Laura Knoblach (photo: Jim Knoblach)
The daughter of a prominent Minnesota lawmaker is attempting this weekend to become the youngest woman ever to complete a full double triathlon. 21-year-old Laura Knoblach is competing in Florida and her father, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jim Knoblach from Saint Cloud, says “I’m not entirely sure where she got this interest. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily from me.” The event requires swimming 4.8 miles, bicycling 224 miles and then running two consecutive marathons for a total of 52.4 miles — all in no more than 36 hours. Knoblach says his daughter first went running with him when she was nine years old, did some serious hiking out west when she was 12, and has gotten more and more into endurance sports.