Lake Placid Hosts 2026 USA Triathlon Winter National Championships

LAKE PLACID, New York — USA Triathlon kicked off the 2026 National Championships season on Feb. 6 at the USA Triathlon Winter National Championships in Lake Placid, New York, in the heart of the Adirondacks, at the Empire State Winter Games. 

Now in its 46th year, the Empire State Winter Games (ESWG) remains a community-driven celebration of athletic achievement, winter adventure, and the iconic Olympic legacy of Lake Placid, which hosted the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. 

Athletes at the USA Triathlon Winter National Championships put their conditioning — and cold-weather grit — to the test as they ran, biked, and cross-country skied through a stunning snow-covered multisport course on several of the same trails that will host the FIS Cross Country World Cup Finals in March. In addition to racing for national titles in the Winter Triathlon and Winter Duathlon National Championships, athletes also raced to qualify for the 2027 World Triathlon Winter Championships.  

Stephen Eles of Boulder, Colorado, won the overall men’s national titles in the Winter Triathlon National Championships and Winter Duathlon National Championships.

The women’s competition also saw a dual winner, with Ginger Reiner of Lincoln, Massachusetts, winning the women’s titles in both events.

She won the morning’s Winter Triathlon National Championships, completing the 5-kilometer run, 8k fat bike and 10k cross-country ski in a time of 1 hour, 24 minutes, 52 seconds.

She then returned in the afternoon to win the Winter Duathlon National Championships (5k run, 10k cross-country ski) in a time of 58:59.

“The course was awesome. It’s beautiful. I’ve never skied here at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. The trails were nice, the course was well marked and well groomed,” said Reiner, who was motivated to race at Winter Nationals for the adventure and new challenge. “I was super excited about the combination of sports. I love cross-country skiing, I love running, I’m new to fat biking and I’m still learning to love that, but I was excited for the adventure.”

For Eles, he enjoyed Lake Placid’s plentiful snow.

“In Colorado, it’s been a pretty lean year for snow, so the snow up here has been my favorite part. I’m kind of envious of the snow they’ve had up here in the northeast this season,” said Eles, who couldn’t pass up the chance to race both the Winter Triathlon and Winter Duathlon National Championships. “The course was good. In the afternoon, being a little warmer, it was a little faster. I prefer the duathlon and it was the second event, so I wasn’t going to skip that.”

Eles won the Winter Triathlon National Championships with a time of 1:10:48 and the Duathlon National Championships in 49:16.

Both Eles and Reiner are members of triathlon clubs — Rogue Tri for Eles and Team Psycho for Reiner. Reiner’s advice for triathletes interested in trying winter triathlon for the first time?

“Find people to do it with. I have friends that I run with, bike with and ski with and it holds you accountable and makes it more fun,” she said.

More information about USA Triathlon National Championships is available on USA Triathlon’s website here.