Linn wins, this time keeps overall male Mightymite title
For the second consecutive year, the annual Mightymite Triathlon three-stage race has crowned a new male champion.
Germantown's Timothy Linn won the overall male title in the 38th annual running of the race, crossing the finish line in one hour, 21 minutes. Linn held off Jon Dixon from Eads, Tenn. and Jonesboro's Jason Leake as well as last year's overall male champion, Phillip Young, who finished fifth on Saturday.
"Tim is just a beast when it comes to running triathlons," Young said. "He goes all out, always, and that was evident on Saturday."
Linn actually won the 2018 Mightymite, holding off Jeff Fejfar, but had to forfeit the title due to the first year racing professional title he carried at that time. That professional tag no longer applies to Linn and Saturday's win will hold up, since the Mightymite has always been a race for amateur triathletes.
Collierville's Ashley Bradford picked up her second overall women's title finishing Saturday's race in just over one hour 15 minutes. Bradford won the Mightymite in 2017. She finished fourth in 2011 and eighth a year ago.
Bradford's challenge came from Hot Springs' Amy Johnson, who ran second and Kathy Armstrong from Grenada, Miss. who finished third. Johnson finished eighth in 2008, seventh overall in 2010, third in 2011 and 2013 and fourth in the 2014 race while Armstrong ran fifth in the 2016 Mightymite.
Phillip Young, last year's overall male champion, finished second in the 35-39 male age group behind Dale Sanford, who won the group and finished fourth overall.
Last year's overall female champion Lesley Brainard, opted to not run this year's Mightymite.
Forrest City's Mollie Laws, now residing in Fayetteville won her age 25-29 age group in a time of 1:31.17, and finished 61st overall, while Jennifer Horton, also from Forrest City now residing in Fayetteville, won her 45-49 female age group finishing in a time of 1:23.09 and finished 35th overall. Laws' mother, Paige ran second in her 55-59 age group behind Marion's Melanie Chicoine.
Forrest City's Tyler Hendrix placed fifth in the female 30-34 age group and 91st overall.
Forrest City native Matt Machen, now living in the Little Rock area, finished 22nd overall posting a time of 1:14, while Forrest City's Austin Easley finished 47th.
Malloy Nimocks, a perennial Mightymite entrant, finished fifth in the 60-64 age group and 97th overall in the field.
Saturday's race featured more than 130 entrants, 20 less than the 150 cutoff point for this year's race. of the field, 106 of the entrants completed the race, 40 females and 66 males.
Amid weather concerns that included possible thunderstorms and following a brief shower that moved quickly through the Forrest City area, the race began on time with the opening swim leg at Village Creek State Park's Lake Dunn.
Linn led from start to finish, reaching the second stage transition point at East Arkansas Community College approximately 31 minutes after the race began.