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2025 Male Triathlete of the Year: Nathan Kim...
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Monday, 01 December 2025 00:10
By Bonnie & Clyde
2025 Male Triathlete of the Year - Clyde and I submit our picks and reasoning separately then compare notes. Sometimes we disagree, and debate ensues, as was the case with the Junior of the Year category. Sometimes we are in complete agreement, as in the case of male and female Masters of the Year. We are in complete agreement concerning today's M-TOY picks.
Here's how we arrived at our mutual choice for 2025 Male Triathlete of the Year:
Bonnie – Spencer Syvertson dominated the instate scene, winning 6 of 7 races, most in course record times, then taking 2nd at Maple Grove behind Wisconsin's Tyler Tanko, who I believe deserves to be the 2025 US Triathlete of the Year. Spencer capped his season with a 6th place / PR at Madison 70.3. In most years his resume would earn the TOY, but not 2025. While he was setting local standards, Nathan Kim was establishing himself as a star on the national racing scene. His 2nd place finishes at St. Anthony's and Madison 70.3 were nominated for Performance of the Year. Both were the fastest times at their distance by a Minnesota man last season. His other two national appearances—Des Moines and Muskoka 70.3—resulted in a 3rd and 4th overall placements respectively. Nathan Kim, therefore, is my 2025 Male TOY pick. ...
Happy Thanksgiving From MTN!
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Thursday, 27 November 2025 00:10
2025 Female Most Improved: Paige Schulz
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Tuesday, 25 November 2025 00:10
By Bonnie
Clyde and I were in total agreement about who should receive the Female Most Improved honor:
Bonnie - This was an easy one for me. While Adeline's and Amy's improvement were dramatic, especially Amy's, their likely Team Minnesota placement are near the bottom of the Top 10, whereas Paige Schulz's name will be on top of the list. She excels at long distance and recorded three of the four fastest 70.3 times by a Minnesota woman last season. She lowered her PR twice in 2025 and was six-plus minutes faster this year than her previous best for 2024. Moreover, her 9:43:35 at Ironman Chattanooga was the fastest 140.6 time ever by an amateur Minnesota woman.
For me, the choice for F-MI couldn't have been more clear: Paige Schulz.
Clyde - It’s important to note that when assessing Most Improved (MI) nominees, Bonnie and I look at movement relative to Team Minnesota. Thus, an athlete might have made bigger absolute gains than another, but an athlete who moved towards the top of Team MN may win the MI honor. That is because improvement is relative, i.e., it’s harder to make absolute time gains the faster you already are. To me, this is how this year played out. Adeline had a breakout year, but in my opinion, Amy had a...
Mitchell Clayton is 2025 Male Most Improved...
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Saturday, 22 November 2025 00:10
By Bonnie
On the subject of 2025 Male Most Improved, Clyde and I enjoyed a healthy debate:
2025 Masters of the Year: Tiff & Josh...
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Wednesday, 19 November 2025 00:10
By Bonnie & Clyde
The two of us are in clomplete agreement that Josh Blankenheim and Tiffany Kari-Cizmas most richly deserve the 2025 Master of the Year honors. Here is our reasoning:
Male MOY -
Bonnie – For me, this was a slam-dunk category. Thad Ingersoll and Andy Wiberg had solid results, but Josh Blankenheim's were spectacular. Three starts, one course record, one overall masters record, and one AG record. His resume earned him a TOY nomination. So, Josh, who was the Male MOY last year, is my pick for this year's honor.
Clyde - I was impressed by Thad’s Ironman Wisconsin age group win, and Andy’s Des Moines 70.3 performance. However, compared to his 40+ year-old peers, Duluth’s top-dog Josh Blankenheim was in another league and had himself not just a Master of the Year-worthy season, but one that put him in contention for Triathlete of the Year, too.
Female MOY -
Bonnie – A pair of 45-year-old Duluthians are my picks for 2025 Master of the Year. Joining Josh Blankenheim as my men's pick is Tiffany Kari-Cizmas, whose results landed her in the 4th spot on Team Minnesota. If we were naming four TOY nominees, Tiff would have been that fourth selection. Andrea Myers is an eight-time MOY nominee, and 2024 MOY Becky Youngberg had solid seasons, but Tiff's resume was clearly superior.
