Athletes Earn Standard Duathlon & Aquabike National Titles at Multisport National Championships Festival

IRVING, Texas — Alex Arman, 34, (Boulder, Colo.) and Kirsten Sass, 44, (McKenzie, Tenn.) repeated as overall national champions in the Standard-Distance Duathlon National Championships, while Benjamin Stone (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Stephanie Oechsner (St. Peters, Mo.) won the Aquabike National Championships titles on Saturday at the 2023 USA Triathlon Multisport National Championships Festival. 
The fourth of five days of multisport racing, Saturday’s action at Levy Event Plaza featured duathlon (run-bike-run) and aquabike (swim-bike) specialists who raced for national titles in the Standard-Distance Duathlon National Championships and Aquabike National Championships. Athletes also raced for the opportunity to qualify to represent age group Team USA at 2024 World Triathlon Age Group World Championships. 
Athletes competing in the Standard-Distance Duathlon National Championships raced a 10-kilometer run, 40k bike and 5k run course through the Las Colinas community. 
Arman broke the tape in the men’s race, taking the overall title in 1 hour, 49 minutes, 34 seconds. The victory is Arman’s fourth at Duathlon Nationals, as he also captured the Standard-Distance overall title in 2022, 2021 and 2018. Racing in a strong field that took turns leading the bike, Arman pulled away on the second run to hold off Chris Hague (Simsbury, Conn.) who placed second, 8 seconds behind Arman in 1:49:42. 
“The second half of the run, that was just all guts. I had nothing left in my legs. It was a fantastic race with a great field of fast athletes,” said Arman, who encouraged athletes to give duathlon a try. “It’s a fantastic sport. I love it. You don’t have to worry about getting to the pool. It’s easy, right out the door to run and bike. If anyone wants a good test, duathlon is a fantastic sport.” 
Derek Stone (Westlake, Ohio) rounded out the overall podium, finishing third in 1:51:57. 
In the women’s race, Sass added to her national title count, clocking a time of 2:02:47 to win her third straight Standard-Distance Duathlon National Championship title. 

"Multisport National Championships is just amazing. The amount of events you can do, all the athletes who are here, from all ranges of abilities, is just amazing," Sass said. "The event truly has that community, supportive environment that I love about triathlon. Everyone multisport athlete should definitely check it out." 
Steph Popelar (Elizabeth, Colo.) took second in 2:06:54, while Peyton Hisel (Arlington, Texas) placed third in 2:07:15. 
In the Aquabike National Championships, athletes completed a 1,500 meter swim in Lake Carolyn and 40k bike on the streets through the Las Colinas community. Aquabike is one of the fastest-growing sports within the multisport disciplines. 
Benjamin Stone won the men’s national title in a time of 1:13:31, just edging out Todd Suttor (Boulder, Colo.), who finished in 1:13:44. Jackson Harrell (Novi, Mich.) earned the third spot on the overall podium in 1:15:26. 
Oechsner (St. Peters, Mo.) won the women’s national title with a time of 1:22:52, 1 minute ahead of 2022 Aquabike national champion Jenna Haufler (Mill Valley, Calif., 1:23:52). Katie Spoelman-Vanacker (Holland, Mich.) placed third overall in 1:27:28.
With the opportunity to race multiple events over the four-day span, more than 100 athletes are attempting to race five or more events for the chance to earn the title of “Multisport Master.” Athletes crowned as Multisport Master will receive a special belt buckle and be honored at the final Awards Ceremony on Sunday evening.
Photos and Video 
Click here to view and download official media photos of Multisport National Championships Festival. Credit to Archi Trujillo.
View the Saturday highlight video here.
2023 USA Triathlon Multisport National Championships Festival  
Irving, Texas

Standard Duathlon National Championships
10k run, 40k bike, 5k run
Overall Female: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 2:02:47
Overall Male: Alex Arman (Longmont, Colo.), 1:49:34
Athena 40-54: Leslie Battle (Warwick, R.I.), 2:57:38
Clydesdale 40-59: Lance Fargo (Ocean View, Del.), 2:36:07
Athena 39 and under: Ashley Miller (Urbandale, Iowa), 3:19:12
Clydesdale 39 and under: Royston Connors (Orland Park, Ill.), 3:40:39
PC Open: Trent Fielder (Burleson, Texas), 3:54:33
M20-24: William McElgunn (Ferndale, Mich.), 1:56:06
F20-24: Peyton Hisel (Arlington, Texas), 2:07:15
M25-29: Colin Catlin (Wabasha, Minn.), 1:56:32
F25-29: Kyla Persky (Miami Beach, Fla.), 2:21:32
M30-34: Chris Hague (Simsbury, Conn.), 1:49:42
F30-34: Audrey Suttor (Boulder, Colo.), 2:08:31
M35-39: Alex Arman (Longmont, Colo.), 1:49:34
F35-39: Stacy Osmond (Naperville, Ill.), 2:15:04
M40-44: Ryan Seguine (Whitefish, Mont.), 1:56:25
F40-44: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 2:02:47
M45-49: Toby Dogwiler (Springfield, Mo.), 1:54:39
F45-49: Jaime Torchiana (Downingtown, Pa.), 2:13:22
M50-54: Thomas Woods (Lincoln, Neb.), 2:01:03
F50-54: Ute Nestler (Plano, Texas), 2:15:54
M55-59: Mike Lockwood (Cumming, Ga.), 2:04:49
F55-59: Steph Popelar (Elizabeth, Colo.), 2:06:54
M60-64: Paul Greenberg (Westpoint, Conn.), 2:06:52
F60-64: Kirsten Chapman (Edmond, Okla.), 2:17:32
M65-69: Christian Evans (Glen Ellyn, Ill.), 2:05:30
F65-69: Grace Plager (Naples, Fla.), 2:24:07
M70-74: Jay Campbell (South Haven, Mich.), 2:19:20
F70-74: Marianne Salamon Cowan (North Chesterfield, Va.), 3:08:20
M75-79: Ron Wightman (Wellsville, N.Y.), 2:39:38
F75-79: Andrea McCarter (Peachtree Corner, Ga.), 4:04:57
M80-84: Lockett Wood (Lyons, Colo.), 3:59:46
F85-89: Sharon Roggenbuck (Hillsborough, N.C.), 4:11:31
Aquabike National Championships
1500m swim, 40k bike
Overall Female: Stephanie Oechsner (St. Peters, Mo.), 1:22:52
Overall Male: Benjamin Stone (Indianapolis, Ind.), 1:13:31
Athena 55+: Suzanne Mahler Brown (Cane Ridge, Tenn.), 2:12:13
Clydesdale 60+: Greg Voudrie (Maryville, Ill.), 1:55:05
Athena 40-54: Erin Byrge (Surf City, N.C.), 1:44:56
Clydesdale 40-59: Alexander Velando (Richmond, Texas), 1:32:07
Athena 39 and under: Melanie Mosher (Indianapolis, Ind.), 1:55:44
M15-19: Kieran Dolan (Atascadero, Calif.), 1:20:28
M20-24: Jackson Harrell (Novi, Mich.), 1:15:26
F20-24: Reilly Schindler (Norfolk, Va.), 1:29:11
M25-29: Benjamin Stone (Indianapolis, Ind.), 1:13:31
F25-29: Cynthia Siebrand (Novato, Calif.), 1:36:47
M30-34: Karl Thornton (Incline Village, Nev.), 1:35:56
F30-34: Jenna Haufler (Mill Valley, Calif.), 1:23:06
M35-39: Brent Moody (Tallahassee, Fla.), 1:24:10
F35-39: Stephanie Oeschsner (St. Peters, Mo.), 1:22:52
M40-44: Andrew Vanlandingham (Nashville, Tenn.), 1:20:21
F40-44: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 1:30:20
M45-49: Mario Araya (Fulshear, Texas), 1:26:13
F45-49: Jennifer Zimmer (Zionsville, Ind.), 1:39:58
M50-54: Christian Waterstraat (Naperville, Ill.), 1:20:34
F50-54: Gayle Galletta (Shrewsbury, Mass.), 1:31:31
M55-59: Mike Shaffer (Ventura, Calif.), 1:18:07
F55-59: Lauren Jensen-McGinnis (Muskego, Wis.), 1:32:09
M60-64: Jason Engel (Irvine, Calif.), 1:28:33
F60-64: Kelly Dippold (Irvine, Calif.), 1:32:39
M65-69: KC Bailey (Geneseo, N.Y.), 1:32:12
F65-69: Karen Chequer-Pfeiffer (Calif.), 1:45:52
M70-74: Rick Kozlowski (), 1:32:27
F70-74: Sarah Degive (Santa Fe, N.M.), 1:49:59
M75-79: Ernest Craige (Chapel Hill, N.C.), 1:42:13
F75-79: Joanne Dondero (), 2:19:18
M80-84: Ralph Ward (Sun City, Ariz.), 2:12:30
F85-89: Luise Easton (Westlake, Ohio), 3:00:09