The race began with a 5 km run to and back over the dam at Okatibbee Lake. The climb up to the dam (referred to as "Heartbreak Hill") gave everyone’s legs an opportunity to stretch out before the fast, flat return of the run which provided a great view of the lake and numerous fishing boats.

Following run #1 was a 30 km (18.6) bike loop around the lake. The bike loop is flat to rolling with a couple of more noticeable (although short) climbs that occur just after straight stretches across the lake. It was during these lake straight-aways that the gusting winds were most obvious. The bike leg finished up with a fast, lightly rolling stretch leading into the park. Run #2, a distance of 1.5 miles, was a straight out and back across the top of the dam.

This was my second MAA race as I competed in the Sunfish Triathlon last July. The race organization in both cases has been exceptional. The volunteers are many and very friendly and Lauderdale County Sheriff’s department deputies were stationed at every crossroads on the bike course. Turns in most cases were marked by stand up signs, painted arrows in the road, and very vocal volunteers. Portions of the road were rough, although for the most part the course  was moderately smooth and debris free. Traffic was held at intersections to allow even a cyclist to proceed. Post race food consisted of ample amounts of Nick and Al’s "New York Style" pizza and Popeye’s fried chicken (plus the usual water, sports drinks, bananas and bars).

The MAA does not use chip timing in either of these races yet the splits appear to be extremely accurate, with the exception of the fact that both transition times are included in the bike leg. This means that the race results show a slower ride, by probably about 1 -3 minutes, than the participants actually had. This shouldn’t present a problem for anyone who uses a cyclecomputer on their bicycle (or wears a stop watch with a lap counter). I had the good fortune of having my own personal timekeeper (my husband with a Timex Ironman lap counting watch) during this race and his times matched almost perfectly with official race splits (plus he had lapped my T1 and T2 times).

This is an early season race (at least it seems so for me as I spent most of my life in a four season climate) that, in my opinion, is well worth doing for anyone who is interested in multisport events. Even though the top 3 finishers had what I think were exceptional splits, there were also people who walked at least part of the first run, making this a good race for you no matter what level of fitness you have in March. The 9 a.m. start makes it an easy drive on Saturday morning. The number of participants increased substantially between the 2006 and 2007 races despite the fact that there were numerous other events being held throughout Mississippi on 3/31 this year, and the race organizers are hoping to have continued growth event. It also offers a great warm-up for the Sunfish Triathlon in July as the bike course the lake for the Duathlon is the same route used for the Tri (although the Tri ride adds 3 miles around the dam it goes down, not up, "Heartbreak Hill").

The results don’t show participants hometown (or ages) but I know for a fact that the Pacers were at least represented by Dr. John Pendergrass and myself. See the full results. © Sheryl Chatfield