Annual Mightymite Triathlon draws athletes from across the Mid-South

Athletes from across the Mid South gathered in Forrest City this past weekend for the 43rd annual MightyMite Triathlon, with 77 competitors taking on the event’s swim, bike and run cours es. The race began with a one third mile swim in Lake Dunn at Village Creek State Park. Competitors then completed a 13-mile bike ride to the University of Arkansas-East Arkansas Community College campus before finishing with a 3-mile run through portions of the campus and downtown Forrest City, crossing the finish line at the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce. Racers were welcomed with a post-race celebration hosted by the Chamber. Jason Leake, 46, of Jonesboro claimed the men's overall title, completing the course in 1:06:35.7. Dale Lewis, 34, of Memphis, finished second in 1:07:22.8, followed by Andrew Whitten, 25, of Hernando, Miss., in 1:10:58.8. Melissa Puppa-Lasher, 41, of Cordova, Tenn., captured the women's overall championship with a time of 1:13:13.3. Ginger Lee, 14, of Madison, Miss., placed second overall among women in 1:15:46.2, while Casey Lee, 48, also of Madison, Miss., finished third in 1:18:52.4. Casey Lee com peted alongside her husband, Joey Lee, and daughter, Ginger. Richard Stegura, 52, of Hernando, Miss., took the win for overall male master finishing in 1:11:33.7 while Leslie Breeden, 46, of Memphis won overall female master completing the course in 1:24:26. Several local athletes also posted strong performances. Dillon Wilson, of Colt, placed third in the men's 25-29 age divi sion with a time of 1:35:58.7 behind Damon Rice, 25, of Jonesboro who completed the course in 1:31:20.1 and Joshua Curtis, 25, of Olive Branch, Miss., in first place finishing in 1:31:10. Buddy Borden, of Colt, fin ished second in the men's 60-64 age group in 1:50:07.7 behind David Reagler, 60, from Hot Springs, with a time of 1:15:05.7. The Pacemaker Tri-Hards relay team of Jessica Lucas, Avery Laird and Shawn Fleming won the co ed relay division with a time of 1:27:02.1. Among Clydesdale division competitors, Drew Kennon of Marion won the division in 1:25:54.4, followed by Jose Leon of Memphis in 1:34:03.8 and Rylan Nimocks of Jonesboro in 1:50:00.4. The MightyMite Triathlon is one of Arkansas’s longest-running triathlons and continues to attract athletes from throughout the region to Forrest City each summer. The event is sponsored by the Forrest City Advertising and Promotion Commission. For more information about the triathlon and to view the complete list of finishers, visit mightymitetri.raceroster.com.

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