Nathaniel Pierce won his third straight Rocketman Triathlon and Julie Vieselmeyer claimed her first title Sunday morning on Redstone Arsenal.
Pierce, 40, of Huntsville, finished in 1:59:59 for the three-peat. He won the 2025 Rocketman in 1:59:28 and the 2024 title in 2:07:33. Like last year, he was the only athlete to finish in less than two hours. He had a swim of 17:54, ride of 1:02:17 and run of 37:16, with transitions of :52 and 1:37.
Vieselmeyer, 45, of Madison, finished 11th overall. She finished in 2:27:10, with a swim of 23:18, ride of 1:13:31 and run of 47:02. She had transitions of 1:02 and 2:15.
Rocketman is North Alabama’s top Olympic distance race. It consists of a 1,500-meter swim (1,640 yards), 40k bike (25 miles) and 10k run (6.1 miles). It started and ended at the Carrol D. Hudson Recreation Area on Redstone Arsenal. The ride and run were on RSA roads, and the swim in the Tennessee River.
Matt McMillan, 41, of Huntsville, was second in 2:05:48. Matt Fletcher, 28, of Madison, was third in 2:11:09.
In the women’s division, Tayana Castelli, 41, of Madison, was second (14th) in 2:30:01. Chelsea Bankemper, 40, of Nashville, was third (24th) in 2:38:10.
Other top finishes:
Collegiate: William Tuckis, 22, Auburn, 2:20:08, 7th
Masters: Bryan Heaton, 51, Alabaster, 2:16:13, 5th
Masters: Ashley Wells, 42, Madison, 2:49:30, 40th
Grand Masters: Bryan Hackenberg, 53, Owens Cross Roads, 2:25:13, 10th
Grand Masters: Lori Coward, 61, Birmingham, 2:56:01, 48th
Military: Henrik Bergqvist, 46, Madison, 2:41:38, 21st
Military: Katherine Houle, 35, Huntsville, 2:51:08, 42nd
Clydesdale: Michael Strobel, 31, Huntsville, 2:45:59, 31st
Rocketman is is presented by Team Rocket Tri Club with sponsor assistance from Edward Jones financial services.
See all of the results here, and We Run Race Photos galleries here.
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