DECATUR — Nathaniel Pierce smoked the Wet Dog sprint triathlon course with the fastest time in six years Saturday to edge two-time winner Lance Moore at Point Mallard Park.
Emma Hardman of Huntsville won the women’s title, notching her third Top-10 finish in the last four years. Hardman, 29, and Tayana Castelli, 41, of Madison, were the only two women in the Top 30.
More than 200 athletes completed the 25th annual triathlon, one of the most popular in the area, on a humid heat-lamp morning. They started with a 400-meter open water swim in the Tennessee River, followed by a 15K bike ride and 5K run. Wet Dog is a fundraiser for Tennessee Valley Outreach, Morgan County Rescue Squad and Princess Theater.
Pierce, 40, finished in 47:59 for the win. He had a swim of 5:18, bike of 22:13 and run of 18:06, with transitions of 1:40 and :40. He won his fourth straight Heel & Crank duathlon title in June. Moore, 30, of Harvest and the defending Wet Dog champ, finished second Saturday in 48:37. He also won in 2023 and was second in 2024.
Hardman finished eighth and won her first Wet Dog women’s crown, crossing in 54:07. She had a swim of 5:33, bike of 27:36 and run of 18:29, with transitions of 1:37 and :51. Castelli, the defending women’s champ and coming off an Ironman finish in Brazil in June, was 13th in 58:47.
Clay Curtis, 52, of Tupelo took Male Masters honors in 50:42 and was fifth overall. Ashley Wells, 41, of Madison, won Female Masters honors in 1:03:40 and was 32nd.
Wet Dog at Point Mallard is the second of three Summer Sprint Series races. Heel & Crank Duathlon was the first, and Huntsville Sprint Triathlon is the finale. Wet Dog is managed Team Rocket Tri Club, with sponsorship from Decatur Morgan County Tourism, Focus Physiotherapy, Stovall-Marks Insurance, REAL Broker LLC and We Run Race Photography.
See all of the Wet Dog results here and We Run Race Photos galleries here.
