The Battle on Buffett Beach heads into its third year of welcoming athletes of all ages and experience levels to the Pascagoula beach for an obstacle course competition.
The event is in its third year in Pascagoula and event organizers emphasized that the event is for everyone at every fitness level and the more than 20 obstacles are designed where anyone can complete them. These include a vertical wall, hurdles, over/under trench, balance over water, rope climb, tire run, culvert crawl, monkey bars, sand hill challenges, etc. The youth course includes simple obstacles like small sand dunes, balance beams, hurdles, slip and slide, and so on.
There is an elite division for those looking to seriously compete, but the majority of those in attendance are running the course for exercise and to take on the challenge to see how they do for a personal goal or accomplishment, according to Jimmy Krebs, co-chair. He added that only one person each year was not able to complete the course and that those not in the elite division just have to make a valid attempt to complete each obstacle in the course to complete it.
Vincent Jackson, owner of Singing River CrossFit and community co-chair, believes leaving the course open to everyone has been part of the event’s early success with more than 300 competitors each year.
And, according to Taylor Kirksey Sublett, community events coordinator with the city, in 2017, the majority of those running the race were from outside of Pascagoula. Competitors came from other areas of Jackson County, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana, Tennessee and Texas.
“We want to promote Pascagoula as a healthy and fun place to live,” Sublett said. “We hope that they see how beautiful our beach is, how friendly our people are, and how willing our businesses are to put on this event for the people of Pascagoula.”
Besides getting people out and active, bringing people into the city is one of the main goals of event. “We come together as a community and make events like this happen,” Krebs said.
Lauri-Ellen Smith, director of community relations for the city of Pascagoula, also discussed the economic impact of the event: “Any time you bring one person into your city that may not already be planning on coming here, … you’ve created economic impact. You never know what that thing is that’s going to bring someone here. Our goal is to make them see the beauty of this place and fall in love with it. The Battle on Buffett Beach showcases this beach and the fact that we are a health-minded community better than any event I think I’ve ever seen.”
Event organizers are looking for the entire community to participate in the event in some way. They are seeking volunteers and sponsors at any level, and beyond that, everyone is welcome to come watch the competition and cheer the competitors on.
This year’s event will be held on Nov. 17, and registration is now open for all levels. Information for attendees, volunteers and sponsors can be found here. Also, Hilton Garden Inn is offering as special rate for those participating in the event.