“This year, I focused on being faster on the bike, and it paid off,” said Jeff Smoke, who won this year’s M-22 Challenge after relinquishing the gold medal last year to Denny Paull. Smoke, 35 of Buchanan, Mich., who kayaked on the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, won the popular Leelanau County triathlon in 2011. On June 8, Smoke regained his victor’s stride, and broke the course record with a time of 1:11:23.