What was the deal with the Puntous sisters and 3 ties, a fourth just one second off?
They were pretty much side by side every race i ever saw them.
Does anyone have a poster from the Chicago 1986 race?
It is amazing how fast you guys were 27 years ago.
It is absolutely amazing today given all the technological ‘advancements’ over the last Quarter Century.
Dude, you should have received the official results postcard from Tri-Fed 8-12 weeks after the race. Are you saying you didn’t keep yours?!?
Best laugh I’ve had all day…I remember those damn things!
And umm no, didn’t save mine, either…
Lake Shore Drive made for some FAST bike splits! Love that draft from traffic in the adjacent lanes…
**Lake Shore Drive made for some FAST bike splits! Love that draft from traffic in the adjacent lanes… **
This ^^^^ is why the main forum pisses me off: Say just one thing about admiring great athletic feats and you get a reply hinting at some form of impropriety.
No disrespect intended at all. Those guys were WAY fast even by today’s measures. But, I was there in 1989 and went minutes faster on the bike than I had gone at any of the 7 other Olympic distance races that same year. While I would LOVE to count that as a bike PR, I don’t feel right doing so.
Cool.
Be careful of using any word that is or starts with word the ‘Draft…’ around here…
That’s because all those advancements don’t mean all THAT much, IMHO…
What was the deal with the Puntous sisters and 3 ties, a fourth just one second off?
Back in their day thay were so dominant at most races they did, and so close in abilities, that they would just stroll across finish lines together for a mutual win. Some races would try and crowbar a difference in there, thus the 1 second race, but they meant to tie. It really did not matter as they had only one checking account and all their money went in there. They were very close twins and we shared the same sports agent, and they even lived next door to me for over a year, so i really got to know them. Only in hawaii would then split up, and even then it was usually a flat tire or something like that.
Funny story, one year one of them flatted early in the bike ride while the other rode on. Took around 5 minutes or so to change it, and for the next 8+ hours they rode and ran almost the exact same pace to the finish, only seperated by the flat time. And i was told at the time, it was the longest that they had ever been apart in their lives, that 8 hours racing solo and out of sight. There were a lot of grumblings that they worked together and such, but i only ever saw them racing clean, just pacing like everyone else does. That race showed just how close they were in speed… Very fun and classy girls.
Lake Shore Drive made for some FAST bike splits! Love that draft from traffic in the adjacent lanes…//
That’s great that you got a nice draft and all, but don’t presume to know what happened in our race back then. From what i remember they closed off the entire 3 lanes i think it was, and we had a clear road the whole way. Those were pretty normal bike splits for us back then on road bikes, usually in the 56 to 58 range on flatter courses. And a lot of the courses were 25 miles too back thn, not 40k. That paticular race was pretty much spot on in all the events too looking back at the times. Don’t forget that there are two transitions buried in there too, and i believe they were pretty long back then too, maybe still are…And just to show the swim was on, it was no wetsuit of course, and the guy who won was Charlie Graves. HE was one of the guys we had like Andy Potts is today. I think he went something like a 1;37 200SCY free in college, and he was good in OW for a pool swimmer. So 17 flat is about right for him.
Well that explains it then. Thanks for the clarification Monty. Very cool indeed
wow there’s some really old guys on this thread
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What’s really cool about this thread is how many people listed in those results are still either competing today (29 years later!) or staying in race shape (monty, dave scott, molina, dean harper, bill leach, etc.)! It makes me feel like an apprentice, having made my first race start in 1987.
Dean Wilson
www.anaerobiczone.methownet
Bicycle Protection Indoors & Out
I was there too, and I’ll have to dig up my postcard when I get home tonight to make sure but I seem to remember having an awfully good bike leg as well. Too bad I didn’t have the run to back it up. something to do with 2 trips down from Milwaukee to deal with a lost goodie (and race#) bag in the 7hrs b4 the race perhaps? or I just sucked. count me in with the “what’s a wetsuit for” crowd back then also. the waves bouncing off the wall were not fun.
Some friends and I got Sean Molina racing again a couple years ago. I’ll have to pass this on.
No presumption. I was there in 1989 and all lanes weren’t closed then. All folks on the course got the same opportunity for catching a draft from passing cars so it was quite legal and fair. I’m just saying that the times (when I was there) seemed faster than I could ever reproduce before or after. So, since it wasn’t me, and I believe that the course was of legitmate length, the draft from the passing cars must have helped. I appreciated it, but I don’t feel right counting that as a bike PR.
And I concur with the observer on this thread that noticed there were a lot of old triathletes on here. Unfortunately, I would be one of them…
Today’s Chicago race for the Oly is two loops outside The Loop, go north and back to transition. In the late 80’s we went north up to the Foster Ave turn-around and then went beyond the transition south past old Meigs Field. Flatter and faster back then. The swim was around the Planetium instead in the harbor which is choppy from all the heats going on. Transitions were longer. Also, us age-groupers knew only to go all out from the start. That helped the speed. Today’s there is too much knowledge of how to pace for the entire race. I still have my BudLight race results post card stuffed away somewhere in a box from my first triathlon. My race write-up from 8-3-86 can be found at:
My writing is like my racing but I’m trying to get better.
Ken: It was the 1990 Chicago Sun-Times tri. Your results: Swim: 22:55 - Bike 109: 42 - Run 57:18 - time : 2:38:31 Overall 956 AG 41
I don’t know if you remember, but there was one race (either bud light or sun times) where Rob Mackle pummeled Kerry Classen who came out of the water just before him. Strange thing is I don’t think he got disqualified.