Macon-Bibb firefighters flexed muscles to do it again at the Cherry Blossom Festival

Macon-Bibb County firefighters defended their reign Saturday afternoon with a 13-second finish to win the 2018 Cherry Blossom Festival Bed Race.

But radio station Blazin' 92.3 gave them some close competition early on in the race along Cherry Street with a 19-second finish.

"Yeah, they did, and they kind of turned the adrenalin on in us and that made us push it to that next level, and that's why we've had this blazing time that we had," said five-year Firefighter Demarcus Moon after the race.

The firefighters have won the race all but one year of the more than 20 years its been run, said Sarah Harkins, CBF program director.

"The legend is that Georgia Power beat us one time," Moon said. "But I called them out. They didn't show up.

"So, in my book, it didn't happen," Moon joked.

When asked for the secret of their success, the firefighters flexed their muscles and said "muscle power."

And teamwork, Moon added.

In all, 11 teams competed in the race that drew hundreds of spectators along Cherry Street from the race start at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to beyond the finish line at Third Street.

This story was originally published March 17, 2018 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Macon-Bibb firefighters flexed muscles to do it again at the Cherry Blossom Festival."