On a gorgeous morning perfect for a swim, ride and run, Sara Gibson was in top form in all three events to win her second straight Rocketman Triathlon.
Gibson, 40, of Chattanooga, won the women’s division and was eighth overall. She finished in 2:18:46, with a 1,500-meter swim of 22:22, 40K ride of 1:12 and 10K run of 41:59. She had transitions of 1:05 and 1:18.
Nathaniel Pierce, 38, of Huntsville, won the overall championship by more than three minutes with his time of 2:07:33. Pierce put together a strong 25:03 swim, 1:03:40 bike and 32:21 run. He had transitions of 44 and 39 seconds.
The Rocketman is a traditional Olympic triathlon put on each year by the Team Rocket Tri Club of Huntsville. It includes a 1,500-meter swim (1,640 yards), 40K bike (25 miles) and 10K run (6.1 miles). The start and finish was at Redstone Arsenal Recreational Area. The swim took place in the Tennessee River, with buoys and sentries in kayaks to mark the course. The ride and run were on the roads.
Top Finishers
Gibson was fourth overall in 2023 to win the women’s title. She also won the 2023 Mountain Mist 50K, her first ultramarathon, just a couple of months after starting trail running.
Malia Gill, 27, of Madison, was second in the women’s division (9th overall) in 2:19:57. Emma Hardman, 28, of Huntsville, was third (12th) in 2:26:39.
Kendrick Gibson, 40, of Chattanooga, was second behind Pierce in 2:10:31. Clay Curtis, 50, of Tupelo, Miss., was third in 2:14:24.
The tri had 96 finishers in the individual division, nine three-person teams in the relay division and 19 in the aquabike, cyclorun, military/collegiate and aquapod divisions.
Aaron Ford, 42, of Saltillo, Miss., won the Men’s Masters title in 2:16:27. He was seventh overall. Kim Hansen, 44, of Huntsville, finished 48th in 2:58:01 and won the Women’s Masters honors.
Carolyn Sanders, 67, of Brownsboro, finished 59th and won the Women’s Grand Masters title in 3:07:37. Richard Stegura, 50, was 10th in 2:20:00 to win the Men’s Grand Masters title.
RESULTS — See all the results here
PHOTOS — See the photo galleries from We Run Race Photos here
What’s Next
The next events on the Team Rocket Tri Club are the 8th annual Swim Hobbs Island and Racin’ the Station duathlon, both in September.
Swim Hobbs Island on Sept. 8 is an open water event with 1-, 2- and 5-mile options. It is part of the Triple Crown of the Tennessee series. Swimmers will start and finish at Ditto Landing. It is a 5-mile circumnavigation of Hobbs Island.
The 14th annual Racin’ the Station Duathlon on Sept. 28 is a race against the International Space Station. Participants have 91 minutes 12 seconds — the time of the ISS circuit around Earth — to complete a 1.95-mile run, 14.3-mile ride and 1.95-mile run. Nathaniel Pierce, winner of this year’s Rocketman, won the 2023 duathlon by more than two minutes.
Athletes begin the event with the launch of a model rocket when the ISS is overhead at Marshall Space Flight Center on Redstone Arsenal. A second model rocket is launched to signal the ISS completing its circuit. The run course is flat and the bike course has only a couple of small hills.
MAIN PHOTO: Tayana Castelli of Madison, Ala., completed the 1,500m swim in 28:07 and was 16th overall. (Photo: WeRunRacePhotos.com)
