BATTLE CREEK – With a break in the smoky haze, adding a nice breeze and good temperatures, it was a good day to run a triathlon.
At least, that was the attitude of Sean Siems, who won his second straight Cereal City Triathlon.
Siems, from Kalamazoo, finished first for the second year in a row at the 2026 Cereal City Triathlon and Dualthlon at Goguac Lake in Battle Creek on Saturday, July 18.
“None of that weather stuff bothers me. I was going to be fine either way. But it was good that the smoke cleared a bit,” Siems said. “I wanted to come back and defend my title. This is a fun race, a great course with some nice people.
“I liked how I came out of the water, but I was really happy with my bike. I have been working on that, training more on the bike and I was happy with that.”
Siems finished in a time of 57:26 to take first overall in the sprint triathlon. Jeremy Sikkema, who won the race three years ago, finished second for the second straight time with a time of 1:01.07 with Rob Wieland of Battle Creek third at 1:02.06.
The event consists of a 500-meter swim at Goguac Lake, 12-mile bike through the Lakeview area and a 3.1-mile run.
Complete Cereal City Results:All Age-Group Results
For the second year in a row, the race had a family atmosphere to it as Siems’ younger sister Brie Siems, 17, was the overall female winner in a time of 1:15.22. Brie Siems has won the female division three straight years. Sadie Ebel of St. Joseph was second at 1:16.37 with Cara VanderJagt third at 1:18.41.
Roan VanSumeren of Jackson finished first in the Super Sprint Triathlon in a time of 46:35 with Bellevue’s Gavin Potter taking second in 49:25.
Event leaders were monitoring the weather with the recent smoky haze in the area due to wildfires in Canada. But they were pleased with how the weather improved Saturday morning.
“Not too many people were concerned this morning about the weather. We were really happy with the turnout. The wind blew some of the haze out. We were really pleased. The weather worked out in our favor. I feel like we really lucked out. I feel like this was the best window we could have hoped for,” said event organizer Emily Bandeen.
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Weather conditions don’t slow down athletes at 2026 Cereal City Triathlon
Reporting by Bill Broderick, Battle Creek Enquirer / Battle Creek Enquirer
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By Bill Broderick, Battle Creek Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
