USA Triathlon Nationals
National Championships

Triathletes Race for Draft Legal National Titles at USA Triathlon Nationals in Milwaukee

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by USA Triathlon

MILWAUKEE — Three days of triathlon racing at USA Triathlon Nationals kicked off on Friday, Aug. 7 in Milwaukee, as age group athletes raced the Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon National Championships and the Open Water Swim Competition, presented by Synergy. 

USA Triathlon Nationals is USA Triathlon’s largest and longest-running National Championship event, held annually since 1983. This year, the event expanded into three days, with the addition of Friday’s Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon National Championships and Saturday’s Mixed Relay Triathlon National Championships. 

Milwaukee has hosted USA Triathlon’s Sprint and Olympic-Distance National Championships several times, including from 2013-2015, 2021-2023 and again in 2025. The three-day event is made possible through coordination among USA Triathlon, Sports Milwaukee, Visit Milwaukee, Milwaukee County Parks, local public-safety agencies and numerous lakefront organizations and businesses.

Athletes from across the country will race this weekend in Milwaukee for national titles in their respective age groups, and for the opportunity to represent age group Team USA at the 2027 World Triathlon Age Group World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. 

Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon National Championships 

Gus Platt (Oreland, Pa.) won the overall men’s Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon National Championships national title, while Addy Laughlin (Cary, N.C.) won the women’s title. 

Athletes raced a 750-meter swim in Lake Michigan, near Discovery World, a 19.4-kilometer draft-legal bike along Lincoln Memorial Drive, and a 5k run through Veterans Park, finishing along the shoreline.

Draft-legal racing is the same format elite triathletes race at the World Triathlon level and Olympic Games. With drafting allowed on the bike, athletes racing in draft-legal events ride and work together in packs, creating a dynamic, exciting race. 

Platt, 20, was the top men’s finisher on Friday, completing the draft-legal triathlon in a time of 59 minutes, 15 seconds. Platt is the president of the Penn State University collegiate club triathlon team. 

Laughlin cruised to victory for the women’s national title, winning with a time of 1:04:43. A former NCAA Division I runner at Coastal Carolina University, Laughlin, 22, is new to triathlon and trains in a USA TRI Development Team group based in Cary, North Carolina, led by Olympic medalist and world champion Katie Zaferes. 

Open Water Swim Competition Presented by Synergy 

Athletes swam a 750-meter course in Lake Michigan at Friday’s Open Water Swim Competition presented by Synergy. 

The event was a non-championship race, offering athletes the opportunity to swim the course ahead of the weekend’s National Championship events. 

Sebastian Wrona (Park City, Utah) and Kennedy Rainwater (Saline, Mich.) won the women’s and men’s competition, respectively. 

Saturday’s Races 

Racing action continues Saturday with the qualification-based Olympic Distance National Championships, and the Mixed Relay Triathlon National Championships. 

Triathletes in the Olympic Distance National Championships will race a 1,500-meter swim in Lake Michigan, near Discovery World, a 40-kilometer bike traversing over the Hoan Bridge and along the Lake Freeway, and a 10k run through Veterans Park, finishing along the shoreline.

Following the Olympic Distance National Championships, teams of four athletes will compete in the Mixed Relay Triathlon National Championships, a new addition to the USA Triathlon Nationals schedule. 

In the Mixed Relay, two female and two male triathletes team up, with each athlete completing a super-sprint triathlon (225m swim, 4.3k bike, .8k run) before tagging their teammate. The fast-paced, spectator-friendly event 

Schedule of Events

Saturday, Aug. 8

  • Olympic Distance National Championships (1,500m swim / 40k bike / 10k run) — 6:30 a.m. (Wave 1)
  • Mixed Relay Triathlon National Championships — 4 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 9

  • Paratriathlon National Championships (750m swim / 20k bike / 5k run) — 6:30 a.m. (Wave 1)
  • Sprint-Distance National Championships (750m swim / 20k bike / 5k run) — 7:10 a.m. (Wave 1)

Additional information about USA Triathlon Nationals is available at USA Triathlon’s website. 

(Photo by Archi Trujillo)

2026 USA Triathlon Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon National Championships

Milwaukee, Wis.

750m swim, 19.4k bike, 5k run

Complete Results 

Overall Female: Addy Laughlin,1:04:43 

Overall Male: Gus Platt, 59:15

Athena Overall/39U: Ingrid Lofgren, 1:16:53

Athena 40-54: Wendee Brungardt, 1:36:21

Athena 55+ Caroline Faure, 1:35:45

Clydesdale Overall/40-59: Phillip Young, 1:11:15

Clydesdale 39U: Collin Thompson, 1:24:49

Clydesdale 60+: Lance Fargo, 1:22:55

F15-19: Aria Schoch, 1:09:17 

M15-19: Tavish Quinn, 1:00:34

F20-24: Addy Laughlin,1:04:43

M20-24: Gus Platt, 59:15

F25-29: Lauren McKenna, 1:09:04

M25-29: Nicholas Dicklin, 1:01:28

F30-34: Allison Lopiccolo, 1:07:39 

M30-34: Adam Corya, 1:03:50

F35-39: Desiree Terella, 1:09:35

M35-39: Brek Minarik, 1:02:00

F40-44: Brooke Kessler, 1:08:33 

M40-44: Cassio Riccelli, 1:04:07

F45-49: Kirsten Sass, 1:06:45 

M45-49: Michael Harlow, 1:00:53

F50-54: Marisa Rastetter, 1:14:14

M50-54: Kirk Framke, 1:03:52

F55-59: Juliet Hochman, 1:08:45 

M55-59: Peter Valentyik, 1:02:31

F60-64: Christel Kippenhan, 1:16:28

M60-64: Grzegorz Zgliczynski, 1:06:59

F65-69: Alicia Caldwell, 1:21:29

M65-69: Doug Morris, 1:14:41

F70-74: Joan Lauber, 1:25:03

M70-74: Philip Friedman, 1:17:19

F75-79: Ruth King, 1:41:57

M75-79: Jim Sumara, 1:25:02

F80-84: Andrea McCarter, 2:22:50 

M80-84: Wally Herrala, 1:50:26

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, paratriathlon, and indoor and virtual multisport events in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 3,500 events and races and connects with and supports more than 300,000 unique active members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. As the largest National Governing Body under the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, USA Triathlon serves as a leader within the multisport industry, and its work supports athletes and races at the grassroots level up to the elite levels of the sport, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games.