Race Result: 2018 Fall Classic Duathlon

Event: 2018 Fall Classic Duathlon
Date: Saturday, September 29, 2018
Location: Lake Elmo Park Reserve
Hotel: Home, sweet home
Weather: 37F, wind from ESE at 2-4 MPH
Official Results: Overall 2018 Text Results
Previous Personal Results: 2013 (then known as the Park Tool Duathlon)

Personal Results

Goal: Top 5 in AG
Actual: 2nd
Overall: 12th (115 total); 2nd in 50-59 AG (15 total)

Race Summary

OK, so it's been awhile. To be exact, five years and two weeks since I last competed in a multi-sport event. For the past five years, I've been assisting my son as he continued his ascent within the Modern Pentathlon world. That took up a ton of time, energy, and money. Lots of traveling to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. But, a 2016 PanAm international gold medal and competing at the ModPen World Championships under the Team USA banner, along with numerous national and regional titles, sort of made it all worth while.

And now he's at the United States Air Force Academy, having accepted his appointment this past June. Life is a bowl of cherries for him. And I couldn't be happier for all that he has accomplished.

As an empty nest parent, I now have time on my hands. First order of business was to shed 42-lbs. Yep, really let myself go. Hey, it happens to the best of us.

Next order of business was to start training. Slowly. And staying injury free. I've been running steadily for about 4 and 1/2 months now, and only biking for about 7-weeks. That's not a lot to go on for trying to sneak in a year-end duathlon. So, I knew my speed and endurance would only be a fraction of what I hope it will eventually be after I've had 12-18 months of training under my belt.

And, other than the fact that it was freakin' cold, I did OK. I was most disappointed in my two runs. My legs just weren't there today. Probably the cold weather combined with fairly heavy training the last 7-10 days. Just two weeks ago, I had won a 5K in West Fargo, ND with a per mile pace of 6:41. And I didn't see any reason for me to be much over 6:40ish today. But I was. Like I said, fitness will be an issue for me until I get in a good mileage base.

The bike was OK. I had secretly hoped to get over a 21 mph average, but considering I've only been on the bike for about 7-weeks, I'll take the result.

Typically in my summaries, I compare myself against my pre-race goals. As I had zero idea of what to expect, I instead compared to what I did in this event back in 2013 at the ripe young age of 52.

The setup in transition

Run One (3 miles)
2013: 19:03 (6:20 per mile pace)
2018 Time: 21:29 (7:10 per mile pace)

This was a nice run course mainly on the paved trails of Lake Elmo park. The first mile was at 6:35, right on target pace, but the legs simply didn't have any go-go juice today.

Transition One
2013: 0:43
2018 Time: 1:41

Hey, it was my first transition in 5 years. And I had to switch out to cold weather gloves for the bike, which didn't slide on so easily. That cost me time.

Bike (14 miles; Garmin said 13.32)
2013: 37:57 (21.1 MPH Avg)
2018 Time: 40:27 (20.8 MPH Avg)

I had forgotten that this course has a few major hills in the front half. But around mile six, I started to reel in some people, and passed quite a few bikes....and was passed in return.

No major muscle cramps to report other than a slight cramp in my right calf as I left transition 2.

Transition Two
2013: 0:51
2018 Time: 1:14

Little bit better this time around. Still slow for the Old Man.

Run Two (2.5 miles)
2013: 16:31 (6:39 per mile pace)
2018 Time: 18:21 (7:21 per mile pace)

As I said, the right calf wanted to cramp up right after transition but it loosened up very quickly and I just kept a good pace. I was fairly gassed with about 1/2 mile remaining. Need to pound the pavement over the winter. No two ways about it.

Next Race

TBD - Nothing at all planned. Just taking the calendar as it comes.

How To Follow Graham at Modern Pentathlon Youth Worlds

For friends and family, I am posting information on how you can keep tabs on Graham as he competes at Modern Pentathlon Youth Worlds. There may even be live streaming opportunities. 

Note: You can click on each photo to make it bigger if you can't see it well.

Modern Pentathlon Primer

Not to be confused with the track and field pentathlon event, modern pentathlon includes horse riding, swimming, running, fencing and shooting. But athletes usually start, from about the age of eight, by competing in events combining just two or three of those.

Modern Pentathlon was one of the original Olympic sports and was in the first Olympic Games in 1912; since then there have been some changes with the length of events and the number of days in a competition.

A pentathlon competition begins with epee fencing, with every athlete facing off against all other competitors once. Each fencing bout is "one-touch" against each adversary in which the person who gets the touch is awarded a victory and the opponent has a defeat. Each bout can last up to one minute; while that sounds short, it can be a long time when an athlete has to fence 30 or more people.

Swimming is a 200-meter freestyle and follows fencing.

Next is the equestrian stadium jumping event which consists of approximately 15 obstacles with jumps up to 4 feet high. Each competitor draws a random horse and has 20 minutes to warm up, including 5 practice jumps, in a different arena before completing the official course. The equestrian component will be not part of the Youth Worlds competition as it is reserved for the Junior (19-21 yo) and Senior (22 and over) categories. But Graham has been riding since November of 2015 to begin training for that next phase.  

A combined running and shooting event is the final event. Athletes shoot at a laser target, needing to make five hits at 10 meters with a laser air pistol, then run an 800-meter course. This combination is completed four times, totaling a 3200 meter run and shooting 20 targets. The start of the combined is staggered based off the scores from the first three events. The athlete who crosses the finish line first is the winner, making for a very exciting end to the competition.

Youth Worlds Information

Location: The  Youth A World Championships 2016 will take place in the University of Limerick on July 14 – 18. Limerick is six hours ahead of CST back in the States. 

Venue: University of Limerick  is a university in Limerick City, County Limerick, Ireland. Established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989. The university was the first university established since the formation of the Irish Republic in 1922. The university is located on the banks of the River Shannon, comprising of 340 acres (110 acres on the north bank and 226 acres on the south bank). The university is located just 5 km from Limerick city centre with easy bus access from around the country.

Schedule of Events:

12 July: Arrival of Delegations 

13 July: Arrival of Delegations, Equipment Control - Fencing Technical Meeting for Women’s Qualification

14 July: Women’s Qualification (Fencing Swimming Combined Event),  Equipment control - Fencing Technical Meeting for Men’s Qualification 

15 July: Men’s Qualification (Fencing Swimming Combined Event), Technical Meeting – Women’s and Men’s Final. Graham will compete on this day.

16 July: Women’s Individual Final (Swimming Fencing Ranking Round Fencing Bonus Round Combined Event), Award Ceremony 

17 July: Men’s Individual Final (Swimming Fencing Ranking Round Fencing Bonus Round Combined Event), Award Ceremony, Technical Meeting – Mixed-Relay Competition 

18 July: Mixed-Relay Final (Swimming Fencing Ranking Round Fencing Bonus Round Combined Event),  Award Ceremony

19 July: Departure of Delegations 

How To Follow Along

You can follow along by viewing live results via the UIPM web site. Once there, access "EVENTS" and then select "RESULTS" from the top tool bar. Select "UIPM Youth A World Championships".

Once there, you can click on the Men's tab and locate what Qualifying Group is the one Graham will be in. Your screen should look something like this:

Scores are updated as the event is in progress. Each qualifying group will typically have 36 total athletes.

For fencing, they will have 35 one-minute, one-touch bouts. For swimming, they will be seeded from slowest to fastest across 6 total heats. For the combined, the leading athlete will start, followed by each successive athlete with his stagger start time dependent on how far behind the leader they are.  

 The top 8 boys from each of the three qualifying groups, plus the next best 12 scores (amongst all competitors across all the groups) will make the 36-athlete final. Graham's qualification will take place on Friday (July 15). The final, for those final 36 who qualify, is on Sunday (July 17). 

Live-Streaming

UIPM also offers free live streaming at: http://www.uipmtv.org/. Typically the fencing and swimming are not covered live. But check the UIPM TV site for the approximate start time of live-streaming for the combined run-shoot event. There is typically a recap of the fencing and swimming portions preceding the live telecast. I have not yet confirmed if UIPM will conduct live-streaming, but I expect they will. 

How Else to Follow

You can be friends with either Jackie (Jackie Maas) or Brian (Brian Keith Maas) on Facebook. Brian will also be on Twitter (@TriGeekAddict). Both Brian and Jackie are traveling with Graham.

UIPM is also on Facebook (UIPM - International Modern Pentathlon Federation) and Twitter (@TheUIPM)

US Modern Pentathlon is on Facebook (USAModernPentathlon) and Twitter (@USPentathlon). 

Expectations

This is Graham's first Worlds competition, as he declined an invitation to 2015 Youth Worlds last year as it interfered with school. It was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

As such, his only goals are 1) Gain Experience; 2) Gain Experience; 3) Gain Experience. He will be facing the best in the world. He will get his share of fencing victories, and also experience getting his butt kicked in swimming. And he'll be fine with it all. 

This competition is for Youth A athletes, which is the 17-18 year old category. Graham is moving up an entire age category. If there is a goal for him, he has stated he would like to finish in the Top 20 within his 36-athlete qualification group. He thinks that would be something to build on. Youth Worlds for 2017 will be held in Prague (Czech Republic) and for 2018 in Guatemala City (Guatemala).

The US pentathlete to watch this year will be Seamus Millett, of Durango (CO). Seamus reached the finals in the 2015 Youth Worlds, and we hope he's as successful at the 2016 event. Seamus is the reigning two-time US Youth A Champion. 

Seamus & Graham 

Announcement of the Youth World USA Team

US Modern Pentathlon Youth World Team from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

Wayzata XC Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 9/13/2015

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Cross Country Report for the week ending September 13, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them. Also, these will be posted as time permits. There are weeks I will not be able to post updates.

True Freshmen:
(Note - Some of these freshmen may yet be red-shirted for the season)

Ian Eklin (Class of '15) - University of Iowa

Competed at the Illinois State Invitational on 9/11 in Normal, IN. Ian was 47th overall, and 9th for Iowa.

Team Recap

Full Results

Iowa returns to action October 2 with the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Indiana.

Anna French (Class of '15) - West Virginia

West Virginia University’s cross country team traveled to University Park, Pennsylvania, to compete at the PSU Spiked Shoe Invitational on 9/11. Anna did not compete. 

Team Recap

Full Results

297 flags along the finish line at the Spiked Shoe Invtl. representing the 2,977 lost on 9/11

Thomas Lerdall (Class of '15) - St. Olaf

Competed at the Alumni 5K at the St Olaf Cross Country Trails 9/12. Thomas finished 12th overall and was the #9 runner for the team.

Team Recap

Full Results

Connor Olson (Class of '15) - University of Minnesota

Competed at the Oz Memorial on 9/11 held at Les Bolstad golf course. 

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "Minnesota's four newcomers competed unattached on Friday night in their collegiate debuts. Connor Olson finished seventh in 19:13.0, Joey Duerr came in 15th at 19:40.6, Shane Streich finished 18th in 19:48.3 and Evan Ferlic came across the line at 19:51.9 to finish 20th."

Click on thumbnail for larger view

Jack Prazich (Class of '15) - Santa Clara (CA)

Next competes at the San Francisco Quad Invite on 9/17.












Red-Shirt Freshmen:

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

Next competes on 9/19 at the Sundodger Invitational at Lincoln Park in Seattle.












Sophomores:

Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

Next competes at the Roy Griak Invitational on 9/26.












Mary Franke (Class of '14) - Colorado State

Next competes at the Roy Griak Invitational on 9/26.












Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Competed at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invite. The women's 6000-meter race was held at the Kilkarney Hills golf course in River Falls, WI. Annika placed 3rd overall, and her 6K time of 22:27 would place her 13th in the nation as of 9/12 (all college levels; reported MileSplit times). 

Full Results

River Falls XC Meet - Falcon Invitational — with Halle Marr, Nikki Betzler, Rachel Needham and Annika Halverson.

Juniors:

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Next competes at the St. Olaf Invite on 9/19.

Lauren Farquhar (Class of '13) - Bethany Lutheran College (MN)

Lauren placed sixth overall at the Dutch Invitational held on 9/5 in Pella, IA. At that time, her 6K time of 25:47 lead all MN women for that distance.

Full Results

Next competes at the St. Olaf Invite on 9/19.

Click on thumbnail for larger view

Seniors:

Mata Agre (Class of '12) - Gustavus

Competed at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invite. The women's 6000-meter race was held at the Kilkarney Hills golf course in River Falls, WI. Mata finished 14th overall. 

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "Mata Agre (Sr., Medina, Minn.) (23:45.65), Lydia Hayes (So., Decorah, Iowa) (23:45.76), and Lotus Schifsky (Fy., Prescott, Wis.) (23:46.05) formed a formidable pack in the middle and rounded out the Gustie scoring, placing 14th, 15th, and 16th, respectively."



Marit Sonnesyn (Class of '13) - Gustavus

Competed at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invite. The women's 6000-meter race was held at the Kilkarney Hills golf course in River Falls, WI. Marit finished 6th overall. 

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "Seniors Lauren Shurson (Chanhassen, Minn.) and Marit Sonnesyn (Plymouth, Minn.) led the Gusties on the afternoon. Shurson finished in fifth place with a time of 22:41.71, while Sonnesyn was right behind her, placing sixth in 22:44.77.

“Lauren and Marit are doing a great job in leading our team, said Bahr. “I’m proud of how they’ve both stepped up…they’ve been great role models for our younger runners.”

Halverson & Sonnesyn battle late in the race.

Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Next competes at the St. Olaf Invite on 9/19.

Wayzata XC Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 9/05/2015

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Cross Country Report for the week ending September 5, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them. Also, these will be posted as time permits. There are weeks I will not be able to post updates.

True Freshmen:
(Note - Some of these freshmen may yet be red-shirted for the season)

Ian Eklin (Class of '15) - University of Iowa

Competed at Hawkeye Early Bird Invitational on 9/4 at the Mon River Rail Trail. Ian was 3rd overall, running unattached. 

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "Ian Eklin, a freshman from Plymouth, Minnesota, placed third in the men's 6,000-meters. Eklin competed unattached in his first collegiate race, finishing four seconds behind the winner in 19:13.5. Eklin, one of three unattached freshman to finish in the top 20, finished 11 spots ahead of Iowa's top scorers."

Paul Epland (Class of '15) - Sarah Lawrence College (NY)

Did not compete at the Baruch Invitational on 9/6 held at Van Courtlandt Park, Bronx NY. 

15-second video of the start:


 
Full Results

Anna French (Class of '15) - West Virginia

Competed at WVU Alumni Open on 9/1 at the Mon River Rail Trail. Anna was 7th overall. It has not yet been determined if Anna will red-shirt or not.

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "“The most impressive high school resume is Minnesota native Anna French. Anna has the potential to have an immediate impact on the Mountaineer program,” said coach SeanCleary.

Thomas Lerdall (Class of '15) - St. Olaf

Competed at the Augsburg Dual on 9/5 geld at Riverside Park. Thomas took fifth overall, and was the top runner for St. Olaf. Note: The St. Olaf men's cross country team only sent its first years to run in the Augie Open 5K.

Team Recap

Full Results

Lerdall is in bib 3363

Connor Olson (Class of '15) - University of Minnesota

Has not competed yet.

Gopher freshmen class of Shane Streich, Evan Ferlic, Connor Olson, Joey Duerr 

Jack Prazich (Class of '15) - Santa Clara (CA)

Competed at USF Invitational at Golden Gate Park's Hellman Hollow Meadow on 9/5. Jack was 49th overall. 

Full Results

Red-Shirt Freshmen:

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

Competed at Nature’s Bakery Nevada Twilight Classic on 9/4. McKenna was 13th overall, and the 8th runner for Nevada. 

Team Recap

Full Results






Sophomores:

Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

Competed at the Bison Open in Fargo on 9/4. Aaron placed 6th overall.

Team Recap

Full Results







Mary Franke (Class of '14) - Colorado State

Competed at the CSU Invite in Fort Collins on 9/4. Mary was 48th overall.

Full Results









Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Competed at the Augsburg Dual on 9/5 geld at Riverside Park. Annika took first overall.

Full Results

Halverson will be a top MIAC runner again this season

Juniors:

Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Competed at Crown College Invite held in St. Bonifacius, MN on 9/5. Adam finished 11th overall. 

Full Results (Click on Sheet 3 of the Excel file)

Lauren Farquhar (Class of '13) - Bethany Lutheran College (MN)

Did not compete.












Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Competed at the UWEC Alumni Open on 9/5.

No results posted yet.

Thorson delivers team preview (video).









Seniors:

Mata Agre (Class of '12) - Gustavus

Competed at Gustie Invite held in the Linnaeus Arboretum on 9/5. Mata was 16th overall.

Team Recap. 
Full Results.






Marit Sonnesyn (Class of '13) - Gustavus

Competed at Gustie Invite held in the Linnaeus Arboretum on 9/5. Marit was second overall. 

Team Recap. 
Full Results.

Quote: "Marit Sonnesyn (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) was the Gusties’ leader by finishing the 5k with a time of 20:22.2, good for second place overall. 

I was pleased with the way our team raced today,” said Coach Dale Bahr. "When healthy, Marit is one of the top runners in the MIAC and she proved that today with a nice performance." 

Sonnesyn at Gustie Invite

Wayzata Runners Alumni Report - Week Ending 4/19/2015

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report for the week ending April 19, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Note: This story will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please check back for updates. In addition, if you have a Wayzata alum athlete that is missing from this story, please email me
with updates so I can include them.  

Sunday edition

Competing this weekend:

Mata Agre (Class of '12) - Gustavus

Competed at the Carleton Relays. 

Team Recap. Quote: "Mata Agre (So., Medina, Minn.) placed sixth in the 5,000-meter run (19:29.26), and Marit Henckel (Sr., Viroqua, Wis.) took eighth (20:09.23) behind her."

Full Results






Annika Halverson (Class of '14) - Bethel (MN)

Competed at the Don Church Twilight in Wheaton, IL Annika won the 1500 in 4:43.27. 

Team Recap. Quote: "While the Royals enjoyed many strong performances on the day, freshman Annika Halverson led the way by winning the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:43.27 and ascending to 12^th place in the nation."

Full Results







Marit Sonnesyn (Class of '13) - Gustavus

Competed at the Carleton Relays. 

Team Recap. Quote: "Marit Sonnesyn (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) finished behind Fermoyle in the 1,5000 in eighth with a time of 4:56.42."

Full Results







Adam Brandt (Class of '13) - University of St. Thomas

Competed at the Tom Cat Twilight. Adam ran the Men's 1500 Meters in 4:13.57.

Team Recap

Complete Results







Aaron Breyer (Class of '14) - South Dakota

Competed at the Sioux City Realys. Aaron ran in the Men's 10000, placing second in a time of 32:25.57

Team Recap. Quote: "Making their debut in the 10,000-meter run were freshmen Aaron Breyer and Brice Cowman. Breyer finished runner-up in 32:25.57 and Cowman took fourth in 32:42.98."

Full Results





Brian Jarvey (Class of '12) - University of St. Thomas

Competing at the Hamline Invitational. Brian anchored the Tommies 4x100 relay to a 3rd place finish in 42.49. Brian was also scheduled to run in the Men's 400 Meters but did not start his heat.

Team Recap. Quote: "Brian Jarvey took second in the 400 dash with a season-best 48.80, the third best time thus far in the MIAC."

Full Results





Joe Meister (Class of '13) - UW-Eau Claire

Competed at the Phil Esten Challenge @ UW - La Crosse. Joe ran the Men's 3000 meter steeplechase and placed 7th with a new personal best time of 9:53.57.15.

Team Recap

Full Results






James Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Competed at the Upstate Challenge at Cornell's Kane Track & Field Complex.

Team recap. Quote: "A slew of Cornellians competed at 400, sweeping places three-through-eight: seniorFrancisco Olloqui (49.97), Larry Gibson (50.33), sophomore Will Gibson (50.57), freshmanLionel Chambers (51.32), freshman Ross Clarke (51.36), and freshman James Smith(52.16)."

"In the 4x400, Cornell's three squads placed second-through-fourth:
Second Place: Tobenna Attah (49.8), Max Hairston (51.8), Cisco Olloqui (49.1), Michael Smith (48.9) = 3:19.61.
Third Place: Lionel Chambers (51.2), Will Gibson (49.3), Larry Gibson (49.9), James Smith(51.0) = 3:21.56
Fourth Place: Sebastian Roemer (51.6), Ross Clarke (53.5), Phelan McCormack (53.1), Tim Boston (52.8) = 3:31.13"

Full Results


Michael Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY)

Competed at the Upstate Challenge at Cornell's Kane Track & Field Complex.

Team recap. Quote: "In the relays, the 4x100 quartet of Ryan Hynes, Larry Gibson, Michael Smith, and Brailin Paulino was runner-up in 42.06 (IC4A)."

"In the 4x400, Cornell's three squads placed second-through-fourth:
Second Place: Tobenna Attah (49.8), Max Hairston (51.8), Cisco Olloqui (49.1), Michael Smith (48.9) = 3:19.61.
Third Place: Lionel Chambers (51.2), Will Gibson (49.3), Larry Gibson (49.9), James Smith(51.0) = 3:21.56
Fourth Place: Sebastian Roemer (51.6), Ross Clarke (53.5), Phelan McCormack (53.1), Tim Boston (52.8) = 3:31.13"

Full Results

Obinnaya Wamuo (Class of '14) - University of Chicago

Competed at the Don Church Twilight in Wheaton, IL Obi won the 400 hurdles in 55.02. 

Team Recap. Quote: "Freshman Obinnaya Wamuo clinched a win in the 400-meter hurdles by finishing in 55.02."

Full Results

Off this weekend:

McKenna Evans (Class of '14) - University of Nevada

McKenna will again tackle the steeplechase next weekend.












Lauren Farquhar (Class of '13) - Bethany Lutheran College (MN)

Was slated to run the Women's 400 hurdles at the Carleton Relays, but did not start











Mary Franke (Class of '14) - Colorado State

Competed at the University of Colorado.












Alayna Sonnesyn (Class of '14) - Vermont

Alayna will not be running track for the Catamounts this spring.












Adam Moline (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Adam appears to be off this weekend.












Derek Peterson (Class of '13) - Lipscomb (TN)

It appears Derek did not compete this weekend.

Josh Thorson (Class of '12) - UW-Eau Claire

Josh appears to be off this weekend.