DeCook, Paull repeat as M22 Challenge champions
Instagram photo by Reece LaPerriere
From staff reports
Ryan DeCook, a 42-year-old resident of Washington, Michigan, won his second consecutive M22 Challenge on Saturday, June 10, with an overall time of 1 hour, 16 minutes, and 47 seconds. This was the third time he has won the popular triathlon, which local organizers consider one of the most beautiful races in the nation.
This was the 15th M22 Challenge, which features a 2.5-mile run up the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb, a 17-mile bike ride through downtown Glen Arbor and around the Glen Lakes, and a 2.5-mile paddle on kayaks or standup paddle boards in Little Glen Lake.
DeCook bested runner-up Dave Smith by seven seconds. Smith, a 39-year-old Gaylord resident, won the race in 2021 with a course record time of 1 hour, 11 minutes, and 17 seconds. Traverse City resident Sean Kickbush finished third, 28 seconds behind DeCook.
Mandy Paull, a 25-year-old Cheboygan resident, won the women’s group for the third consecutive year with a time of 1 hour, 29 minutes, and 25 seconds—nearly two minutes ahead of second-place winner Jamie Endicott of La Colla, California, who previously won the race three times.
