Race Coverage
History Made at Maple Grove...
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Monday, 25 August 2025 00:10
2025 MAPLE GROVE OLYMPIC COVERAGE - Since his amateur win at Ironman Michigan 70.3 in 4:03:10, Sherwood, Wiconsin's TYLER TANKO has proven that he is capable of becoming one of a handful of amateur American men to ever crack the the four-hour mark at the half Ironman distance. He's proven that his Olympic credentials are elite as well. He came into Saturday's Maple Grove Olympic triathlon having finished 4th under extreme conditions two weeks ago at Milwaukee Nationals. What remained to be seen was how he would fare against three-time MGO champion / amateur course record holder PRESTON YOUNGDAHL and locally undefeated SPENCER SYVERTSON.
He fared well. Starting with the fastest swim of the day, and finishing with an uncontestable run (32:59!), Tyler sliced 2:24 off the ACR. His 1:50:24 was only 1:22 off TED TREISE's pro record set in 2022.
Syvertson (1:56:09) and Youngdahl (1:57:18) also dipped under the two-hour mark.
Also winning by a sizable margin was ELENA JASPER (2:09:48), who now owns a 1st, 2nd and 3rd at MGO. KATIE DEREGNIER (2:15:18) and TIFFANY KARI (2:16:25) rounded out the women's podium.
Perhaps the most impressive women's performance of the morning was turned in by 59-year-old JULIA WEISBECKER, who finished 4th overall in a remarkable 2:16:35 thereby solidfying her nonimation for 2025 Female Grand Master of the Year....
2025 MAPLE GROVE SPRINT COVERAGE - 2024 champions successfully defended their titles here last Saturday. Reigning Junior of the Year / shoo-in for another nomination, CORBIN DEICHMAN, now 17, not only won again, his closest challenged finished six minutes back. It was the widest MOV in the 16-year history of the race. Unsurprisingly, he posted the fastest swim and run splits of the day.
Coorbin wasn't the only junior to rock out at MGS. Two girls--ADELINE ALTHAUS-KOTILA and RAYCHEL TONG--cracked the women's Top 6. Althaus-Kotila's 4th place 1:11:07 was the second fastest junior time ever behind GRACE BUSCH's winning clocking in 2022. Busch ran away with the girls JOY honor that year, and Althaus-Kotila appears to be on the same path this year.
Winning the women's sprint for the jaw-dropping 8th time was the ageless CHERYL ZITUR, now 60. Cheryl's winning ways began eleven years ago. Since then she has amassed 27 triathlon victories.
Eight hundred and fifty-two adult athletes finished this year's Maple Grove Events. Adding the no-shows and the kids who who raced on Friday, the MG races drew approminately 1100 entrants.
Photo - Junior Champs Corbin Deichman and Adelinne Althause-Kotila. Photo provided by Candee Deichman.
