Best of the Best

Champions have to have the skill and the will, and the will must be stronger than the skill.

Muhammad Ali

Celebrating the Best

Since our inception we have celebrated the accomplishments of thousands of firefighters who have inspired us with their incredible stories, perseverance, and desire to perform at their very best on and off the job. In our eyes, every single firefighter stepping into the LION® Arena of the Brave is a winner, however only the most determined have earned the prestigious titles of champion, record holder, LION’S DEN member, Points Champion, and Hall of Famer.

Reigning Title Champions

WEST REGION CHAMPIONS 2025

Overall Fastest Male

Quinlan Roe

Missoula (MT) Fire Department

Overall Fastest Female

Taylor Ward

Murray City (UT) Fire Department

SOUTHWEST REGION CHAMPIONS 2025

Overall Fastest Male

Jared Johnson

Austin (TX) Fire Department

Overall Fastest Female

Christina Hubacek

Irving (TX) Fire Department

MIDWEST REGION CHAMPIONS 2025

Overall Fastest Male

Cory Price

Pekin (IL) Fire Department

Overall Fastest Female

Julie Valandra

Rapid City (SD) Fire Department

SOUTHEAST REGION CHAMPIONS 2025

Overall Fastest Male

Jake Lanier

Pelham (AL) Fire Department

Overall Fastest Female

Jenna Crittendon

Spartanburg City (SC) Fire Department

NORTHEAST REGION CHAMPIONS 2025

Overall Fastest Male

Barrett Piper

West Licking (OH) Fire Department

Overall Fastest Female

Kimberly Kerschner

Perry Point (MD) Fire Department

U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 2025

Overall Fastest Male

Jake Lanier

Pelham (AL) Fire Department

Overall Fastest Female

Sarah McGill

Lexington (KY) Fire Department

WORLD CHAMPIONS 2024

Overall Fastest Male

Brian Riebe

St. Lucie County (FL) Fire District

Overall Fastest Female

Katherine Ross

Brampton (Ontario, Canada) Fire Department

Record Holders

WORLD RECORD HOLDERS

Overall Fastest Male

Ian Van Reenen

Oakville Fire Team Levitt-Safety

1:14.76

Overall Fastest Female

Juliet Draper

Colorado Springs (CO)

1:48.41

U.S. NATIONAL RECORD HOLDERS

Overall Fastest Male

Brian Riebe

St. Lucie County (FL) Fire District

1:16.68

Overall Fastest Female

Sarah McGill

Lexington (KY) Fire Department

2:04.41

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STATE & REGION RECORD HOLDERS

Click on the corresponding Region logos to view the current State and Region Record Holders.

STATE & REGION RECORD HOLDERS

CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, DC, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT

ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, WISCONSIN

ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKKY, MISSISSIPPI, NORTH CARIOLINA, TENNESSEE, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA

ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, LOUISIANA, NEW MEXICO, OKLAHOMA, TEXAS

ALASKA, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, HAWAII, IDAHO, MONTANA, NEVADA, OREGON, UTAH, WASHINGTON, WYOMING

CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, DC, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT

ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, WISCONSIN

ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKKY, MISSISSIPPI, NORTH CARIOLINA, TENNESSEE, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA

ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, LOUISIANA, NEW MEXICO, OKLAHOMA, TEXAS

ALASKA, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, HAWAII, IDAHO, MONTANA, NEVADA, OREGON, UTAH, WASHINGTON, WYOMING

LION'S DEN

Membership into the LION’S DEN is a prestigious honor recognizing the outstanding athletes who have distinguished themselves on the course by meeting the criteria as outlined below.

  • Sub 100 Male
    (Defined: A male competitor whose run time is less than or equal to 100 seconds [≤1:40])
  • Sub 3:00 Female
    (Defined: A female competitor whose run time is less than or equal to 3:00)
  • Sub 2:00 Over 40 Male
    (Defined: An over 40 competitor whose run time is less than or equal to 2:00)
  • Sub 3:30 Over 40 Female
    (Defined: An over 40 female competitor whose run time is less than or equal to 3:30)
  • Sub 2:30 Over 50 Male
    (Defined: An over 50 competitor whose run time is less than or equal to 2:30)
  • Sub 5:00 Over 50 Female
    (Defined: An over 50 female competitor whose run time is less than or equal to 5:00)
  • Sub 4:00 Over 60 Male
    (Defined: An over 60 competitor whose run time is less than or equal to 4:00)
LION'S DEN MEMBERS

Dr. Paul O. Davis Hall of Fame

Membership into the Dr. Paul O. Davis Firefighter Challenge Hall of Fame (HOF) is the crowning achievement for inductees, representing the highest level of peer recognition for a firefighter athlete or sponsor/partners’ contribution to our sport based on their past or present achievements and involvement.

HOF Membership is divided into three categories:

CHAMPIONS – Individual Competitors who have excelled on the course, such as world record holders, top 3 finishes at Nationals or Worlds.

LEGENDS – Contributors who have made a significant contribution to the success and history of the Challenge. This includes former staff, volunteers, sponsors, hosts, and outstanding competitors who may have had their career cut short by illness or injury.

INTERNATIONAL – Individual Competitors outside of North America who may only have a chance to run at Worlds. This includes world record holders and top 3 finishers at Worlds.

A call for nominees is held annually. Recipients are selected by a volunteer committee comprised of former competitors and sponsors.

Meet Our Current Members

ROOKIES OF THE YEAR 2025

The ‘LION® – PJ Bean Rookie of the Year’ Award is named after PJ Bean, 29, who was a beloved Challenge competitor and firefighter/paramedic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. PJ tragically drowned in Madison, South Dakota in May of 2012 but his contagious spirit remains in our hearts.

This award is based on a combination of factors ranging from the fastest time, numbers of runs, percent of improvement, sportsmanship, and overall dedication to the sport and fire service. In other words, a person who exemplifies the spirit of the Challenge!

Adam Trexler

Marion (IN) Fire Department

Allison Holmberg

Murray City (UT) Fire Department

POINTS CHAMPIONS

The Points Champion Program recognizes athletes in various subcategories who earned the most points during the competition season. Points can be earned at six (6) events: our Season Opener and five (5) regional classic events. If a special event takes place that also serves as a qualifying event, points can be earned

TED OVERCASH AWARD WINNER

Carl Day

Crestview (FL) Fire Department

2025 Season Results

And our most prestigious honor in the annual Points Champion Program is our Ted Overcash Award, honoring the athlete with the most points earned in the season.

FIRE DEPARTMENT SHOWDOWN WINNERS

COED TEAM CHAMPION:
Spartanburg City (SC) Fire Department

MALE TEAM CHAMPION:
Lexington (KY) Fire Department

FIRE DEPARTMENT TANDEM TEAM WINNERS

COED OPEN TEAM CHAMPION:
Lexington (KY) Fire Department

MALE OPEN TEAM CHAMPION:
Brentwood (TN) Fire Department

COED UNDER 40 TEAM CHAMPION:
Spartanburg (SC) Fire Department

MALE UNDER 40 TEAM
Lexington (KY) Fire Department

FEMALE UNDER 40 TEAM
Murray City (UT) Fire Department

FIRE DEPARTMENT RELAY TEAM WINNERS

MALE TEAM CHAMPION:
Lexington (KY) Fire Department

INDIVIDUAL SUBCATEGORY WINNERS

DIVISION 1 UNDER 40 MALE CHAMPION:
Andrew Cook, Lexington (KY) Fire Department

DIVISION 1 UNDER 40 FEMALE CHAMPION:
Jenna Crittendon, Spartanburg City (SC) Fire Department 

DIVISION 2 UNDER 40 MALE CHAMPION:
Adam Trexler, Marion (IN) Fire Department

DIVISION 2 UNDER 40 FEMALE CHAMPION:
Allison Holmberg, Murray City (UT) Fire Department

DIVISION 3 UNDER 40 MALE CHAMPION:
Carl Day, Crestview (FL) Fire Department

DIVISION 3 UNDER 40 FEMALE CHAMPION:
Stephanie Degner, Parris Island (SC) Fire Department

DIVISION 1 40-49 MALE CHAMPION:
Charles Boehmke, Brentwood (TN) Fire Department

DIVISION 1 40-49 FEMALE CHAMPION:
Sue Capper, Halton Hills (ON) Fire Department

DIVISION 1 50-59 MALE CHAMPION:
Garrett Stokes, Spartanburg City (SC) Fire Department

DIVISION 1 50-59 FEMALE CHAMPION:
Lindsey Ingram, Winnipeg (MB) Fire Department

DIVISION 1 60-69 MALE CHAMPION:
Joe Arico, Eureka (MO) Fire Protection District

JR. FF/FIRE EXPLORER CATEGORY
Maahir Naqvi Toronto (ON) Fire Ventures

 

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