Woolmarket Biathlon
Saturday, April 18, 2009.

The first in a series of the three, the Woolmarket Biathlon went off with out a hitch. The day dawned cloudy and threatening, but it stayed overcast and thankfully cool for the whole time. There were over a 100 racers, veterans and newcomers alike. I don't know of anyone from our club who went except me, but I know other folks from Hattiesburg were there. The course started off with a 5K race on a hilly country road. It was a nice out and back course and pretty fast. It was not my fastest 5K but darn close. All ages were represented. I love seeing the kids compete, I just don't like being passed up by them! I finished in 29:25. The transition area was jammed with bikes, I got a good spot and had a good transition and was quickly off onto the bike course. The bike course was hilly and windy, especially the last 3 miles or so. One gust was so strong it had me nearly at a stand still! Other folks were effected by the wind as well, so I didn't feel so bad. The loop course was well marked and easy to navigate. I did well on the bike and was able to make up a bunch of time and pass lots of folks. It's nice to see my training pay off. I did the bike portion in 40.25. The whole biathlon took me 1:12:23 and I won second place in my age group, 40-44! The top female, Allison Moss came in at 53:02, top male, Mike Brown at 48:48, and Leonard Vergunst, won Grandmasters at 51:51 (of course!). As I have been told the Gulf Coast Running Club does an excellent job of hosting races and they did not disappoint with this one! It was so much fun I am going back for the next two! © Jen Torres