Powerman Alabama

Four Finish Strong Racing athletes - Dana Lyons, Sharon Morin, Cindy McManis, and Bret Strong - headed to Birmingham, Alabama to compete in Powerman Alabama Duathlon on March 27. True to the Powerman tradition, the race offered challenging hills for both the bike and run course on the roads of Oak Mountain State Park.

This hilly 10k/60k/10k event was the USAT Long Distance Duathlon National Championship. Dana, Sharon, and Cindy all qualified for the Long Distance Duathlon World Championship in their age groups at this race.

In his 50-54 AG, Dana Lyons took top honors with an overall time of 3:06:01. Dana ran the first 10K in a time of 38:36. He posted 1:44:43 for the 60K bike and a 41:05 for the final 10K run.

In the 45-49 AG, Sharon Morin took second with an overall time of 4:11:20. Sharon Morin ran the first 10K leg in 47:50, followed by a 2:27:24bike, and a 51:29 final 10K. Sharon had the fastest run times in her age group. This is the first time Sharon has qualified for the world championships.

In her 50-54 female AG, Cindy McManis took sixth place with an overall time of 4:29:41. Cindy's splits were 57:41, 2:23:52, 1:05:16. This is also the first time Cindy has qualified for the world championship.

Bret Strong took 16th in his competitive 45-49 AG. Bret's splits were 49:57 run, 2:07:03 bike, and 57:23 final run for an overall time of 3:57:17. All the competitors mentioned the fierce climb from 2.7 mi to 4.0 mi - straight uphill the entire time.