This year’s Gator Bait triathlon at Eagle Lake will see changes to its usual format. There will be a sprint distance triathlon comprised of a half mile swim, 25-mile bike ride and finishes with a 5k run.

Gator Bail will begin with a shotgun start at 7 a.m. Aug. 22.

“This is the first year we’ve had the sprint and we’re excited about it,” said Matthew Mixon of the Vicksburg Swimming Association. “We took out the duathlon, which was a simple run bike run and the numbers were fairly low on that.”

Mixon said there are already more people signed up for the sprint than there were people in the duathlon. VSA sponsors the race and despite the heat will provide hydration and nutrition for runners,

Gator Bait had about 200 athletes to participate last year and it looks to have the same amount show up this year. Athletes might wait to the last minute to make their decision depending on the weather, but Mixon said there’s still time to sign up.

So far, there are eight different states represented in Gator Bait from Texas to North Carolina.

“Eight different states is pretty good. We like to try and pull that whole south region in for our race,” Mixon said. “We still, from the original base of it being an open water swim, pull in a group from Alabama that comes over every year just to swim

Besides the addition of having a shorter course mixed in with an Olympic distance version, Mixon is excited for the presence of elite performers: particularly Ainsley’s Angels of America.

Ainsley’s Angels are volunteer athletes who are paired with a physically disabled individual and run the course for them.

“They actually pull them, bike them and push them throughout the race,” Mixon said. “There’s a 15-year-old girl from Northwest Rankin who will be one of the participants and she’ll be pulled by a raft, get toted behind a bike and she’ll get pushed for the run. It’s not easy to do to carry someone the whole way for a race.”

Mixon said it’ll be very inspirational for the race organization and the athletes to have them on the course.

In addition to the inspirational affect of Ainsley’s Angels, Mixon mentioned an Ironman World Championship triathlete out of northern Mississippi would be participating in Gator Bait this year.  Runners participating in the Ironman have to qualify for the event and Mixon classified the 10-hour Ironman runner as an elite athlete.

Athletes can signup at vsa.org and follow the Gator Bait link or Google the event. All athletes must be a registered with USA Triathlons or can purchase a one-day license through imATHLETE.com for $12.