News & Stories

Participants Excited for the UCare Tri-Loppet

The UCare Tri-Loppet is the third event in the Hoigaard’s Challenge, which includes the City of Lakes Loppet (February), the Salomon CITYTRAIL Loppet (May) and the Surly Trail Loppet (September). Many members of the Hoigaard’s staff and team participate every year, and this year is no different!

Employee Chris Johnson will be participating in the UCare Tri-Loppet this year for the second time; he also has volunteered for two years. This year Chris will be paddling with Caitlin Gregg of Team Gregg who is sponsored by Hoigaard’s. Johnson hopes the pairing will give them a good position going into the run and bike portions of the race.

Johnson believes the team “won’t be the first boat to the transition at Brownie Lake. But we can definitely be in the top 10, which is a huge advantage over many folks who are stronger runners and mountain bikers.”

Other Hoigaard’s employees and team members will be participating as well, including brothers, Ben and Jeremiah Menk and store manager Todd Brewer and Matt Shadow.

For Brewer what is exciting about the UCare Tri-Loppet is that “it ties together all of the summer sports stuff that Hoigaard’s does.”

Assistant manager Andy Turnbull will be participating in part of the event, as well as hanging out in the Vendor Village area after the race. He has been paddling his whole life and is an avid biker and cross country skier. “To be able to do an event like this in such an urban environment is a pretty cool deal,” Turnbull said. Look for him at the Hoigaard’s tent on Saturday!

One of the great parts of the UCare Tri-Loppet is the event’s ability to have all levels of athlete participate. Johnson admits, “I probably would never have done the UCare Tri-Loppet if it weren’t for my work at Hoigaard’s. I had paddled and traveled many hundreds of miles by canoe, but never raced until a co-worker asked me to paddle with him in the Hoigaard’s Paddle Derby.”

Turnbull agrees that the UCare Tri-Loppet has the ability to attract participants from beginners and families to Olympians. According to Brewer, “The UCare Tri-Loppet brings together people who are there for the fun and the multi-sport competition, and it makes it comparable to nothing else.”

We cannot wait to see all the racers out this weekend enjoying the wonderful course and event!

Packet pick-up and last-chance registration will be at Hoigaard’s (5425 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park) on Friday, June 27 from 5 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

— By Bridget Adellman