Twenty-three runners took part in the inaugural Mockingbird 8K and Fun Run/Walk this morning in Monroeville. Doug Darby, 46, of Brewton finished first overall, crossing the finish line in 35:45.
Shanan Wiggins, 32, of Monroeville was the top female finisher, running the course in 45:14.
Top finishers in each age group were as follows:
- Female, 20-29: April Dern, 27, of Monroeville; 46:28
- Male, 20-29: Donnie Addison, 29, of Opelika, 36:32
- Female, 30-39: Susan Hughes, 38, of Monroeville; 50:47
- Male, 30-39: Jonathan Lee Dick, 35, of Mobile, 35:58
- Female, 40-49: Tonya Hadley, 40, of Peterman, 53:48
- Male, 40-49: Billy Bowen, 48, of Monroeville, 41:43
- Female, 50-59: Kay Dobson, 53, of Monroeville, 46:40
- Male, 50-59: Alan Ash, 53, of Atmore, 40:03
Other finishers included:
- Patrick Harrigan, 33, of Monroeville, 4th overall, 37:27
- Lee Peacock (Me!), 35, of Excel, 7th overall, 42:32
- Pete Black, 58, of Monroeville, 8th overall, 44:30
- Maggie Compton, 22, of Monroeville, 12th overall, 47:22
- Jade Deese, 24, of Monroeville, 13th overall, 48:28
- Nathan Mixon, 28, of Excel, 16th overall, 54:48
- Amberly Mixon, 25, of Excel, 17th overall, 55:54
- Dale Ash, 51, of Atmore, 18th overall, 57:48
- Camilla Webb, 46, of Monroeville, 19th overall, 1:02:30
- Mollie Bowers, 27, of Monroeville, 20th overall, 1:05:06
- Zach Maher, 26, of Monroeville, 21st overall, 1:05:06
- Beverly Ross, 38, of Monroeville, 22nd overall, 1:08:31
- Fred Kelley, 54, of Monroeville, 23rd overall, 1:08:37
Today’s race, which also included a one-mile fun run, was sponsored by the Monroeville Area YMCA and was produced by Little Red Hen Productions. Stephen Mattox, the Y’s Program/Wellness Director, organized today’s race, which was held in conjunction with the Y’s Healthy Kids-Family Day as well as the opening day of the Monroe County Heritage Museums’ annual “To Kill a Mockingbird” play in downtown Monroeville.
The Y’s jovial executive director, Ricky Powell, MC’d the race and explained that this year’s race was the Y’s first ever 8-K race. Past Mockingbird Runs have all been 5K events. Organizers hope that the unique 8K distance, just under five miles, will attract more runners to future Mockingbird Runs.
Today’s course was nice, but challenging due to a number of long hills. The starting line was in front of the YMCA at 2197 South Mount Pleasant Ave. in Monroeville. From there, runners ran all the way up to the courthouse square, hooked a right, then another right at Lee Motor Co. and then proceeded up South Alabama Avenue all the way to Pike Street. Runners took a right on Pike and then a left back onto South Mount Pleasant for a finish in front of the Y. Most runners agreed that the long hill near the entrance to Eagle Pointe Apartments was the toughest part of the race.
Members of the Monroeville Junior Women’s League and the Excel High School Beta Club manned water stations along the route, and Monroeville police also assisted. Police Chief Rudolph Munnerlyn fired the ceremonial opening gun to start the race and other officers conducted traffic and manned intersections along the way, including my next door neighbor, Keith White, and my father-in-law, William Adams.
The race started at 8 a.m. and the temperature was around 60 degrees.
Overall, this was a fun race with a nice, family atmosphere. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves, and it was good to see a few folks that I haven’t had the chance to talk to in a while. I hope that I get a chance to run in this race next year, and I’d encourage you to do the same if you can.
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