Riding his new Anthem Advanced SL race bike, Cole Paton won his third U.S. MTB Marathon championship in four years, defending his 2025 national title in Roanoke, Virginia.
“I’m really happy with the win and how my form is shaping up,” Paton said after the win. “The new Anthem really shined out there. This course was tough, with steep climbs and rugged descents—a proper fifty plus miles of singletrack covered in roots and rocks.”
The repeat performance cements Paton's place among the most consistent riders in marathon mountain biking. The discipline demands raw speed, endurance, and course management to hold form over four hours of technical singletrack racing.
Paton credited the new bike with helping him shave nearly 10 minutes off his time from last year. He also wore the new Giant Rev Pro helmet to earn the win. Racing in dry conditions, he scorched the 53.4-mile route through Carvins Cove Nature Reserve and Hollins University in a time of 3:51:38. That put him 2:46 ahead of silver medalist Bradyn Lange and more than 11 minutes ahead of third-place finisher Toby Hassett.
“I especially noticed the Anthem’s efficiency when pedaling over roots at speed,” Paton said. “It’s an unbelievable improvement and I’m so stoked with what the team has built for us.”
With his marathon title successfully defended, Paton looks ahead with his sights set on the remaining Life Time Grand Prix races including the Leadville Trail 100 (Colorado) in August, the Chequamegon MTB Festival (Wisconsin) in September, and the Little Sugar MTB and Big Sugar Gravel doubleheader (Arkansas) in October that closes out the series.