By James Windell
Dawn Hinz says it didn’t take much persuading to convince Lake Arvesta Farms owner Brian DeBest to agree to host a triathlon last summer.
However, the unqualified success of the triathlon, which attracted more than 300 athletes to South Haven, has now led to the USA Triathlon National Championship races coming to Lake Arvesta Farms in May, 2026.
“Actually, it was John Conkling of Tris4health in Grand Rapids who saw that it was an opportunity and thought that Lake Arvesta Farms and South Haven was a perfect place for the national championships,” says Dawn Hinz, who is a triathlete herself as well as a coach for other triathletes.
Previous USA Triathlon National Championship races were held in Omaha and other cities in the more western part of the country. The four-day event brings together age group athletes to compete in USA Triathlon National Championship races, such as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, mixed relays, and time trial. The festival is a celebration of the sport with community events, vendor expos, and opportunities for athletes to connect and represent Age Group Team USA at international championships.
John Conkling, co-owner of the Grand Rapids-based endurance event management organization Tris4health, says that he is estimating that over the course of the four-day festival anywhere from 900 to 1100 athletes will compete. “Our current registration for the May event is well above where last year’s when they had about 900 registrants,” Conkling says.
He says that holding this event in West Michigan is very important. “We have a really rich multisport community in Michigan, but I don’t think a lot of people outside of Michigan know that,” Conkling says. “We also have a very high concentration of triathletes and multisport athletes across the state as well as a lot of triathlete clubs and coaches. So having something so high profile as this festival in South Haven is super critical because it will show a great many athletes how many opportunities there are to race here.”
He added that there is so much to do in South Haven that it’s the perfect late spring vacation destination. “I think a lot of people will be surprised as to how much the area has to offer,” he says. Furthermore, he says that a great many local athletes will be able to compete in the championship events.
“With the festival being held in Omaha and Texas in the past,” Conkling says, “it was a challenge for Midwestern athletes and East Coast athletes. They would have to travel so far, and it was very expensive. Having the festival in Michigan will be better for many athletes in the Midwest and the East.”
South Haven resident Dawn Hinz is very excited about the Multisport Championship coming to this area. “This is a great opportunity that’s coming to our town,” she says. “It will include short and long-distance events as well as Olympic distant events. The events I’m most excited about are the mixed relay, in which you have two men and two women, each doing two short triathlons.”
Hinz thinks it’s a wonderful way for people new to triathlons to try it out. “It will be great for somebody who just wants to try a triathlon,” she says. “If they’re not sure they are going to like it, here’s a chance to try it at a short distance and it won’t take a huge commitment.”
The USA 2026 Multisport National Championships Festival will be held May 13 to 17, 2026 at Lake Arvesta Farms, South Haven. You can register for the Championship Festival at https://tris4health.com/multisport-national-championships-festival/
