LAWRENCEBURG, Kentucky — Athletes from around the country raced in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, on Sept. 20 for the 2025 USA Triathlon Long Course National Championships, hosted in partnership with Team Kentucky and the Wildman Triathlon Experience.
Featuring the Long Course Triathlon, Long Course Duathlon and Long Course Aquabike National Championships, the event challenged athletes on a scenic course through the rolling Bluegrass hills of Central Kentucky.
The course, located west of Lexington, featured a swim in the pristine Taylorsville Lake, a bike route on rolling hills with over 3,500 feet of elevation gain, and a run along winding, tree-lined country roads. The Wildman Triathlon Experience’s name comes from the famed territories of the “Wildman” in historic Anderson County, where recorded sightings of a Bigfoot-like creature date back to the 1700s.
Athletes racing in the Long Course Triathlon National Championship completed a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile marathon, and athletes racing in the Long Course Duathlon National Championship completed a 3.1-mile run, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run. Athletes racing in the Long Course Aquabike National Championship completed a 1.2-mile swim and 56-mile bike.
Long Course Triathlon National Championships
Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.) was the fastest athlete — among women and men — in the Long Course Triathlon National Championships, clocking the best time of the day and earning the women’s overall title in a time of 4 hours, 43 minutes, 50 seconds. Caroline Massey (Guilford, Ct.) followed in second in 5:00:04, while Liv Devitt (Decatur, Georgia) placed third in 5:19:37.
Chris Phillips (Paducah, Ky.) placed first in the men’s Long Course Triathlon National Championship in a time of 4 hours, 47 minutes, and 25 seconds. Aaron Gieser (Independence, Ky.) placed second in 4:48:36 and Derek Quong (San Francisco, Calif.) placed third in 4:54:42.
Adam Wright (Nashville, Tenn.) placed first in the Clydesdale category in a time of 6:01:57. William Jankowski (Avon, Indiana) placed second in 7:26:19.
Long Course Duathlon National Championships
In the Long Course Duathlon National Championships, Stephen Eles (Boulder, Colo.) placed first in a time of 4:13:58, followed by Colin Lough (Farifax, Va.) in 4:19:38. Ryan Addlesberger (Dover, Pa.) placed third in a time of 4:23:10.
Karoline Muehlfellner (Dunedin, Fla.) placed first overall in the women’s race in a time of 5:28:04. Kacie Gaustad (West Terre Haute, Ind.) placed second in 5:30:29 and Karen Frum (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) placed third in 5:39:18.
Long Course Aquabike National Championships
Reece McGregor (Englewood, Colo.) placed first overall in the Long Course Aquabike National Championship in a time of 2:50:43. Jared Gentile (Washington, Pa.) placed second in 2:58:39 and P.J. Arling (Cincinnati, Ohio) placed third in 3:00:00.
Jordyn Bloode (New Carlisle, Ind.) placed first overall in the women’s race in 3:20:41, followed by Melissa Puppa-Lasher (Cordova, Tenn.) in 3:21:17. Erin Byrge (Topsail Beach, N.C.) placed third in 3:21:34.
Byrge also led the Athena category, followed by Rozanne Larsen (Washington, D.C.) in 3:47:40 and Katharine Posner (Ashburn, Va.) in 4:23:30.
Lance Fargo (Reisterstown, Md.) placed first in the Clydesdale category in a time of 3:14:58.
All three events were qualifying races for USA Triathlon Age Group Team USA. You can learn more about Age Group Team USA here and see qualification standards here.
Learn more about USA Triathlon National Championships here.
