Du-ing it, race series style

The Central Lakes Cycle Duathlon didn't miss a beat as it smoothly transitioned into a fall event. Great weather greeted the racers this year and even the wind seemed a little more forgiving on the far side of summer. As the new penultimate race series event, this year's Du brought out all the big guns, as 7 of the top 10 men turned out to compete and 3 of the top 10 women came ready to ride and run. With some serious points on the line, you can bet that shoulders were looked over and efforts were maximized.

The women's leaderboard has been a fun one to watch as athletes jockey for second and third position behind year-long leader Mary Ellen "Running Wild" Tungseth. After opting not to get dirty at last week's Viking Challenge, Mary Ellen put in a solid day's work and further cemented her lead. But jumping up 5 places from last week is Brenda Lindgren who crushed it today with a third place women's finish and also picked up her 25 point 5th race bonus. Close behind is another perfect attendance recipient, JoEllen Kohlman-Petrick (and her 33-week old tagalong friend!), and Terry Lipp. Combined they will keep Mary Ellen and Brenda honest come Turkey Trot time, as a strong performance by either of them and a no-show by the others could still change where the series title goes.

Want to do some more math? Numbers man Nick Mariotti has and he's got this one all but wrapped up. Nick kept his bike tires inflated this year and rode them to a third place men's finish. Add in his 5th race 25 point bonus, and all Nick needs to do on November 14th is roll out of bed and find the finish line before the sun goes down.

If he doesn't show up, make sure Jake Gustafson has a good alibi, as he's been at Nick's heels all season and could still pull off a series win with some good old fashioned criminal activity. As if he didn't have enough to worry about, Jake holds a 54 point lead over last year's series champion Dave Jensen. Jake's looking to score some bonus points at his next event, but will it be enough to hold off Jensen, whose mid-November running ensemble of long johns and a lumberjack beard really belies the competitive fire in his belly that burns hot through even the coldest winter months.