(Photo by: Taylor Bennett)
More than 450 runners participated in the inaugural Run Oxford’s Mighty Half and 5k Saturday.
Run Oxford, a community-organized running group in Lafayette County, created the event in order to make a comfortable space and environment for all kinds of runners.
The race, sponsored by Rebel Well and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, began at the Pavilion at Ole Miss. Runners crossed the finish line at the Manning Center.
President of Run Oxford, Marvin King, said all proceeds from the race will be put toward funding The Mighty Milers program in Oxford. This free program’s goal is to encourage kids to live an active lifestyle and help them develop a love for running.
“Our goal with the money is to buy each kid in our program a pair of running shoes. We’re starting with the Boys and Girls Club, but we would also like to partner with the YMCA, Oxford Park Commission and any of the schools interested,” King said. “The idea is we have the software to keep track of what the kids do, but as a way to get them moving and motivated, any of the kids who are a part of the program will get a pair of running shoes.”
The weekend festivities began on Friday with the Visit Oxford Health and Race Expo, where more than 25 vendors gathered at the Manning Center. Activities included a bounce house, a 50-yard dash, yoga and jiu-jitsu demonstrations, as well as free smoothies from Smoothie King and a pop-up trunk show from Lululemon, an athletic-wear company.
“I think we had awesome vendors. Having Lululemon here was a big deal for us,” Volunteer Coordinator Macey Edmonson said. “Overall, I think it went great for our first race, but hopefully we can attract more vendors and get the word out to volunteers earlier next time.”
This year 468 people participated in the half marathon and 5k relays.
Peter Kazery of Jackson was the half marathon’s overall winner. Kazery placed first out of 237 individuals, finishing with a time of 1:15:12.2. Kazery, who has been running for 14 years, said he used this half marathon as a stepping stone to achieve his ultimate goal, which is qualifying for the marathon trials in the 2020 Olympics.
“I finished pretty strong, but the course was a little challenging — you had a taste of just about everything going on,” Kazery said. “It was a great race overall, kudos to the race director and all of the volunteers out there. They did an excellent job out there, especially being a first-year race.”
Sophomore IMC major Jessica Clarke placed first overall in the female half marathon division. Clarke said she was surprised and excited about her performance.
“When I came up on Old Taylor at mile 9, everyone was like ‘You’re the girl in first,’” Clarke said. “So at that point, I kind of knew I wanted to win.”
