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Former standout University of Minnesota swimmer Nathan Kim, only 22 years old, had a smashing debut in the Chisago Lakes Triathlon on Sunday, July 28, winning the race by nearly three minutes and showing his prowess in the water is a big advantage for him.

Former winner Sean Cooley came in second place, Jacob Keehan came in third, John Bodeau finished in fourth and 43 year old Brandon Lee rounded out the top five.

Kim’s feat is all the more impressive given his age. Many triathletes hit their peak in their late 20s to mid 30s, as the sport demands a lot of time, training and repetition.

Not surprisingly, Kim was the first competitor out of the lake on the muggy Sunday morning. He finished in 25:44, which was nearly two minutes ahead of the next competitor, but more importantly, more than five minutes ahead of Cooley, Keehan and Boudeau.

In a race that often comes down to minutes, the transitions between activities – especially swimming to biking, where the gear change is dramatic – become a very important factor. Kim grabbed another minute or so lead with the fastest transition time on the course as well.

Cooley, who won the race in 2017, had the fastest bike time on the day, finishing the 56 mile course that traverses through multiple cities, in 2 hours, 14 minutes and eight seconds. 48-year old Dan Arlandson was just behind by a minute, and Kim was the third fastest on the pedals with a time of 2:16:31.

Keehan, 36, who had finished his swim in 31:11 and bike in 2:20:27, made up a lot of ground on the hot, sticky pavement, finishing the 13.1 mile run in a blistering 1:21:34, more than four minutes better than Cooley, who was the second best running time. But, in third place, Kim kept a nice pace, knowing he was in front at the time, and finished the run in 1:26:50 for an overall time of 4 hours, 11 minutes and 50 seconds. It’s one of the fastest times registered since the heyday of David Thompson and his sub-four hour times nearly a decade ago. Last year’s winner, John Reed, finished in 4:17:10, and 2022 winner Lukus Klawitter finished in 4:14.11.

Women

Elena Jasper, 28 years old, was the top female finisher on the day, crossing the finish line in 4:47.51 to dominate the female field. The next closest competitor was 39 year old Came Eckhoff, who finished in 4:54:48. 

Those two were the only sub five hour times for females. Vanessa Nagle came in third with a time of 5:04:51, Melissa Goble was fourth in a time of 5:07:17 and Bridget Tetmeyer rounded out the top five finishers with a 5:15:37.

Jasper and Eckhoff were neck and neck coming out of the water, with Eckhoff winning the women's swim with a time of 30:15 and Jasper coming ashore at 30:48. But Jasper made up 46 seconds in the transition as the two women started pedaling just seconds apart.

Jasper essentially won the race by putting some distance between the two with a very nice bike ride, completing the road course in 3:32:19, which was almost six minutes faster than Eckhoff, who came in second on the bike. 

Jasper again had a seamless transition from bike to run, gaining more valuable time, and then had a nice run, going nearly step-for-step with Eckhoff. Jasper had the second fastest run time with a 1:41:34, and Eckhoff was third fastest with 1:41:44. Goble had the best run time for women with a 1:39:17.

Nicholas Klonne of Prior Lake won the Sprint distance race with a time of 1:12.56. In an impressive display on the women’s side, 60 year old Cheryl Zitur took home the crown, finishing in 1:14:30, only 20 seconds ahead of former half iron winner Diane Hankee.

Local finishers

The race seemed to have less local talent than normal. About 7 to 12 local finishers usually dot the results field, but this year only two women, both of whom are from Stacy, were listed.

The top local finisher was 30 year old Whitney Anderson. She came in 114th place of the 206 competitors with a time of 6:13:30. Kristina Audette, 28, also of Stacy, wasn’t far behind. She finished in 125th place with a time of 6:22:14.

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