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  • Triathlon veteran Andrew Coates of Lake Crystal exits the water and prepares to begin the bicycle stage of the North Mankato Triathlon last weekend. The event came under the auspices of Final Stretch Inc., for the first time this year.

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  • Good Thunder’s Kathleen Menne approaches the final stages of the run during Sunday’s North Mankato Triathlon. Menne was one of nearly 200 individuals, numerous three-person teams and about 80 kids to participate in the annual event.

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July 8, 2012

Final Stretch’s first year with triathlon a sweeping success

Competitors compliment changes to annual race

By Jim Rueda Free Press Sports Editor

NORTH MANKATO — The reviews are in, and virtually all are positive.

A week ago, the 15th annual North Mankato Triathlon took place at Hiniker Pond, and for the first time, race director Ann Vose was not present. Vose stepped down after last year’s race and, just when it seemed as if the event might have to be canceled because no one qualified was willing to take it over, Mark Bongers of Final Stretch agreed to do so.

Final Stretch is a company that provides event management services for marathons, triathlons, duathlons, running, swimming and biking competitions in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. It has run the Mankato Marathon since its inception in 2010 and provides everything from online registration to advertising to course design to post-race awards.

North Mankato mayor Mark Dehen, who worked closely with Bongers before the triathlon, said the event seemed to go smoothly.

“From everyone I’ve talked to, including the police chief and the street superintendent, they were pleased with the way it went,” Dehen said. “There were no incidents at all and it seemed to be well-run — from the kids race the day before to the morning of.”

In previous years, the biking and running events had been conducted on city streets that were still open. This year, the decision was made to close the course, and that appears to have been a plus.

“The closed course made for a nice safe route for everybody,” Dehen said. “We were able to get all the competitors off the streets within an hour and a half so it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience for traffic.”

Kris Anderson, a 36-year-old mother of two from Mankato, has run the triathlon for five straight years and said she enjoyed Sunday’s race.

“I like the swim course this year, there were bigger buoys so you could see them better when you were in the water,” said Anderson, who finished sixth among women competitors with a time of 1:11.35. “There were more bike racks, and the transition area was set up a lot better, too.

“The bike course was essentially the same, but it was safer. It’s a lot better when you have all the roads blocked off and North Mankato police directing traffic.”

If there was one thing Anderson would have tweaked, it would have been to keep the finish line where it was previously.

“When you’re coming down that last street there’s plenty of room for people to line up and cheer you on,” she said. “This year you didn’t have that same long stretch so you didn’t get that same feeling.”

Andrew Gislason, 31, was the third-place finisher Sunday with a time of 59:52. Like Anderson, he believes the triathlon was well-organized.

“This was the third Final Stretch event I’ve been to this year and they’re all well-run,” said the Wisconsin native who came to Mankato to go to college. “I also ran the North Mankato tri in 2009.

“There weren’t any major changes this year, they just tweaked it a little. I heard the kids’ tri on Saturday was well-received, and I think the pancake breakfast at the end (on Sunday) was a nice touch.

“Although I personally don’t feel much like eating right after I compete, it kind of promotes the whole family aspect of the event. I’ll definitely consider doing it again next year.”

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