BEND, Ore. -- The best duathletes in the United States raced for national titles on Saturday at the 2016 USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships, led by elite champions Alycia Hill and Matt Lieto, age-group standard winners Jesse Dunn and Kirsten Sass and sprint victors Keith Jackson and Sarah Barber.
The day's events began with the elites on the standard 10-kilometer run, 40-kilometer bike, 5-kilometer run course, where Lieto posted the day's fastest time of 1 hour, 58 minutes, 48 seconds to win a national title in only his second-ever duathlon. Hill won the women's title in 2:13:49 in her first duathlon event.
Alycia Hill won the women's elite Duathlon Nationals title on Saturday. (Rich Cruse/crusephoto.com)
"It's great to see USAT come here for national champs," said Lieto, an elite triathlete who typically races long-course triathlon events and lives along the bike route for the race in Bend. "For me it's always challenging yourself to different aspects of racing. My glaring weakness in triathlon is the run, so doing a duathlon where you bookend my strength with two runs is not ideal, but it forces me to get outside of my comfort zone and stretch myself, and I'll be better prepared for my next triathlon."
Dunn (Logan, Utah) had the fastest time of the day in the standard race, earning the overall title and the men's 25-29 title in 1:59:17. Lee Piercy (Folsom, Calif.) had the second-fastest time of the day, picking up the men's 40-44 title in 2:00:40, and two-time defending champion Matthew Payne took third overall and the men's 35-39 title in 2:01:33 after sustaining a 2-minute penalty.
Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.) successfully defended her overall standard title, finishing in 2:14:53. Her time, which was more than 3 minutes faster than the rest of the women's field, was also good enough to clinch the 35-39 title. Brianna Troksa (Veradale, Wash.) won the women's 20-24 title with the second-fastest overall time in 2:18:03, and Stephanie Pancoast grabbed the women's 25-29 title in 2:20:09 for third overall.
Sass also won the 35-39 title in the sprint race later in the day, clocking in at 1:08:44 for third overall, while Barber (Boise, Idaho) claimed the overall title in 1:08:32 on the 5k run, 20k bike, 2.5k run course. Barber won the women's 40-44 age group and the Masters title en route to her overall win. Jane Tullis (Rome, Ga.) was second overall and the winner of the women's 15-19 age group who crossed the line in 1:08:39.
"USA Triathlon does an amazing job putting on these events," Sass said. "This course was pristine. There's nothing like brand new pavement on a bike course. It was definitely challenging with the hills, both on the run and the bike. I don't think you can find a better bike-in anywhere. I find the national championships are a chance to test yourself, to test your fitness. I find it hugely inspiring. Where else can you go to compete against the best of the best in the states? USA Triathlon treats us like pros at these events."
Jackson (Roseland, Va.) won the sprint title for the men and the 20-24 age group in 59:59, while Adam Goulet (Portland, Ore.) was second overall in 1:01:13. Goulet's time also clinched his win in the men's 30-34 age group. Brian Schur (Kennewick, Wash.) was third overall and the men's 40-44 and Masters winner in 1:03:43.
In total, nearly 600 athletes crossed the finish line on Saturday at Bend's Summit High School, a first-time host of USA Triathlon's Duathlon Nationals. The athletes included men's 85-plus winner Lew Hollander, who lives in nearby Redmond, Oregon.
"I've raced all over the world - Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, Sweden - you can't imagine a country I haven't raced in. I like it because I can get around and it's a part of my life," said Hollander, who holds the record as the oldest IRONMAN World Championship finisher. "So how do I like being home? I love it. Just get up in the morning and drive over here."
The day's fastest Duathlon Nationals competitors qualified for the 2017 ITU Multisport World Championships Festival in Penticton, British Columbia, where world championship titles will be awarded to duathletes competing in standard and draft-legal sprint events. In the standard National Championship race, the top 18 finishers in each agegroup, rolling down to 25th place, qualified for Team USA. In the sprint race the top eight finishers per age group also qualified. The 2017 ITU Duathlon World Championships are tentatively scheduled for Aug. 19-20, 2017.
Team USA is comprised of the nation's top amateur multisport athletes who represent the U.S. at each ITU World Championships event. Visit USATriathlon.org for more information on USA Triathlon's Team USA program.
2016 USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships
Click here for complete results
Standard-Distance National Champions
10k run, 40k bike, 5k run
Elite National Champions
Female Overall: Alycia Hill (Salt Lake City, Utah), 2:13:49
Male Overall: Matt Lieto (Bend, Ore.), 1:58:48
Age-Group National Champions
Female Overall: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 2:14:53
Male Overall: Jesse Dunn (Logan, Utah), 1:59:17
Female Masters: Manuela Knispel (Shorewood, Minn.), 2:23:16
Male Masters: Lee Piercy (Folsom, Calif.), 2:00:40
Female Grand Masters: Bridget Dawson (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), 2:27:45
Male Grand Masters: Bob Rosemeyer (Carlsbad, Calif.), 2:24:39
F17-19: Ashlyn Cummins (Duluth, Minn.), 3:46:02
M17-19: Jared Eytcheson (Cary, N.C.), 2:18:41
F20-24: Brianna Troksa (Veradale, Wash.), 2:18:03
M20-24: Evan Pardi (Yachats, Ore.), 2:02:46
F25-29: Stephanie Pancoast (San Francisco, Calif.), 2:20:09
M25-29: Jesse Dunn (Logan, Utah), 1:59:17
F30-34: Jennifer Scudiero (Eagan, Minn.), 2:25:56
M30-34: Bryce Nesbitt (San Diego, Calif.), 2:09:38
F35-39: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 2:14:53
M35-39: Matthew Payne (Golden Valley, Minn.), 2:01:33
F40-44: Jacqueline Sasaki (Chico, Calif.), 2:27:51
M40-44: Lee Piercy (Folsom, Calif.), 2:00:40
F45-49: Manuela Knispel (Shorewood, Minn.), 2:23:16
M45-49: Thomas Woods (Lincoln, Neb.), 2:03:30
F50-54: Kathryn Key (Bedford, N.H.), 2:32:39
M50-54: Marcus Alexander (Chapel Hill, N.C.), 2:12:36
F55-59: Bridget Dawson (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), 2:27:45
M55-59: James Hannon (Rochester, Minn.), 2:12:46
F60-64: Teresa Kludt (Chico, Calif.), 2:49:33
M60-64: Bob Rosemeyer (Carlsbad, Calif.), 2:24:39
F65-69: Vicki McCloskey (Henniker, N.H.), 3:05:12
M65-69: Bob Becker (Midlothian, Va.), 2:26:50
F70-74: Mary Ann Bachus (Chico, Calif.), 3:39:27
M70-74: Kerry Mayer (Brookfield, Wis.), 2:32:11
M75-79: Lockett Wood (Lyons, Colo.), 3:29:18
Sprint-Distance National Champions
5k run, 20k bike, 2.5k run
Female Overall: Sarah Barber (Boise, Idaho), 1:08:32
Male Overall: Keith Jackson (Roseland, Va.), 59:59
Female Masters: Sarah Barber (Boise, Idaho), 1:08:32
Male Masters: Brian Schur (Kennewick, Wash.), 1:03:43
Female Grand Masters: Valerie Eipper (Longmont, Colo.), 1:15:13
Male Grand Masters: Russ Jones (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), 1:13:44
F15-19: Jane Tullis (Rome, Ga.), 1:08:39
M15-19: Patrick Wells (Burbank, Calif.), 1:05:24
F20-24: Haley Tadler (North Salt Lake, Utah), 1:15:33
M20-24: Keith Jackson (Roseland, Va.), 59:59
F25-29: Karah Osterberg (North Aurora, Ill.), 1:14:03
M25-29: Brad Haag (Bend, Ore.), 1:08:39
F30-34: Courtney Wiseman (Corona, Calif.), 1:12:08
M30-34: Adam Goulet (Portland, Ore.), 1:01:13
F35-39: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 1:08:44
M35-39: Ryan Farnsworth (Evansville, Wis.), 1:08:05
F40-44: Sarah Barber (Boise, Idaho), 1:08:32
M40-44: Brian Schur (Kennewick, Wash.), 1:03:43
F45-49: Christine Quantz (Soap Lake, Wash.), 1:12:33
M45-49: Thomas Woods (Lincoln, Neb.), 1:04:28
F50-54: Jodie Bolt (Lakewood, Wash.), 1:14:09
M50-54: Fred Bunn (East Grand Rapids, Mich.), 1:06:03
F55-59: Valerie Eipper (Longmont, Colo.), 1:15:13
M55-59: Kerry Ferrell (Auburn, Wash.), 1:05:07
F60-64: Patricia Driscoll (Stowe, Vt.), 1:25:24
M60-64: Russ Jones (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), 1:13:43
F65-69: Sharon Gerl (Springfield, Ore.), 1:24:23
M65-69: Jean Pierre Bacle (Alexandria, Va.), 1:16:42
F70-74: Heysoon Lee (Morristown, N.J.), 1:42:38
M70-74: Mike McCarty (New Bedford, Mass.), 1:23:45
F75-79: Margaret Bomberg (Chico, Calif.), 2:41:34
M75-79: George Nye (Monterey, Calif.), 1:46:03
M80-84: Kenneth Fleischhacker (Littleton, Colo.), 1:50:52
F85-89: Madonna Buder (Spokane, Wash.), 2:05:34
M85-89: Lew Hollander (Redmond, Ore.), 2:02:34
Paraduathlon National Champions
FPT-3: Brittany Webster (Liberty Lake, Wash.), 1:47:31
MPT-5: Jeff Gray (Happy Valley, Ore.), 1:50:46
| About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 races and connects with nearly 500,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches and race directors on the grassroots level, USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
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