FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

CONTACT: Faye Yates, faye@team-magic.com, 615-415-3520

POWERMAN ALABAMA WEEKEND PROVES TO BE AN EXCITING VENUE IN NEW DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM LOCATION: IN THE PRO RACE THOMPSON 3-PEATS POWERMAN ALABAMA WITH A STUNNING PERFORMANCE

For thirteen years Powerman Alabama has been one of the premiere duathlon events in the United States. With stunning performances and a packed field, this past weekend once again proved why.

This year took the event downtown to Birmingham, Alabama in the Civil Rights District. Along with Powerman Alabama, other events held included the Magic City Duathlon, PowerKids Duathlon, 16^th Street Baptist Church 5k, and the Trak Shak Magic City 8k.

Though the race day forecast in Birmingham was for 80% chance of thundershowers, only grey clouds and a mild sprinkle were overhead as the 13 pro racers toed the starting line. The pro field included 2007-2008 Powerman Alabama winner David Thompson and former pro-runner turned pro-triathlete, Derreck Treadwell for the men, while the women's field featured and hometown favorite Jess Jacobs and Chicago powerhouse Heidi Jane Sarna.

The Powerman Duathlon course consists of a 55 kilometer bike sandwiched by two 8 kilometer runs. The runs consist of two loops through the streets of downtown Birmingham, while the bike route is a technical, three-loop course, featuring a remarkable 24 turns on each loop.

From the starting gun, Dereck Treadwell quickly took the lead into the 8k run. As an accomplished runner he set an aggressive pace to string out the pack. By the end of the first loop, Treadwell had already built a 30 second lead over incumbent David Thompson with the rest of the pack to follow. Though by the end of the run David had narrowed the lead to a mere 15 seconds.

The women's race quickly became a battle of three as Jessica Jacobs, Heidi Sarna and first year pro, Uli Bromme battled head-to-head throughout the run, reaching transition just seconds apart.

Out on the bike grey clouds turned to sunshine and an expectedly miserable day emerged as perfect racing conditions with the exception some challenging wind gusts. Both Jessica Jacobs and David Thompson capitalized on their opportunities as they proved their biking prowess by dramatically pulling away from the competition quickly and decisively. By the time the emerged from the bike course, Thompson had build a commanding 3 minute lead over Treadwell, with John Philips another 2 minutes behind.

In the women's race, Jess Jacobs dominated, continually pulling further away from Bromme and Sarna more and more as the race continued. Jess Jacobs finished the bike in an astonishing 1:24:44 with Broome and Sarna 5 and 7 minutes back, respectively.

With so much distance between each racer, the final run saw no change in position. David Thompson clocked an astonishing 26 minute 8k run to finish in 2:12:46 and win Powerman Alabama for a third consecutive time. Treadwell finished 5 minutes later in a time of 2:19:43 and Phillips rounded out the top 3.

Jess Jacobs won the women's race in 2:30:25, doing cartwheels down the finish line amidst the cheers of the spectators. Broome finished second in an impressive 2:35:14with Sarna taking the third spot.

Taking top amateur spots in this highly competitive field were Philip Martindale of Nashville, TN and Gail Kattouf of Greenville, SC.

POWERMAN ALABAMA MALE PRO TOP FIVE

POWERMAN ALABAMA FEMALE PRO TOP FIVE

POWERMAN ALABAMA TOP MALE AMATEUR

POWERMAN ALABAMA TOP FEMALE AMATEUR