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Oak Grove Lower Elementary would like to thank the community for supporting the 2nd Annual 5K Acorn Run and Art Walk of Dreams. We raised approximately $6500 which has been donated to the American Lung Association of Mississippi (ALAMS) in honor of all of Lamar County students that suffer from asthma. Unfortunately, 1 in 10 students in Mississippi have been diagnosed with Asthma. It is a serious illness and if left untreated can be very dangerous. Asthma is also the number one reason for student absenteeism in schools across America. In conjunction with the event, we raised asthma awareness and promoted wellness in our community by hosting school assemblies that provided students in kindergarten through fifth grade with Asthma information which was organized by Merle Eldridge, of ALAMS. The 5K race and 1 mile fun walk/run was held Saturday, April 18 in the beautiful Bellegrass neighborhood. About 250 people of all ages were present at the event with a pre-registration of 325. It concluded with a community family fun celebration hosted by Bellegrass. The overall winner this year was Neil Solomon with First Place for Men going to Brock Hurston and for Women going to Brittany Ware. A very eclectic art show featuring a variety of mediums was presented by local artists and OGLE students. The exhibit was held before and after the event thanks to Rita Jones, OGLE art teacher and the South Mississippi Art Association. We were very pleased with the generous community support which included assistance from respiratory therapists of PRCC led by Lori Anderson and OGHS Beta club members led by Becky Sanders. Ben Hughes, Pinebelt Pacer and OGMS teacher plotted the course and served as the race official. The Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department and Lamar County Sheriff's Department provided safety for our runners and families. We are hopeful that this will become a seasonal community event! In the past, we have worked for the American Cancer Society and Neimann-Pick Disease Foundation. Thank you all for making the Acorn Run a success! We hope to see you all next year!© Patti Permenter, OGLE Teacher |
| Race Report by Ginny Dufrene I had not planned to run the Acorn 5k, thought I would be out of town, but my trip was delayed, I needed more miles for the week, and it is near my house so Friday I decided I would jump in. This was another "fun" run for me. As stated many times recently, I am not running great and this is a hilly course, so I could easily go into the race relaxed knowing not to expect much as far as time is concerned. I am really enjoying these relaxed runs. (I have another one next week at the Country Music half marathon - no expectations, I am running for fun). I really enjoyed the Acorn 5k. I loved the residential loop (very tired of the out and back on the trail 5ks). Enjoyed visiting with my good buddy Dennis Devore who I haven't seen in a few years, nice to see the Fords, enjoyed visiting with Audrey and Raul, appreciated Donna's help with the race, etc. etc. When I finished the 5k and noticed the clock, my very first quick thought was "finally, a break through", then immediately after that thought, my next thought was "the course was short." Reality bites - my time was 23:28 - currently - I know that I am not running that kind of time, especially on the hills. Yep, the Garmin confirms my suspicion, 2.99. Dennis also said someone else with a Garmin had 3.01. So my 5k time would really be around 24:13 for the 5k. I always try to find a positive with the situation so a few weeks ago I ran the MS River Bridge run which had 1 mile uphill and I ran 24:28, the Acorn race was on rolling hills and I ran around 24:13 so I am going to look at that for my positive. The Acorn run was an excellent race. Well organized, great course, I would highly recommend this race next year. My only recommendations would be to start the race on time and to check the course distance. Overall - great job. I needed some more miles for the week, and I wanted to have Sunday as an easy walking day so Audrey and I ran another 3 miles after the race. Audrey needed to leave, I wanted to finish my mileage for the week so I ran another 3 miles. So today, with warm up, race, extra mileage after the race, I ended up with 10.5 miles. Race Report from the Acorn 5K run. Neil Solomon There was a great turnout with over 200 runners. The course is mildly hilly and the weather was perfect. Pine Belt Pacers Ginny Dufrene, Audrey Jackson and Nestor Anzola were there. Some other usual suspects such as Jeff Hathorn, Terry Lawhead, Sam Hudson and Steve Champine were conspicuous in their absence since that's about the only way I can win a race. That was a interesting story as myself and a high school boy behind me were directed by a cop on a motor cycle the wrong way with a couple of hundred yards to go and we missed the turn to the finish and ran about another 1/2 mile thinking this was never going to end. One of the race directors realized what happened because the third place finisher told him the two of us went the wrong way. He did end up correcting the finish, So as it turns out I jokingly say I won two races, the 5K and the almost 6K. My wife also ran and took 2 minutes from her previous time, and my daughter who won last year did not run as she in between state district and regional track meets. I do not know exactly my time because I never stopped my Garmin at the right finish but as best as I can back calculate from my 3.5 mile time and the time of the third place finisher based on the distance spread between us I did about a 19:50. I was the overall winner and Brittany Ware was the overall female winner. I am not sure who will report the full results. The course at Bellegrass is challenging and perhaps can be used as a grand prix event in the future. Race Report by Becky Ryder ---> |
