Champions Crowned at the 2025 USA Triathlon Winter National Championships in Colorado

The weekend kicked off on Saturday, Feb. 15 with the Winter Duathlon National Championships. A fresh layer of snow and windy conditions made for a tough, cold start to the morning. Athletes competed in the Sprint Duathlon National Championships, consisting of a 3-kilomter run and 6k ski, or the Intermediate Duathlon National Championships, consisting of a 6k run and 12k ski. 

Stephen Eles (Boulder, Colo.), the 2023 USA Triathlon Male Masters Duathlon Athlete of the Year, finished first overall in the Sprint Duathlon National Championships in a time of 34 minutes and 44 seconds.  

Eles said, “I like the ski component more than the running, I’m a big runner, but running on snow is, you know, a little more challenging. I like to run in a trail shoe and put spikes on...it snowed a lot yesterday so it was good!” 

He was followed in by Adam Hodges (Boulder, Colo.) in 40:09, who won his 50-54 age group, and Pieter deHart (Middleton, Wis.) in 41:49. 

Autumn Ray (Tucson, Ariz.) finished first overall in the women’s sprint race in a time of 41:44. Jen Barchers (Dillon, Colo.) placed second in 48:58 and Jennifer deHart (Middleton, Wis.) finished third in a time of 52:38. Ray, Barchers and deHart swept the 45-49 age group. Leslie Battle (Warwick, R.I.) won the Athena category in a time of 1:58:43. 

“It’s quite a change [coming from Arizona], so this race is pretty much the accumulation of all my experiences,” said Ray. “I grew up cross-country skiing in Montana and did triathlons and was a marathoner, so when we bought a house here last year, I said ‘how do I do that next year?’ and here I am!” 

Kevin Konczak (Boulder, Colo.) took the overall title in the Intermediate Duathlon National Championships, in a time of 1:14:06. He was followed in by his running club teammate Chris Grauch (Nederland, Colo.) in 1:16:26 and Adam Holomoucky (Charlotte, N.C.) in a time of 1:22:37. Both Grauch and Holomoucky won their age groups, 50-54 and 25-29, respectively. 

“I ran with my teammate, Chris Grauch, who was second, and we ran together most of the run and came in together,” said Konczak. “I had some equipment issues in transition with my boots, couldn’t get them to buckle...it took me a lap to catch him...strategically, he stopped to take a drink, and I just kind of took off!” 

Jill Sorenson (Dillon, Colo.) placed first overall in the women’s category in a time of 1:24:57. She was followed in by second-place finisher, Dominique Stasulli (Boulder Colo.) in 1:28:44. Patricia Smaldone (Portland, Ore.) placed third in a time of 2:08:29. Both Stasulli and Smaldone placed first in their age groups, 30-34 and 55-59, respectively. 

“I’ve never done a winter triathlon...I thought it was awesome! It wasn’t too cold, the run was fun...I was a little slow and fell behind, but skate skiing is my favorite sport, so I had a lot of fun and felt like I was able to catch up,” Sorenson said, “I just love it, I always come out and have fun and I was smiling the whole ski, literally, it was great!” 

Athletes woke up to blue skies and freshly groomed powder on the second day of competition. Sunday’s events included the Sprint Triathlon National Championship and Intermediate Triathlon National Championship. The sprint triathlon consists of a 3k run, 5k bike and a 5k ski, and the intermediate triathlon includes a 6k run, 10k bike and 10k ski. Unlike normal road bikes, athletes ride a “fat bike” which features wider tires and heavier wheels to help pedal through snow and other various terrains. 

In the Sprint Triathlon National Championships, Stephen Eles (Boulder, Colo.), who took home the Sprint Duathlon overall title on Saturday, was cruising on Sunday morning, winning the overall title in 46:58. He was followed in by Russell Asleson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) in 1:04:01 and Travis Wales (Springville, Calif.) in 1:05:21. Both Asleson and Wales won their age groups, 70-74 and 55-59, respectively. 

Breckenridge local Meghan Henry won the overall women’s title in a time of 1:05:35, and was followed by Brigitte Aungier (Syracuse, N.Y.) in a time of 1:14:24. Aungier also won the 45-49 age group. Twenty-three-year-old Izzy Young (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earned third place in 1:14:42, and posted the fastest women’s run split of the morning at 17:45. 

Henry, who has been recovering from an injury, said, “I got injured about two months ago, so I’ve been riding my bike, and I'm like, ‘I’m going to start training for a winter triathlon just to give myself something to look forward to’...so it was great to come back to the scene. It’s so welcoming and everyone’s here to help each other and you like to see each other succeed, and you don’t see that very often in other sports.” 

In the Intermediate Triathlon National Championships, Alex Willis (Leadville, Colo.), took the tape in a time of 1:28:31. 

Willis, a third-generation ultra-triathlete, said, “[My favorite leg] was between the skate and the run...the course was awesome all around. I was really surprised at how well the fat bike route flowed, because sometimes they can get dicey or too soft, I was surprised, even with the snow and last-minute grooming, I thought it would be softer.” 

Local athlete, Taylor Shelden (Breckenridge, Colo.) followed in close behind at 1:30:58. Adam Holomoucky (Charlotte, N.C.), who won his age group in the Sprint Duathlon on Saturday, placed third overall and first in his age group, in a time of 1:40:46. 

Lisa Isom (Tennessee Pass, Colo.) placed first in the women’s race in a time of 1:42:37. Molly Hummel (Sante Fe, N.M.) placed second overall and first in the 40-45 age group in a time of 1:44:05, and Deanna McCurdy (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) placed third in 1:45:21. 

Isom, who coaches the high school nordic ski team in Vail, said, “The snow was perfect on every single lap. I love to do all three [specialties], and we live in winter wonderland, so...if you can borrow some equipment...I would love to see more young people getting into the sport!” 

Leslie Battle (Warwick, R.I.), who placed first in the sprint duathlon, swept the Athena categories, placing first overall in the Intermediate Duathlon in a time of 2:50:43. 

You can find information on all remaining 2025 USA Triathlon National Championships here. 

Complete Duathlon Results 

Complete Triathlon Results 

3k run, 6k ski 

Sprint Duathlon Compete Results 

Overall Male Stephen Eles, 34:44 

Overall Female Autumn Ray, 41:44 

Overall Athena Leslie Battle, 1:58:43 

M12 & Under Tristan Thomas, 2:02:10 

M30-34 Dan Neilson, 56:58 

F30-34 Marisa Borchardt, 1:09:24 

M40-44 Hans Almekinders, 59:22 

F40-44 Heather Perkins, 1:11:32 

M45-49 Stephen Eles, 34:44 

F45-49 Autumn Ray, 41:44 

M50-54 Adam Hodges, 40:09 

F50-54 Silvie Pierce, 55:54 

M55-59 Flavio De Simone, 45:41 

F55-59 May-li Cuypers, 1:16:46 

M60-64 Peter Borchardt, 1:24:48 

F60-64 Mari Steinbach, 1:16:19 

M65-69 Elisha Pierce, 58:41 

F65-69 Gunilla Gard, 1:03:58 

M70-74 Ward King, 1:06:24 

F70-74 Ruth King, 1:20:46 

6k run, 12k ski 

Intermediate Duathlon Complete Results 

Overall Male Kevin Konczak, 1:14:06 

Overall Female Jill Sorenson, 1:24:57 

M20-24 Peter Imhof, 1:53:06 

M25-29 Adam Holomoucky, 1:22:37 

F30-34 Dominique Stasulli, 1:28:44 

M45-49 Christian Botting, 2:03:53 

F45-49 Jill Sorenson, 1:24:57 

M50-54 Chris Grauch, 1:16:26 

M55-59 Kevin Konczak, 1:14:06 

F55-59 Patricia Smaldone, 2:08:29  

3k run, 5k bike, 5k ski 

Sprint Triathlon Complete Results  

Overall Male Stephen Eles, 46:58 

Overall Female Meghan Henry, 1:05:35 

M17-19 Jonathan Thai, 1:13:49

F20-24 Izzy Young, 1:14:42 

M25-29 Martin Lafargue, 1:21:52 

F30-34 Meghan Henry, 1:05:35 

F35-39 April Splide, 1:42:57 

M40-44 Hans Almekinders, 1:06:09 

F40-44 Heather Perkins, 1:20:48 

M45-49 Stephen Eles, 46:58 

F45-49 Brigitte Aungier, 1:14:24 

F50-54 Tanya Allen, 1:29:15 

M55-59 Travis Wales, 1:05:21 

F55-59 May-li Cuypers, 1:32:46 

M60-64 James Young, 1:19:23 

F60-64 Andrea Young, 1:27:51 

M65-69 Gordon Herwig, 1:08:34 

F65-69 Gunilla Gard, 1:16:39 

M70-74 Russell Asleson, 1:04:01 

F70-74 Shelly Bloom, 1:59:19 

M75-79 Richard Bagienski, 1:46:13 

6k run, 10k bike, 10k ski 

Intermediate Triathlon Complete Results 

Overall Male Alex Willis, 1:28:31 

Overall Female Lisa Isom, 1:42:37 

Overall Athena Leslie Battle, 2:50:43 

M25-29 Adam Holomoucky, 1:40:46 

F30-34 Lindsey Bermejo, 1:58:49 

M35-39 Alex Willis, 1:28:31 

F35-39 Meg Ravenscraft, 2:04:18 

F40-44 Molly Hummel, 1:44:05 

M45-49 Christian Botting, 2:18:48 

F45-49 Sarah Peltier, 2:20:14 

M50-54 Shane Vetter, 1:45:57 

F50-54 Lisa Isom, 1:42:37 

M55-59 Todd Logan, 1:54:58 

F55-59 Patricia Smaldone, 2:30:15 

F60-64 Robyn Dicesare, 2:26:26 

M65-69 Michael Felicissimo, 3:19:58 

M70-74 Greg Rosin, 2:25:58