Full field to celebrate at Heart o’ Dixie

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July 23, 2009

By Marty Stamper/Special to The Star The Meridian Star Thu Jul 23, 2009, 10:50 PM CDT

The Heart o’ Dixie Triathlon turns 30 Saturday morning and a full field of athletes will be on hand to share in the celebration.

A field of 434 makes up this year’s race, which begins with a half-mile swim at Lake Tiak-O’Khata in Louisville at 6:30 a.m.

Once the swim is completed, athletes bike 27.5 miles down Highway 15 to Williamsville. Then comes a seven-mile run with the final half-mile being a lap around the dirt racetrack at the historic Neshoba County Fairgrounds.

The Heart o’ Dixie is the oldest triathlon in the continental U.S.

This year’s race officially sold out some two weeks ago.

“We normally don’t hit 300 until the week of the race and this year we’ve got 400 two weeks before the race,” said race director John David Williams. “It’s a growing sport. Everybody wants to do this race. It’s going to be a good day. I’m absolutely looking forward to it.”

While neither the male nor female winner from last year will return, six of the top 10 males and four of the top 10 females from 2008 will be on hand.

Madison Flowers of Fort Worth, Texas, was the male and overall winner in 2:03:03.

Margot Hair of Diamond-head was the female winner. Her time of 2:04:09 was good for fourth place overall and was the fourth-fastest winning time for females.

“I haven’t heard anything out of them,” Williams said.

Hastings Puckett of Ridgeland was the 2008 male and overall runner-up. He has registered to compete again this year along with fourth-place finisher Avery Ainsworth of Birmingham, Ala.; fifth-place finisher Clay Curtis of Plantersville, sixth-place finisher Larkin Carter of Jackson, seventh-place finisher Aaron Ford of Jackson, and 10th-place finisher Tripp Davis of Ridgeland.

Puckett, 32, previously won the 2009 Heatwave Classic Triathlon at Ridgeland on June 6.

“There are probably six or seven guys in there that could possibly win it,” Williams said. “There are a couple guys that weren’t in there last year that are entered this year. We’ll try to seed those guys up in the top 10 (starters) so they can duke it out. It looks to be pretty strong.”

The remainder of the field will start in the order their registration was received. In the past, athletes were put in order of their previous times or estimated times for newcomers.

On the female side, the top returnee is third-place finisher Alisha Wingerter of Jackson. Also back are fourth-place finisher Catherine Lackey of Hoover, Ala; fifth-place finisher Amanda Cassell of Flowood, and ninth-place finisher Christeen Hodge of Flowood.

Lackey, 30, won the Sunfish Summer Triathlon in Meridian on July 11.

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