Dalton firefighter Douglas Kerns (left) stands on the awards podium after finishing second in the cycling competition at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton. He was joined by race winner Michael Mount of the Hall County Sheriff's Office and 3rd place finisher Mike Matthews of the Fayetteville Fire Department
photo by Georgia Police and Fire Games
Dalton firefighter Douglas Kerns represented his department and his city well at the annual Georgia Police and Fire Games last week, bringing home three medals from the competition. Kerns finished second in the road cycling event, and third in both the mountain biking and toughest competitor events. The games were held last week in and around Gainesville, Ga.
"It's awesome to go and be able to bring a medal back and represent your fire department," Mr. Kerns said. "That's what it's all about."
The road cycling competition was held at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta course in Braselton. The cyclists rode ten laps around the course which typically hosts auto and motorcycle racing events like the Petit Le Mans. Kerns completed the ride in a little more than an hour and 24 minutes, four minutes behind the winner. The hills on the course as well as the summer heat proved challenging for the competitors.
"We ran the course counterclockwise. The hill we had to climb when you go in that direction was a 14% grade," Mr. Kerns said. "You had to climb that ten times, and it started getting hot, oh my goodness. It began at 9 o'clock, I think, so we were out there just over an hour but it was getting hot. I'm glad it's not this week!"
Mr. Kerns said that the mountain bike course was challenging due to a lot of roots and rocks in the trail, but he said that it was a great course that allowed the riders to have fun and ride fast. Mr. Kerns finished third in the men's 40-50 age group.
As for the toughest competitor event, that posed the most difficult test of the three events Mr. Kerns participated in. Only five people entered the event, which consisted of a "tough man"-style competition. Each competitor began with 25 push-ups before a 25-meter farmer's carry with weights. Then each participant ran 100 meters to where a Ford F-150 truck was waiting for each person to attempt to pull the truck for distance. After that, competitors ran another 100 meters to flip a tire which weighed 500 pounds. Kerns was unable to pull the truck and struggled with the weight of the tire, both of which lowered his score, but still finished third based on his completion time.
The Georgia Police and Fire Games began in 1984. Mr. Kerns has participated in the competition for 22 years and currently serves as the vice president of the organization that puts on the competition every year.