohlrabi.)

PERFECT VACATION DESTINATION: Southern California (Our guess: New Jersey)

Hey, we got the dark chocolate part right!

MANITOU & PIGMAN OPEN REGISTRATION...

Registration is now open for the 2010 editions of two of our region's premier multis: the Pigman Triathlons and the Manitou Sprint Tri.

Also, check out this rather frightening Manitou video.

NAILING THE MARATHON...

(Paul Phillips / Competive Image Photo: Jan Guenther running to victory at Ironman Wisconsin last September.)

Triathlete Magazine Senior Editor Matt Fitzgerald discusses how to run a strong marathon in iron-distance races.

The marathon is where Ironman dreams die. It is very difficult to run a strong marathon after riding 112 hard miles. In fact, it's seldom done. READ

THERE'S A SALT SHAKER IN HER PURSE...

It's not a good idea to eat at Jeanne Fleck's house if you are hypertensive, have any cardiac or circulatory problems or are sodium-intolerant. On the other hand, her bulgogi is sooooooo tasty that it may actually be worth a trip to the ER with congestive heart failure. This is because she doesn't skimp on the soy sauce, and uses only the Korean kind, the one that comes in a bottle with little drawings on the label instead of words.

And she makes sure the beef isn't too lean; fattier cuts really soak up the salty marinade.

Yes, Jeanne is a saltaholic.

And bulgogi is but one source of her chemicals (NaCL) of choice. She's been known to binge on potato chips. (Like former vice-president Dan Quayle, she spells "potato" with an "oe" on the end.)

And she can't get enough pizza, especially the saliferous ambrosia baked at Shamrock Tavern in Superior, Wisconsin. (Who can blame her?)

That's right, she's willing to cross state lines to get her fix.

The lure of Shamrock Pizza is intensified by the fact that the establishment has a great vintage jukebox. A Wurlitzer 850 Peacock, for goshsakes! And it contains a substantial "nouveau" classic rock library. As Jeanne crams slice-after-brackish-slice into her neck with her right hand, her left is feeding the insatiable Wurlitzer, out of which pours the soulful electricity of Stevie Ray Vaughan ("The Sky is Crying," "Scratch 'n Sniff" et al) and wonderful manic insanity of AC/DC ("Highway to Hell," "Love at First Feel," "Shoot to Thrill" et al).

Inasmuch as her blood pressure readings remain within the normal range, Jeanne has opted NOT to seek help with her problem, claiming as addicts do, that she is hurting only herself, not others.

Here's some other stuff you may not have known about Jeanne Fleck:

Occupation: Orthopedic Implant Rep for Biomet Orthopedics
College: College of St. Scholastica
Major: Accounting
Favorite Food: Pad Thai, Bulgogi, Pizza, Rocky Road Bars
Favorite Books: Anything by James Patterson
Favorite Movies: Blind Side, Old School, Race Across the Sky
Favorite Actors: Meryl Streep, Seth Rogen, Tina Fey
Favorite TV Shows: The Biggest Loser, Big Bang Theory, Dexter Favorite Bands: Nickelback, AC/DC, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Daughtry
Favorite Junk Food: Potatoe Chips, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Favorite Restaurant: Shamrock Pizza, Superior, WI
Favorite Alcholic Beverage: beer (come on I'm from the Iron Range, what else would it be??)
Favorite Pro Teams: The Shack
Favorite College Teams: UW- Superior Soccer/Track (my son's teams)
Hero's: My husband (who puts up with, supports and helps me train for all my tri/du/cx/xc racing)
Dream vacation: Tour De France
Winter Training/Off season: xc-skiing, cyclo-cross

(WARNING: Some of the content contained herein may have been made-up. We thank Jeanne and Greg Fleck for being such good sports.)

VIRTUAL TIME-TRIALING...

Triathlete/Blogger Brian Maas recently completed a stage of the Giro di Lombardia (see photo). Next stop, the Alpe D'Huez. And he didn't have to go to Italy nor does he plan to book a flight to France. READ