The Viking Half Marathon and 5K brought in people from all over the state and beyond.
Angelle Dupuy of Prairieville, Louisiana, celebrates as she completes the half marathon on Saturday.
By Saturday’s chilly morning in downtown Greenwood, Beth Stevens, the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce’s executive director, said about 250 local and visiting racers had registered.
“I have just heard so many participants say that they are glad to be out and running again,” Stevens said. “We have a mix of new people to town and returners.”
Christi Whatley, left, and Lana Lambert, both from Arkansas, who are regulars at Bikes, Blues & Bayous, also enjoy the Viking Half Marathon & 5K.
People such as Arkansans Christi Whatley and Lana Lambert, who are certainly no strangers to chamber-sponsored events, participated in this year’s races.
“We love Greenwood,” said Whatley. “We do Bikes, Blues & Bayous every year.”
Lambert added, “Yeah, the bike ride brought us here, and this is our first time to do the run.”
And they were not the only ones.
Lloyd
Chris Lloyd from Richmond, Virginia, said he saved up his frequent flyer points to come back to town for the event, saying he had previously been here for a business trip.
Lloyd said he was happy to be able to run amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is one of the few races I could find going on,” he said.
Malcolm Noland of Cleveland says he got into running to get back in shape.
Malcolm Noland came from Cleveland to keep at his new hobby of running races, which he got into with the encouragement of his girlfriend.
“I like to do it to try and get back into shape,” Noland said. “Also, I like to support my community and our neighbors.”
In addition to many runners, there were almost as many friends and family cheering them on.
Suzette and David Pickett enjoy the Viking Half Marathon and 5K on Saturday. Suzette Pickett said she wanted to cheer on her husband, who was running in the 5K, and her sister, Sarah Ognibene, who was running her first half marathon.
One supporter, Suzette Pickett, came with a group of racers from Louisiana to enjoy the festivities.
While holding a sign with the photos of her teammates, she said she loved encouraging her sister, Sarah Ognibene, who was running her first half marathon, and Pickett’s husband, David.
“I love being here cheering him on and my family,” she said with a smile. “I’m usually the cheerleader.”
Pickett said she was looking forward to after the race as well. She and her crew planned to get some catfish and shopping downtown.
“I have heard of The Crystal Grill. I think I am going to have to check that out,” she said.
As the first few runners crossed the finish line, many said they were experiencing exhaustion and joy.
“I feel awesome,” said Justin Hitchcock, the half marathon best overall male winner with a time of 1 hour, 28 minutes and a 6:46 per-mile pace.
Hitchcock
“It took a lot of training, keeping my nose to the grindstone, but it was worth it,” he said.
Hitchcock, 35, said he trains seven days a week, including two days of speed running. With the race over, he said with a laugh that he was “going to get me some water and go home to spend time with my kids.”
Stokes
Allison Stokes, 28, from Memphis earned the overall half marathon female winner award, with a time of 1 hour and 32 minutes and a pace of about 7 minutes per mile.
“I feel great; it’s been a really long time since anybody has really gotten to race,” Stokes said.
The last time Stokes participated in a race was before the pandemic in February at a race in Greenville, she said.
The Viking Half Marathon and 5K was pushed back from March, and event organizers had to alter many of its procedures to adjust according to public safety regulations. Stokes said the date change impacted her preparation for the big run.
“The date being moved back affected my training a little bit,” she said. “There was a time where I was thinking they just weren’t going to do it.”
• Contact Adam Bakst at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com. Twitter: @AdamBakst_GWCW
