Eighty-six runners participate in 9th Annual Chickasaw Kiwanis Freedom Run 5K

Eighty-six runners took part in the Ninth Annual Chickasaw Kiwanis Freedom Run 5K this morning in Chickasaw, Ala.

Mitchell Jones, 33, of Daphne finished first overall, crossing the finish line in 17:40.

Rhonda Collings, 41, of Theodore was the top female finisher, running the 3.1-mile course in 21:11.

(I ran the race in 25:25, that is, 8:11 per mile. Surprisingly, that was good enough for 24th place overall and second in my age group, males age 35-39. All I can say is that there must have been some snails in my group. Now I wish that I’d stuck around for the awards ceremony.)

For the complete race results, visit http://www.productionsbylittleredhen.com/resultsinfo4.asp?raceid=freedom11.

Today’s race drew a sizeable crowd, especially when you consider the fact that we’re getting closer to the hot, humid summer months. Usually around this time of year, you see the number of runner and walkers at these events begin to taper off. Cities and towns represented in today’s race included Chickasaw, Chunchula, Daphne, Eight Mile, El Paso (Illinois), Excel, Grand Bay, Irvington, Mobile, Mon Luis Island, Pace (Fla.) Prichard, Saraland, Satsuma, Semmes, Silverhill, Theodore and Wilmer.

The racecourse was nice and flat with a few slight hills. The temperature was a pleasant 75 degrees at the race’s 8 a.m. pistol start. The starting line was in front of the Presbyterian Church on Grant Street. From there, runners ran toward Lee Street on Grant, past the library, then on to Second Street, then to Third Street and then on to Jackson Street. From there, it was on to Sutherland Street, left on Kansas Street, right on Spruce Drive, left on Iroquois Street, left on to Lee again and then left on to Grant for the big finish in front of the library and civic center.

As you might imagine for a race called the “Freedom Run 5K,” the race had a patriotic theme, and the opening ceremony featured four young Marines in their “dress blues,” who presented the colors after the opening prayer. According to members of the Chickasaw Kiwanis Club, today’s race was part of a fundraiser that has already collected over $26,000 in support of the local Children’s and Women’s Hospital.

This race has an interesting history. It was once a 10-K event and was first held on July 4, 2003 in support of service members in Iraq, Afghanistan and other foreign countries. Later, the distance was shortened to 6K, mainly due to hot weather, and the race date was moved back to the third week in May to coincide with Armed Forces Day. This made the Chickasaw Freedom Run the first ever 6-K event to be held in Alabama, and for a time, it was the only 6-K race in the entire state. Pictured above is the image from the 6th Annual Freedom Run, which was still a 6-K event. This year’s race t-shirt bears a similar image.

Overall, this was a fun race. It wasn’t too hot and everyone seemed to be having a good time. I hope that I’ll get a chance to run in it next year if my schedule allows.