Race Coverage

10 National Champions...

Monday, 21 July 2014 00:10

By USATriathlon.org

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Matthew Payne and Kirsten Sass captured overall standard-distance titles while Nathan Hoffman and Patty Peoples-Resh raced their way to overall sprint titles at the 2014 Life Time USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships, held Saturday at Harriet Island Regional Park.

Payne (Columbia Heights, Minn.) clocked in at 1 hour, 16 minutes, 25 seconds on the 4.6-kilometer run, 31.2-kilometer bike, 4.4-kilometer run to claim the overall victory as well as the male 35-39 age group title. Dave Slavinski (Point Pleasant, N.J.) posted a time of 1:16:46 for second overall and first in the male 40-44 age group and masters division. Thomas Woods (Lincoln, Neb.), also in the 40-44 age group, was third overall in 1:17:35.

“Really, I would say we have the most competitive duathlon scene anywhere right here,” Payne said. “I knew if I had a good race, I had ...

a shot. Any time you get something like this in your backyard, you have to do it.”

Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.) was the top finisher for the women, picking up the women’s overall title along with the win in the female 35-39 age group, finishing in 1:25:10. Dani Fischer (Wausau, Wis.) was second overall after a penalty set her finish time back to 1:26:06, which was still solid enough for the female 25-29 age group championship, and Brenda Williams (Cornville, Ariz.) sealed her female masters and 40-44 wins in 1:27:46, finishing third overall.

“I was hoping for a good day out there and just gave it what I had,” Sass said. “It’s a very supportive environment and that’s what drew me to triathlon in the first place, and that goes for duathlon as well. Everybody is out there encouraging everybody else, and I just think that’s incredible.”

In the sprint race, Hoffman (South Haven, Minn. - photo below) finished the 2.9k run, 20.8k bike, 2.7k run course in 50:40 for his first Duathlon Nationals title, also claiming the top spot in the male 30-34 age group. Bennett Isabella (Burnsville, Minn.) finished second overall and in the 30-34 age group with a time of 52:23, and Kevin O’Connor (Medina, Minn.) was third overall and first in the 40-44 age group, logging a time of 53:02. Isabella and O'Connor were among a small crowd of duathletes who competed in both the sprint- and standard-distance events on Saturday.

“My coach and I were pretty confident [that I could win]. That was the game plan, but you never know who is going to show up,” said Hoffman, who has faced off against other Minnesotan competitors in multisport events leading up to this event. “Matt Payne and I normally race each other, and I’m always chasing him. I thought about doing the standard distance, but I wanted to win overall.”

Peoples-Resh (Redlands, Calif.) claimed her second overall title in three years in the sprint race, besting the field in a time of 59:16. Peoples-Resh also won the female 55-59 age group and the female grand masters division title. Celia Dubey (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) was second overall and first in the 40-44 age group with a time of 1:00:24, and Isabel Speer (El Paso, Texas) finished in 1:00:52 for third overall and first in the 30-34 age group.

“It’s not always just about winning for yourself,” said Peoples-Resh, who dedicated her race performance to a friend and family members who had passed away last year. “Everyone has a cause out there, and whatever your personal goal is, that’s why you race. Look around – people are happy, people are moving, there’s so much camaraderie. Everybody is out here with some goal.”

St. Paul hosted Duathlon Nationals for the first time on Saturday, welcoming a field of nearly 600 athletes across the finish line. The event will return to the city in 2015, with a date to be announced later this fall.

Duathlon Nationals was also the sole qualifying event for the age-group 2015 Standard- and Sprint-Distance ITU Duathlon World Championships in Adelaide, South Australia, on Oct. 14-18, 2015. The top 18 finishers in each age group, rolling down to 25th place, qualified for Team USA and claimed their spots at the evening’s awards ceremony.

Team USA is comprised of the nation’s top multisport athletes who represent the U.S. at each ITU World Championships event. Visit usatriathlon.org for more on Team USA.

2014 Life Time USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships
Click here for complete results

Standard-Distance National Champions
4.6k run, 31.2k bike and 4.4k run
Female Overall: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 1:25:10
Male Overall: Matthew Payne (Columbia Heights, Minn.), 1:16:25
Female Masters: Brenda Williams (Cornville, Ariz.), 1:27:46
Male Masters: Dave Slavinski (Point Pleasant, N.J.), 1:16:46
Female Grand Masters: Heather Leach (Seattle, Wash.), 1:41:19
Male Grand Masters: David Burkhart (Brighton, Mich.), 1:27:23
F17-19: Paige Danielson (St. Cloud, Minn.), 1:34:52
M17-19: Timothy Winslow (Elk Grove, Calif.), 1:22:49
F20-24: Greta Danielson (St. Cloud, Minn.), 1:33:07
M20-24: Jacob Olsen (Mendota Heights, Minn.), 1:23:40
F25-29: Dani Fischer (Wausau, Wis.), 1:26:06
M25-29: Albert Harrison (Boone, N.C.), 1:17:43
F30-34: Jennifer Scudiero (Eagan, Minn.), 1:30:39
M30-34: Bennett Isabella (Burnsville, Minn.), 1:18:02 (photo below L)
F35-39: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 1:25:10
M35-39: Matthew Payne (Columbia Heights, Minn.), 1:16:25
F40-44: Brenda Williams (Cornville, Ariz.), 1:27:46
M40-44: Dave Slavinski (Point Pleasant, N.J.), 1:16:46
F45-49: Lisa Buohler (Lehigh Acres, Fla.), 1:31:55
M45-49: Kevin Konczak (Boulder, Colo.), 1:21:02
F50-54: Kirsten Chapman (Edmond, Okla.), 1:30:04
M50-54: Andy Ames (Boulder, Colo.), 1:21:39
F55-59: Heather Leach (Seattle, Wash.), 1:41:19
M55-59: James Hannon (Rochester, Minn.), 1:25:18
F60-64: Phyllis Yester (Downingtown, Pa.), 1:46:38
M60-64: David Burkhart (Brighton, Mich.), 1:27:23
F65-69: Vicki McCloskey (Henniker, N.H.), 1:52:26
M65-69: Lee Sobchak (Boise, Idaho), 1:37:54
F70-74: Heysoon Lee (Morristown, N.J.), 2:03:03
M70-74: Joe Carr (Blowing Rock, N.C.), 1:51:30
M75-79: Donald Ardell (St. Petersburg, Fla.), 1:53:32

Sprint-Distance National Champions
2.9k run, 20.8k bike, 2.7k run
Female Overall: Patty Peoples-Resh (Redlands, Calif.), 59:16
Male Overall: Nathan Hoffman (South Haven, Minn.), 50:40
Female Masters: Celia Dubey (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), 1:00:24
Male Masters: Kevin O’Connor (Medina, Minn.), 53:02
Female Grand Masters: Patty Peoples-Resh (Redlands, Calif.), 59:16
Male Grand Masters: David Morrow (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), 58:49
F19U: Rebecca Naughton (Des Moines, Iowa), 1:01:11
M19U: Timothy Winslow (Elk Grove, Calif.), 56:37
F20-24: Chelsea E Vancott (Oceanside, Calif.), 1:03:17
M20-24: Sean Price (Long Beach, Calif.), 55:16
F25-29: Lindsey Torgerson (Vass, N.C.), 1:04:49
M25-29: Chris Mayer (Atlanta, Ga.), 58:01
F30-34: Isabel Speer (El Paso, Texas), 1:00:52
M30-34: Nathan Hoffman (South Haven, Minn.), 50:40
F35-39: Elizabeth Sylves (Hockessin, Del.), 1:02:39
M35-39: Noah Rounds (Maple Grove, Minn.), 58:45
F40-44: Celia Dubey (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), 1:00:24
M40-44: Kevin O’Connor (Medina, Minn.), 53:02
F45-49: Jennifer Mason (Brentwood, Tenn.), 1:02:09
M45-49: Glen Thompson (Cornelius, N.C.), 53:53
F50-54: Kristin Villopoto (Chapel Hill, N.C.), 1:02:09
M50-54:Kerry Farrell (Federal Way, Wash.), 55:05
F55-59: Patty Peoples-Resh (Redlands, Calif.), 59:16
M55-59: Tim Nicholls (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 56:43
F60-64: Judith Shepard (Odessa, Fla.), 1:09:26
M60-64: David Morrow (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), 58:49
F65-69: Dawn Werneck (Bristol, Conn.), 1:16:23
M65-69: Mike McDowell (Swartz Creek, Mich.), 1:02:07
F70-74: Virginia Poyner (Sarasota, Fla.), 1:36:18
M70-74: Bill Gaertner (St. Francis, Wis.), 1:11:23
F75-79: Graciela Val (Evanston, Ill.), 1:32:26
M75-79: David Zwick (Somerset, Ky.), 1:20:07
F PC Open: Chris Wodke (Milwaukee, Wis.), 1:28:45
M PC Open: Larry Hicks (Pike Road, Ala.), 1:28:38