COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The most competitive run-bike-run event in the nation is headed back to Lakeside Park in Greenville, South Carolina, this weekend, as nearly 1,000 athletes toe the line for the USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships. The event returns to Greenville for the second consecutive year, as competitors ages 15-87 chase national titles and ITU Age Group World Championship roster spots.

Racing begins Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET with the Draft-Legal Sprint Duathlon National Championships, which feature a 5-kilometer run, 18-kilometer bike and another 2.85-kilometer run. The fast-paced draft-legal format, which encourages riding in packs and working together on the bike, is strategic and technical. This format is common in elite-level racing and is growing in popularity at the age-group (amateur) level. 

The action continues Sunday at 7:30 a.m. with the Non-Drafting Standard Duathlon National Championships, featuring an 8.45k run, 39k bike and 4.5k run. The non-drafting format rewards individual effort versus group tactics on the bike, as athletes must be separated by several bike lengths during the cycling portion. Concluding the weekend are the Non-Drafting Sprint Duathlon National Championships, which cover a 5k run, 18.2k bike and 2.85k run.

Eleven national champions from 2018 return to Saturday’s draft-legal race, including men’s overall champion Todd Buckingham (Big Rapids, Mich.) and overall men’s runner-up Derek Stone (Nashville, Tenn.). Buckingham and Stone each won their respective age groups last year, but for 2019, Buckingham ages up to join Stone in the men’s 30-34 division. Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn., F40-44), the overall runner-up for women last year, also returns to the start line. Sass ages up to the women’s 40-44 category this year and is therefore eligible for Masters awards; she will be up against defending women’s Masters champion Jamie Martens (Mission, Kan., F40-44). 

Alex Arman (Boulder, Colo., M30-34), the defending men’s overall champion in the non-drafting standard-distance race, will go for back-to-back titles. In total, 15 defending champions will toe the line in the standard-distance, including women’s Grand Masters champion Kirsten Chapman (Edmond, Okla., F55-59). 

Seventeen defending champions in the non-drafting sprint will compete in Greenville, including women’s overall champion Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo., F15-19). Hickey has shown she is in top form this season, winning the USA Triathlon High School National Championships last weekend in Tempe, Arizona. Patton Sims (Sterlington, La., M15-19), the men’s overall runner-up in 2018, also returns to the start line. The 2018 women’s Masters champion Celia Dubey (Tarpon Springs, Fla., F45-49), women’s Grand Masters champion Jocelyn Shilling (Saylorsburg, Pa., F55-59) and PC Open (para-duathlon) champion Ulf Oesterle (East Syracuse, N.Y.) also return to the start line.

For all three races, top finishers in each age group will qualify to represent Team USA in duathlon competition at the 2020 ITU Multisport World Championships in Almere, the Netherlands. For complete details on Team USA, comprised of the top amateur multisport athletes who represent the U.S. at each ITU Age Group World Championship event, visit usatriathlon.org/teamusa.

Duathlon Nationals participants, fans and media can access event information and track athletes’ progress on course via the USA Triathlon Events App. The app, which features detailed athlete tracking, live leaderboards, event schedules and more, is free to download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. A desktop version of the app is also available by clicking here.

For complete Duathlon Nationals information, visit usatriathlon.org/du2019. To apply for media credentials for onsite coverage, please fill out the USA Triathlon National Events Media Credential Request Form.

Draft-Legal Sprint Duathlon Defending Champions
Male Overall: Todd Buckingham (Big Rapids, Mich.), aging up to M30-34
Derek Stone (Nashville, Tenn.), M30-34
Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), aging up to F40-44
Jamie Martens (Mission, Kan.), F40-44
Ute Nestler (Plano, Texas), F45-49
Mark Hecox (Salem, N.H.), aging up to M55-59
Marty Stiegmann (Glen Allen, Va.), M55-59
Ruth King (Ambler, Pa.), F65-69 
Larry Mayse (Alpharetta, Ga)., M70-74
Sharon Gerl (Springfield, Ore.), F70-74
Kenneth Fleischhacker (Littleton, Colo.), M80-84

Non-Drafting Standard Duathlon Defending Champions
Male Overall: Alex Arman (Boulder, Colo.), M30-34
Oliver Porter (Asheville, N.C.), aging up to M20-24
Gatlin Holland (Fultondale, Ala.), M20-24
Stephen Eles (Houghton, Mich.), aging up to M40-44
Nicholas Watson (Grand Rapids, Mich.), M40-44
Ute Nestler (Plano, Texas), F45-49
David Engstrom (Beaverton, Ore.), M50-54
Steph Popelar (Elizabeth, Colo.), F50-54
Shane Thread (Newburgh, Ind.), M55-59
Kirsten Chapman (Edmond, Okla.), F55-59
Heather Leach (Seattle, Wash.), F60-64
David Lowe (West Chester, Pa.), M70-74 
Sharon Gerl (Springfield, Ore.), F70-74
Lockett Wood (Lyons, Colo.), aging up to M80-84
Sharon Roggenbuck (Hillsborough, N.C.), F80-84

Non-Drafting Sprint Duathlon Defending Champions
Women’s Overall: Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.), F15-19
Patton Sims (Sterlington, La.), M15-19
Vonetta Trotter (New York, N.Y.), aging up to F30-34
Jennifer Kryzanowski (Lexington, S.C.), F30-34
Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), aging up to F40-44
Jamie Martens (Mission, Kan.), F40-44
Celia Dubey (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), F45-49
Brian Fancher (N. Charleston, S.C.), M50-54
Steph Popelar (Elizabeth, Colo.), F50-54
Marty Stiegmann (Glen Allen, Va.), M55-59
Jocelyn Shilling (Saylorsburg, Pa.), F55-59
David Morrow (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), M65-69
Larry Mayse (Alpharetta, Ga)., M70-74
Ruth Hamilton (McLean, Va.), F70-74
Donald Ardell (Gulfport, Fla.), M80-84
Wayne Fong (Chatsworth, Calif.), M85-89
Ulf Oesterle (East Syracuse, N.Y.), PC Open

About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).