St. Cloud native and ultra triathlete sets records for women and men over 2,800-mile route

Nora G. Hertel | St. Cloud Times

BOULDER, Colorado — Laura Knoblach says she's "super slow" in short races.

But the St. Cloud native has world-record-breaking endurance.

Knoblach completed the equivalent of 20 Ironman triathlons in October, back to back to back.

In the span of about 26 days Knoblach swam 48 miles, biked 2,240 and ran 534. It's called a double deca triathlon, and Knoblach won the event held in Leon, Mexico.

The 24-year-old beat the women's double deca world record by more than 9 hours. And she beat the U.S. men's record by more than 44 hours, she said.

First, Knoblach swam for 48 miles in a 50-meter lap pool. She stopped to sleep only an hour and a half in that 51-hour leg. She listened to a podcast and told jokes to get through it.

Then she got on her bicycle to ride 2,240 miles, about 560 miles short of the longest distance across the continental United States . That took her about 11.5 days. The route took her on loops in mountains around a lake in the Parque Metropolitano de León.

Finally, she ran 524 miles in less than 12 days. She switched her sleep cycle so she could run through the night, when she would be fastest.

As Knoblach finished, she remembers thinking: "I'm glad that I won, but I'm really just excited to take my shoes off and go to sleep."

Knoblach speaks Spanish and made friends along the route, she said. Some brought her sunscreen, ice cream and other snacks.

A video from the finish line shows Knoblach, draped in the American flag, hugging everyone nearby.

A native daughter

Knoblach graduated from St. Cloud Christian School about six years ago. She lives in Boulder and attended the University of Colorado, where she studied education and Spanish.

She played volleyball and did some running as she grew up here, Knoblach said. She completed her first triathlon after high school and wanted to do more. It was a single Ironman: a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a marathon run (26.22 miles).

RELATED: St. Cloud woman to take part in 1st Ironman (2015)

Knoblach doesn't come back to St. Cloud often, but she still has friends here, Knoblach told the St. Cloud Times last week.

"St. Cloud is very much where I'm from. Minnesota is very much where I'm from," she said. "Minnesota's always going to feel like home."

Knoblach's father, Jim Knoblach, was a long-time state representative for St. Cloud and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. She alleged that he behaved inappropriately toward her in a 2018 Minnesota Public Radio story.

Her father denied the allegations and described Knoblach as estranged from the family as the story broke last fall. He suspended his re-election campaign at that time.

Young for the sport

As Knoblach entered the world of ultra triathlons in the last few years, fellow athletes became her friends and her community.

"I really love the people in this sport," Knoblach said.

And they love her.

"Laura always smiles. That's her signature," said Wayne Kurtz, who's written books on training for ultra triathlons. "She's just a great girl. I call her 'kid.'"

Knoblach stood out to Kurtz when they met a few years ago because she's young compared to other athletes in the ultra triathlon world.

She was competing in a double Ironman and was very outgoing and personable, Kurtz remembered.

RELATED: Knoblach is youngest woman to finish double triathlon (2016)

"It was refreshing seeing some new blood," Kurtz said. "She just blended in perfectly."

Last year Kurtz organized the deca triathlon in New Orleans, equal to 10 Ironmans, which Knoblach finished. And he was there in Mexico this year, supporting and rooting for American athletes like Knoblach.

"Laura was in the same, joyful fashion," Kurtz said. "She didn't look like she was in pain, but I knew she was in pain"

Ultra triathlons are 60% to 70% mental, he said. You have to manage your head and manage your feet.

How did she get through it?

Knoblach prepared for her double deca triathlon, in part, by using a bike trainer under her desk while she worked eight hours from home each day.

She works for Boco Gear as a manager of sales reps and as the CEO's assistant. Boco and Deboer sponsor Knoblach as a semi-professional athlete.

She works 40 hours a week and trains up to 30 hours a week, she said.

Knoblach would go for long hikes in the mountains with friends or hop on her bike with sleeping bag in tow and see how far she could go, she said.

"I climbed a lot of mountains getting ready for this race," Knoblach said. "Making an adventure is a fun way to train for something like this."

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A lot of those rides, runs and adventures happened with other people.

"That's really special," Knoblach said. "You end up getting really close with the people you train with and the people you race with."

Shanda Hill is a Canadian ultra triathlete who is competitive with Knoblach when they're in a race. And they're "good buds" the rest of the time, Hill said.

They spent last Christmas together.

There aren't a lot of women, and there aren't a lot of young people in the sport, Hill said. And Knoblach has done an excellent job.

"She's really grown up. It's really neat," Hill said. "It's beautiful to watch."

What's next?

Being a woman may help Knoblach thrive in the grueling weeks required for ultra triathlons.

Women have higher body fat percentages than men, Knoblach said. Those reserves can help in long races.

She lost about 20 pounds during her double deca race because she couldn't replace all the calories burned.

"Women do really well in ultra sports," Knoblach said. "Even though women have less representation in ultra sports, they tend to have higher finishing rates."

Ultimately Knoblach would like to complete a race equal to 50 Ironman triathlons, which is the men's record number of back-to-back Ironmans.

"That is my end goal, to break the men's record for consecutive Ironmans," Knoblach said. "I'm on track to do it."

She's also talking with sponsors now to see if she can become fully professional.

Next year, Knoblach plans to finish a triple deca race, equal to 30 Ironmans, which Kurtz is organizing.

That's one Ironman a day for 30 days.

"I have full faith that she'll finish it," Kurtz said.