FEATURES

2025 Masters of the Year: Tiff & Josh...

Wednesday, 19 November 2025 00:10

By Bonnie & Clyde

The two of us are in clomplete agreement that Josh Blankenheim and Tiffany Kari-Cizmas most richly deserve the 2025 Master of the Year honors. Here is our reasoning:

Male MOY - 

Bonnie – For me, this was a slam-dunk category. Thad Ingersoll and Andy Wiberg had solid results, but Josh Blankenheim's were spectacular. Three starts, one course record, one overall masters record, and one AG record. His resume earned him a TOY nomination. So, Josh, who was the Male MOY last year, is my pick for this year's honor.

Clyde -  I was impressed by Thad’s Ironman Wisconsin age group win, and Andy’s Des Moines 70.3 performance. However, compared to his 40+ year-old peers, Duluth’s top-dog Josh Blankenheim was in another league and had himself not just a Master of the Year-worthy season, but one that put him in contention for Triathlete of the Year, too.
 

Female MOY - 

Bonnie – A pair of 45-year-old Duluthians are my picks for 2025 Master of the Year. Joining Josh Blankenheim as my men's pick is Tiffany Kari-Cizmas, whose results landed her in the 4th spot on Team Minnesota. If we were naming four TOY nominees, Tiff would have been that fourth selection. Andrea Myers is an eight-time MOY nominee, and 2024 MOY Becky Youngberg had solid seasons, but Tiff's resume was clearly superior.

Check out her scorecard:

1st overall Woman @ Buzz Ryan – CR/MR
3rd overall woman @ Timberman Olympic
3rd overall woman / 1st Master @ Maple Grove Olympic
3rd AG @ USAT Olympic Nationals
6th overall woman / 1st AG @ Chattanooga 69.1 – 4:02:18
6th overall woman / 1st AG @ Michigan 70.3 – 4:44:02! (MOV – 18:00)

Clyde - : Andrea stuck to sprint-distance racing this season, and once again performed well enough to earn a Master of the Year nomination. Becky raced both Olympic and Half distances in 2025, with impressive results at both. However, Tiffany Kari Cizmas clearly had the most impressive 40+ year-old resume this season. Tiff raced 6 times, ranging from Sprints to Halfs, performing well at all distances. Especially impressive were her Buzz Ryan course record and her 4:44:32 at 70.3 Michigan.