Tayana Castelli defended her title and Nathaniel Pierce claimed overall honors Saturday morning in the 46th annual Huntsville Sprint Triathlon.
Pierce finished in 45:26, winning by about three minutes over Jacob Wierenga and Mark Crook, both 16 and of Huntsville. Pierce had a 6:25 swim, 19:47 ride and 16:58 run, with transitions of 1:25 and :48. The three athletes battled for second-, third- and fourth-place spots last year, and were among the top 10 in 2024.
Castelli shaved 30 seconds off her winning time in 2025, finishing 13th overall. The 41-year-old from Madison won the women’s title at the 25th annual Wet Dog Triathlon in July. Saturday morning, she had a swim of 7:08, ride of 22:25 and run of 22:31, with transitions of 1:31 and :54.
Julie Carroll, 44, of Birmingham, was second (34th overall) in 58:19. Li Jo, 28, of Huntsville, was third (36th), in 58:56.
The triathlon is one of the oldest continuous athletic events in Huntsville and one of the oldest sprint triathlons in the country. It is produced by the Team Rocket Tri Club and presented by Edward Jones. The club donates 100 percent of profits to charities. Since 2020, more than $30,500 has been given to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and the David Stankard Project.
More than 350 athletes participated this year. They started with a 400-meter pool swim at the Huntsville Aquatic Center, followed by an 8-mile bike route and 3-mile run.
Battle for Second
Wierenga and Crook staged a hot battle for second and third place, which ultimately was decided by one second. Crook had a sizeable lead after a 4:47 swim and 19:21 ride, with Wierenga putting up 6:27 and 21:09. Crook also had 1:11 and :43 transitions to Wierenga’s 2:04 and 1:22.
Then came the run.
Wierenga smoked a 5:45 pace to finish the 3-mile run in 17:16, while Crook crossed in 22:09. Wierenga made up the time difference, barely, but every second counts. Wierenga’s run was the third-fastest of the day, with Pierce posting his 16:58 along with the 17:08 by John Litavec, 17, of Madison.
David Daprato, 43, of Grand Rapids, Mich., won the Male Masters title in 50:05. He was fifth overall. Ruth Marie Oliver, 49, of Huntsville, won Female Masters and was 37th. She finished in 59:01.
Joel Freyenhagen, 51, of Gurley, was 17th and won the Male Grand Masters in 55:06. Angie Hogeland, 51, of Oneonta, was the Female Grand Masters winner, in 1:08:40.
The next TRTC event is the Rocketman Triathlon on Aug. 30,
See all of the Huntsville Sprint Tri results here, and photos from We Run Race Photos here.
