Sponsored Runner - Kirsten Sass

 

 

     Kirsten Sass is an amateur triathlete from McKenzie, Tennessee.  She made her triathlon debut in 1999 because her late father, Volker Winkler, signed her up and put her on one of his old bikes.  Sass finished last in her division at that race (the Memphis in May Triathlon), but fell in love with the sport, encouraged by the support of the other competitors.  She trained and raced with her father all over the world for the next twenty years - the two did multiple races from sprint distance to Ironmans (including Hawai’i) together.

 

     Sass’s racing expanded over the years to include other multisport events including duathlon (run-bike-run), draft-legal racing (duathlon and triathlon), aquabike (swim-bike), and aquathlon (swim-run).  In 2017 she began racing as a guide for visually impaired athletes, and made it all the way to race in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics guiding for Amy Dixon - an elite paratriathlete.  She has continued to guide, and has most currently been racing with McClain Hermes, a multiple time Paralympic swimmer who has started racing triathlons.

 Sass is a multiple time recipient of the US Amateur Female Triathlete of the Year.  She has also been awarded the US Amateur Female Duathlete of the Year, and US Master’s Female Duathlete of the year.  She currently holds 11 gold medals at various multisport world championship events, as well as over 40 national titles (working on making that over 50!).

 

Outside of triathlon, Sass works as a Physician Assistant in a family practice setting.  She is a mother of two - AlyssaBella (15) and Sebastian (14). Her husband, Jeff, is also a triathlete but is better known as Elvis for his choice of attire while cheering Sass on at races around the world.  

 

 

USA Triathlon Overall Amateur Female Triathlete of the Year:  2013, 2015, 2016, 2017

USA Triathlon Open Amateur Female Triathlete of the Year:  2018

USA Triathlon Female Masters Triathlete of the Year:  2022, 2023

USA Triathlon Overall Amateur Female Duathlete of the Year: 2015, 2016, 2022

USA Triathlon Masters Female Duathlete of the Year: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023

 

 World Champion Gold Medals (11):  

 

Standard Distance Triathlon (Torremolinos, Spain)

 

2018:  

Standard Duathlon (Odense, Denmark)

Aquathlon (Odense, Denmark)

Sprint Distance Triathlon (Gold Coast, Australia)

 

2017:  

Sprint Distance Duathlon (Penticton, Canada) (Overall Female)

Standard Duathlon (Penticton, Canada) (Overall Female)

 

2016:  

Long Course Triathlon (OKC)  (Overall Female)

Standard Distance Triathlon (Cozumel, Mexico)

Standard Distance Duathlon (Aviles, Spain) (Overall Female)

 

2015:  

Sprint Distance Triathlon (Chicago)

Standard Distance Triathlon (Chicago) (Overall Female)

 

 

2018:  

Sprint Distance Duathlon (Odense, Denmark)

Aquabike (Odense, Denmark)

 

2017: 

Standard Distance Triathlon (Rotterdam, Netherlands)

Aquabike (Penticton, Canada)

 

2016:  

Sprint Distance Triathlon (Cozumel)

 

 

Standard Distance Triathlon (Gold Coast, Australia)

 

 

 

1. Olympic Distance Triathlon

2. Sprint Distance Triathlon (Overall Female)

3. LC Duathlon Nationals Daytona (Overall Female)

 

 

1. Super-Sprint Time Trial Triathlon

2. Super-Sprint Time Trial Duathlon (Overall Female)

3. Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon

4. Draft Legal Sprint Duathlon (Overall Female)

5. Standard Distance Duathlon (Overall Female)

6. Aquabike
7. Mixed Relay - Duathlon

8. Olympic Distance Triathlon (Age Group and Masters)

9. Sprint Distance Triathlon (Age Group and Masters)

 

1. Olympic Distance Triathlon (Age Group and Masters)

2. Sprint Distance Triathlon (Age Group and Masters)

 

3. Super-Sprint Time Trial (Overall Female)

4. Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon 

5. Standard Distance Duathlon (Overall Female)

6. Draft-Legal Sprint Duathlon (Overall Female)

7. Aquabike (Age Group and Masters)

 

1. Sprint Distance Draft Legal Duathlon (Age Group and Masters)

2. Sprint Distance Non-draft Duathlon (Age Group)

3. Standard Distance Duathlon (Age Group and Overall)

 

1. Sprint Distance Draft Legal Duathlon

2. Sprint Distance Non-draft Duathlon (Age Group and Overall Masters)

3. Standard Distance Duathlon (Age Group)

 

1. Sprint Distance Draft Legal Duathlon

2. Sprint Distance Non-draft Duathlon

3. Sprint Distance Triathlon

 

1. Long Course Duathlon

2. Standard Distance Duathlon

3. Sprint Distance Duathlon, 

4. Olympic Distance Triathlon (Overall Female)

5. Sprint Distance Triathlon (Overall Female)

6. Half Ironman Triathlon (Long-Course) (Overall Female)

 

1. Standard Distance Duathlon (Overall Female)

2. Sprint Distance Duathlon (Overall Female)

3. Olympic Distance Triathlon

4. Sprint Distance Triathlon (Overall Female)

5. Half Ironman Triathlon (Long-Course) (Overall Female)

6. Aquabike

 

1. Standard Distance Duathlon (Overall Female) 

2. Sprint Distance Duathlon (Overall Female) 

3. Long Course Duathlon

4. Olympic Distance Triathlon

5. Half Ironman Triathlon (Long-Course)

 

1. Sprint Distance Triathlon

2. Standard Distance Duathlon (Overall Female)

 

1. Olympic Distance Triathlon

 

1. Olympic Distance Triathlon

 

 

1 2021 - Paratriathlon National Championships2019 -

2. Paratriathlon National Championships2018 -

3. Paracycling National TT Championships

 

 

World Triathlon Para Championships Torremolinos - 11th

World Triathlon Para Cup Alhandra - 2nd

World Triathlon Para Cup Tata - 1st

World Triathlon Para Cup Samarkand - 5th

World Triathlon Para Series Devonport - 7th

Americas Triathlon Para Championships Miami - 2nd

 

World Triathlon Para Championships Pontevedra - 8th

World Triathlon Para Cup Long Beach - 2nd

World Triathlon Para Series Montreal - 6th

World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama - 2nd

Americas Triathlon Para Cup St. Peters Missouri - 2nd

Americas Triathlon Para Championships Sarasota - 1st

 

Paratriathlon National Championships - 2nd

 

 

2021:  

Americas Triathlon ParaChampionships Pleasant Prairie - 3rd

Tokyo 2020 Paralympics - 12th

 

2020: 

Devonport ITU World Paratriathlon Series - 2nd

 

2019: 

ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Lausanne - 6th

Tokyo ITU Paratriathlon World Cup - 4th

Magog ITU Paratriathlon World Cup - 3rd

Groupe Copley World Paratriathlon Series Montreal – 5th  

Sarasota CAMTRI Paratriathlon America Championships – 3rd

 

Madeira Paratriathlon Wolrd Cup Funchal – 1st 

Sarasota-Bradenton ITU Paratriathlon World Cup – 2nd

Iseo-Franciacorta ITU World Paratriathlon Series – 3rd

ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Gold Coast – 7th 

Edmonton ITU World Paratriathlon Series – 3rd

Sarasota CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships – 3rd

 

 

2017:   

ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Rotterdam – 5th

Edmonton ITU World Paratriathlon Series – 3rd

Yokohama ITU World Paratriathlon Series – 4th