Pearl Day 5K

The annual Pearl Day 5K run/ walk was held on Saturday, June 26 with a fairly small crowd of runners and walkers. The weather was threatening, which may have kept some people away, but we were able to run without getting wet. The heat and humidity were tough, and rain may have helped. After a prayer and a few instructions from Jack Ward, Chuck Engle took the early lead and held on to take the win over a very challenging course with lots of hills with an impressive time of 16:26. Rob Oates was second with a 16:49. Yolanda Brown was the first female finisher. Mark Lipking with a time of 18:57 and Miriam Allred with a 22:34 were the Masters winners. Phillp Wedgeworth with a 20:27 and Valinda Barnett with a 25:50 took Grand Masters honors. Richard Sims ran well and took
first in his age group. Nick Kendall and Donna Gonzales won the race walk. Nestor Anzola also represented the Pine Belt Pacers by winning his age group in the race walk with a 32:01. The after-race food was good and plentiful . We had water melon as a preview for next week's Water Melon Classic in Jackson. We also had the usual fruit, cookies, and soft drinks. Complete results are linked at the Mississippi Track Club web site. © Phillip Wedgeworth

Jack announces the awards