Saturday's annual 300 Oaks Road Race was boosted by good weather, a record number of runners and a unifying sense of patriotism.
Those in attendance sang "God Bless America" at the awards ceremony and joined in prayer for the people affected by Tuesday's attacks on New York and Washington.
More than 1,000 runners were registered for the 20th annual competition.
Kevin Phillips of Greenville was the men's overall winner in the 10K for the third straight year, with a time of 33:32. Kevin Wheeler of Campbell, Mo., was second at 34:13, and Marvin Hemphill of Louisville finished third at 38:37.
Ashley Carrillo, 11, of Raymond placed first among women with a time of 44:17. Allison Pillow was second at 44:33 and Francine Johnson of Port Gibson was third at 47:14.
Phillips, 30, teaches and coaches track at Greenville High School. He began participating in races 10 years ago with an event in Natchez and got hooked, he said. Now he runs about 80 miles a week.
He runs in events in Louisiana, Tennessee and Arkansas as well as Mississippi, but he said he likes the Greenwood race because it's closer to home.
The good weather and turnout have made it an enjoyable event as well, he said.
Ashley Carrillo, a student at Raymond Elementary School, started racing in 1999 with an event in Vicksburg and was competing in 5K events by April of that year.
She said she runs three or four times a week, four to five miles at a time. She and others also are trying to arrange more competitions for runners in her area.
The Port City Striders were the fastest team, and the St. John's United Methodist Church team was the fastest youth team.
Dawne Holmes, chair of the 300 Oaks Committee of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce, said the event is well-organized because many of the committee members have been involved for years.
She also thanked the corporate donors for helping put the event on.
Richard Beattie, vice chairman of that committee, recognized those who planned the designs of the 300 Oaks T-shirts.
