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by Ben Hughes It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…On Saturday, March 28, 2009, 40 brave athletes (38 solo entries and one relay team) and 18 generous volunteers left the comfort of their warm and DRY homes to take part in the April Fools’ Duathlon at Bellegrass subdivision in Oak Grove. This race consisted of a 2 mile run, a 10 mile bike, and another 2 mile run. Athletes came from Brandon, Columbia, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Kosciusko, Laurel, Madison, Meridian, Oxford, Purvis, Petal, and Sumrall. The event was schedule to begin at 9 am. Morning rain caused race site preparation to be pushed back about 30 minutes. This meant the race start was delayed about 30 minutes, also. This delay gave the roads some time to dry before the racers hit the bike course. The race opened with a 2 mile run. First into T1 (that is Transition 1 for the non-multisport crowd) was Kenneth Bader from Oxford with a time of 10:30. He was followed a minute later by locals Sam Hudson, Robin Ryder, and Jacob Blick. There were two women running together into T1, Casey Lee of Madison and Lauren Hill of Purvis. Over the next 15 minutes there was a steady stream of runners that swapped their racing flats for cycling shoes. All runners were greeted and cheered by family and friends around the transition area. The 10 mile bike course took athletes through Bellegrass to the Oak Grove Lower Elementary School and onto Old Hwy 24. From there it was straight out for 3.25 miles and then back. The several hills on Old Hwy 24 were not that steep, but they were long. Racers reported strong cross winds during this section of the course. Sam Hudson and Casey Lee moved to the front of the men’s and women’s field, respectively, with equally dominating bike performances. Sam Hudson came into T1 first. Jacob Blick came in approximately one minute later. He was followed less than 60 seconds later by Joey Lee of Madison. Then came a string of local talent. Chris Boyd, Robin Ryder, Chris Singley, James Daniel, James Edwards, Steve Champine, and Shawn Hampton rounded out the men’s top ten. They headed out for the second 2 mile run just as the sun came out and the wind really started to blow. Sam Hudson kept his lead and crossed the finish line as the Men’s Champion in 51:34. In the women’s race, Casey Lee of Madison added a minute to her lead on the bike, also. Lauren Hill was second into T2. These ladies had first and second place wrapped up. The battle for third was going on several minutes back on the course. Rhonda Hayden and Jennifer Ware came into T2 separated by approximately one minutes. That margin remained until Jennifer crossed the finish line 60 seconds after Rhonda. Casey Lee also kept her lead to cross the finish line as Women’s Champion in 1:04:34. Casey was also the Women’s Champion at the EagleMan Triathlon in Hattiesburg on October 11, 2008. Following the race, athletes and volunteers and spectators enjoyed sunshine, pizza, fruit, cookies, and donuts. Coke, PowerAde and Vitamin Water were donated by Coca-Cola of Hattiesburg. Door prizes were given out before the awards were presented. Unique Jack-in-the-box trophies and gift cards from Soccer Locker & City Runners were awarded to the Men’s & Women’s Champions. Gold and silver medals went to the first and second place, respectively, in each age group. Thanks to all the athletes that came out to race this inaugural event. Also, a great big THANK YOU to the volunteers for all their hard work and to our wonderful sponsors, Coca Cola of Hattiesburg, Bellegrass, State Farm Agent Lance Ware, Soccer Locker & City Runners, Hattiesburg Bicycle Center, Southern Smiles Family Dentistry & Dr. Jennifer Ingels Hughes, Forward Health Solutions & Dr. Rebecca Boyd, Tri South Events, and 826 Racing. Without each one of you this event would not have happened. |
March 28, 2009 Final Results Jeff Zoelner 1:03:46 45-49 Chris Boyd 54:28 50-54 Ed Curtis 1:06:41 55-59 Ted Dufour 1:05:37 60-64 John Harsh 1:06:55 70-74 David Oakes 1:19:37 Relay Robyn Bowers/ Heath Graham 1:09:25 Results |
