5 Coloradans Among Super Sprint Triathlon Winners on Inaugural Day of USA Triathlon Multisport National Championships

IRVING, Texas — The first day of multisport racing at the inaugural 2022 USA Triathlon Multisport National Championships Festival kicked off Thursday afternoon at Levy Event Plaza in Irving, Texas, as age group athletes from around the U.S. competed in the Super Sprint Triathlon Time Trial National Championships and an open water swim competition.

Five Colorado age-group athletes claimed victories in the Super-Sprint Time Trial National Championships: Alexandra Schwein (Broomfield, F25-29), Paige Orcutt (Littleton, F30-34), Alicia Caldwell (Denver, F60-64), Susan Griffin-Kaklikian (Colorado Springs, F65-69), and Kenneth Fleischhacker (Littleton, M85-89).

The new four-day Multisport National Championships Festival encompasses six of USA Triathlon’s National Championship events and is a celebration of multisport’s diverse group of race formats. On Thursday, swim-bike-run athletes competed for age group national titles in the first Super Sprint Triathlon Time Trial National Championships, a new addition to USA Triathlon’s National Championships lineup.

Starting one-by-one in a time-trial format, athletes raced a super sprint distance course consisting of a 250-meter swim in Lake Carolyn and a 5-kilometer bike and 1.2k run along Las Colinas Boulevard. The distance is a shortened version of the standard sprint distance of a 750m swim, 20k bike and 5k run. With the short distance, athletes sped through the fast and flat course.

A familiar name on the podium at USA Triathlon National Championships, Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.) won her 24th national title, taking the overall women’s championship with a time of 17 minutes, 49 seconds. Sass, 43, won the race on the bike, clocking a field-best time of 7:42.

“Racing the super sprint distance is so much fun. It’s so short and just all-out from the get-go,” said Sass, who plans to compete in six races over the weekend. Last summer, Sass competed at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 as a guide for visually-impaired Paralympian Amy Dixon. “The biggest challenge (of racing six events) will be the standard-distance duathlon just because of the amount of running involved. I have to go a little more conservative there. But it’s so fun to have so many different events all over the same weekend.”

Sass’s time on the bike vaulted her ahead of 16-year-old Shantelle Tupaz (Pleasanton, Calif.) who placed second in 18:06 to take the 15-19 age group title win. Forty-year-old Michelle Christine (Leesburg, Va.) finished third on the overall podium with a time of 19:04.

In the men’s race, 18-year-old Brave Mays (Aubrey, Texas) won the overall men’s title in a time of 15:39, edging out Miguel Mattox (Mill Valley, Calif.) who finished in 15:42 to take the men’s 25-29 age group title. Twenty-seven-year-old Garett Mayeaux (Frisco, Texas) took third overall in 15:51.

Mays relished the opportunity to go “full gas” and race the super sprint distance.

“I love it. I love it even more than the long stuff. You get to see what you’re made of,” Mays said. “When it’s short, I’m trying to run down these guys, it’s close, it’s all happening so fast. Those seconds make a difference.”

Sass won the women’s Masters title, while Todd Rickets (Newark, Ohio) took the men’s Masters title with a time of 17:01.

Lauren Jensen McGinnis (Muskego, Wis.) earned the women’s Grand Masters national title with a time of 19:42 and Bobby Gonzales (El Paso, Texas) won the men’s Grand Masters national title in 18:46.

In the Clydesdale & Athena categories, Ashley Ingram (McKinney, Texas) earned the Athena 39 and under national title with a time of 24:40, while Kevin Gaston (Atlanta, Ga.), won the Clydesdale 39 and under national title in 23:25.

Katharine Posner (Ashburn, Va.) won the Athena 40-54 national title in 25:13 and Suzanne Mahler Brown (Cane Ridge, Tenn.) won the Athena 55+ national title in 29:23.

Lance Fargo (Ocean View, Del.) added to his Clydesdale national championship collection, winning the Clydesdale 40-59 title in a time of 19:59. Mike Savage (Geneva, Ill.) earned the Clydesdale 60+ national title in 24:24.

Athletes also raced in a non-championship open-water swim competition, a 750-meter swim in Lake Carolyn.

Mattox, racing in both events on Thursday, took the overall win in the men’s event with a time of 9:49. Dougin Walker, USA Triathlon’s 2021 Age Group Triathlete of the Year, placed second in the men’s race with a time of 10:11. Ahmed Zaher (Dallas, Texas) took third overall in 10:20.

In the women’s race, 15-year-old Averi Duncan (Lubbock, Texas) won with a time of 11:28. Susan Smith (Williamsport, Pa.) placed second in 11:43 and Amy Hughes (Rockwall, Texas) placed third in 11:58.

Athletes will return to Levy Event Plaza for the second day of racing on Friday for the Draft-Legal Sprint Triathlon National Championships (750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run) and the Aquathlon National Championships (2.5k run, 1,000m swim, 2.5k run).

Super-Sprint Time Trial National Championships
250m swim, 5k bike, 1.2k run

Overall Female: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 17:49
Overall Male: Brave Mays (Aubrey, Texas), 15:39
Masters Female: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 17:49
Masters Male: Todd Ricketts (Newark, Ohio), 17:01
Grand Masters Female: Lauren Jensen McGinnis (Muskego, Wis.), 19:42
Grand Masters Male: Bobby Gonzales (El Paso, Texas), 18:46
Athena 39 and under: Ashley Ingram (McKinney, Texas), 24:40
Clydesdale 39 and under: Kevin Gaston (Atlanta, Ga.), 23:25
Athena 40-54: Katharine Posner (Ashburn, Va.), 25:13
Athena 55+: Suzanne Mahler Brown (Cane Ridge, Tenn.) 29:23
Clydesdale 40-59: Lance Fargo (Ocean View, Del.), 19:59
Clydesdale 60+: Mike Savage (Geneva, Ill.), 24:24
Female PC: Skyler Fisher (Dallas, Texas), 1:07:31
Male PC: Jayden Chapman (Tyler, Texas), 1:34:04
F15-19: Shantelle Tupaz (Pleasanton, Calif.), 18:06
M15-19: Brave Mays (Aubrey, Texas), 15:39
F20-24: No competitors
M20-24: Matthew McGoey (Selinsgrove, Pa.), 17:16
F25-29: Alexandra Schwein (Broomfield, Colo.), 19:12
M25-29: Miguel Mattox (Mill Valley, Calif.), 15:42
F30-34: Paige Orcutt (Littleton, Colo.), 19:29
M30-34: Todd Buckingham (Wyoming, Mich.), 16:17
F35-39: Kristin Kurokawa (McKinney, Texas), 19:24
M35-39: Phillip Young (Memphis, Tenn.), 17:45
F40-44: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 17:49
M40-44: Todd Ricketts (Newark, Ohio), 17:01
F45-49: Kimberly Wikel (Milan, Ohio), 19:58
M45-49: Cameron Hamilton (McLean, Va.), 17:35
F50-54: Katherine Meltzer (Jersey City, N.J.), 20:22
M50-54: Timothy Newberg (Atlanta, Ga.), 18:12
F55-59: Lauren Jensen McGinnis (Muskego, Wis.) 19:42
M55-59: Andrew Kelsey (Hopkinton, Mass.), 17:19
F60-64: Alicia Caldwell (Denver, Colo.), 21:09
M60-64: Bobby Gonzales (El Paso, Texas), 18:46
F65-69: Susan Griffin-Kaklikian (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 22:15
M65-69: Ron Gierut (Davenport, Iowa), 19:11
F70-74: Cande Olsen (Morristown, N.J.), 26:55
M70-74: Rick Kozlowski (San Diego, Calif.), 20:45
F75-79: Ruth Hamilton (Mclean, Va.), 27:43
M75-79: Larry Nelson (Hixon, Tenn.), 28:30
F80-84: June Black (Austin, Texas), 35:50
M80-84: Arby Kitzman (Morro Bay, Calif.), 28:42
M85-89: Kenneth Fleischhacker (Littleton, Colo.), 31:21

Open Water Swim Competition
750m
Overall Female: Averi Duncan (Lubbock, Texas), 11:28
Overall Male: Miguel Mattox (Mill Valley, Calif.), 9:49
Female 60 and over: Judy Bablok (Cleveland, Ohio), 12:26
Male 60 and over: Mike Margot (San Marcos, Texas), 11:59
Female 40-59: Susan Smith (Williamsport, Pa.), 11:43
Male 40-59: Dougin Walker (Tampa, Fla.), 10:11
Female: 15-39: Averi Duncan (Lubbock, Texas), 11:28
Male: 15-39: Miguel Mattox (Mill Valley, Calif.), 9:49
Female PC Open: Skyler Fisher (Dallas, Texas), 14:30
Male PC Open: Michael Smith (McKinney, Texas), 20:13