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FRANKLIN COUNTY – More than 20 men and women participated in the annual Homochitto River Triathlon on Oct. 26, and a Natchez woman placed third.

The race consisted of 3.1 miles of running on sand and gravel trails, 10 miles on a bike on asphalt and gravel, and to finish more than 6 miles on the Homochitto River from the Camp Out to the Highway 98 bridge. “The river portion included weaving in and around and over logs and dragging the craft through it all,” said Vincent Woodcock, an organizer.

Winners were Chase Spring of Franklin County, first place; Eric Boyd of McComb, second place; and Candace Norman of Natchez, third place. A total of 23 individuals participated, included some from as far away as Gulfport. The race was sponsored by Team Barnabas and Vine Brothers Meats.

Woodcock said the hybrid triathlon was “a tough one.”

“Because of the dry conditions, the 5K was in fluffy sand and 4-inch gravel, then in big rocks some as big as 6 inches long,” he said. “Then, the bike course was up and down big hills similar to Natchez Under-the-Hill but with two miles in loose gravel, so you went from working on a personal record to personal safety, or you might need help getting back to transition to your kayak or canoe.”

Woodcock said the lack of rain further complicated the race. “Past champion Brett herring said he thought each kayaker or canoe could propbably add 30 minutes to their time due to the depth of water due to no rain in 31 days.”

All competitors – 16 men and five women – completed the race by lunchtime. “It was a perfect temperature at around 57 degrees when we started and by the time it ended we were up to 80 in the sun,” Woodcock said.