18th annual Peach Run marks start of Peach Festival
Published 1:12 pm Monday, June 20, 2022
The 2022 Peach Run 5K winners received a basket of peaches. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The 2022 Peach Run 10K winners received a basket of peaches. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Runners stretch at Cornerstone Fitness before the Peach Run starts. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Runners during the 2022 Peach Run. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
One of the runners coming down the final stretch of the run. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The Peach Queens handing out door prizes after the Peach Run. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
A group of runners coming down the final stretch of the Peach Run. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Runners line up before the start of the 2022 Peach Run. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Some of the runners on the Peach Run course portion of Lay Dam Road. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The Peach Queens handed out the peach baskets to the winner in each age division. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
A runner crosses the finish line at just under 26 minutes. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTSER)
One of the runners coming down the final stretch of the run. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Durbin Farms provided the peaches for the Peach Run winners. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The Peach Queens cheered people on coming into the final stretch of the course. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
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By Carey Reeder | Staff Writer
The 18th annual Peach Run took place at Cornerstone Fitness on June 18 to mark the beginning of the Peach Festival in Chilton County.
Over 70 runners gathered at Cornerstone Fitness starting as early as 6 a.m. to begin preparations for the race.
“I think the event went very well,” Leisa Childress, fitness director at Cornerstone Fitness, said. “We were very blessed to have runners that came from far distances … We feel honored that they chose Cornerstone.”
Gavin Thornhill of Prattville was the male overall winner in the 5K with a time of 19:07. Maddie Smith of Alexander City was the female overall winner in the 5K with a time of 25:48. Thornhill set a 6:09 per mile pace and Smith set a 8:18 per mile pace.
Ryan Stanford of Montgomery was the male overall winner in the 10K with a time of 36:43. Kaye Porter of Montgomery was the overall female winner in the 10K with a time of 49:05. Stanford set a 5:54 per mile pace and Porter set a 7:53 per mile pace. This was Stanford’s second consecutive Peach Run 10K race win, improving upon his 2021 winning time of 38:16.
The race began in the Cornerstone Fitness parking lot and went left down Lay Dam Road to downtown Clanton. The course wrapped around the tag office and back up Lay Dam Road back to Cornerstone where the timer awaited the participants.
“We had a lot of positive feedback in that (the runners) thought the race was very organized, and markers were very visible,” Childress said. “Overall, we were thrilled with the turnout.”
There were different age divisions in both races and male and female categories. The winners in each division won a basket of peaches provided by Durbin Farms.
The run was just under the normal number of runners at the race. The Peach Run draws around 85 runners each year. Childress thanked the Cornerstone Fitness and other volunteers after the run concluded.
“We would have loved to have had more runners,” Childress said. “We understand that it was Father’s Day, there were baseball tournaments, the high gas prices and the heat index could have been factors as well. Even though the numbers were slightly down, the run was a great success.”
The Peach Queens were in attendance cheering runners on as they made the final turn into the Cornerstone parking lot towards the finish line. The queens also gave out over 30 door prizes to runners from different businesses in Chilton County and the peach baskets to the division winners.
5K Race Results
Male Overall Winner
Gavin Thornhill, Age 19, 19:07
Female Overall Winner
Maddie Smith, Age 13, 25:48
Male 10 and Under Winner
Jimmie Holmes, 9, 34:30
Male 11-19 Winner
Colby Franks, 16, 23:30
Female 11-19 Winner
Abigail Zenor, 14, 29:49
Male 20-29 Winner
Sergio Romero, 20, 23:58
Female 20-29 Winner
Braiden Gottier, 26, 28:43
Male 30-39 Winner
CJ Robinson, 39, 26:31
Female 30-39 Winner
Jamie Grant, 36, 38:25
Male 40-49 Winner
Darren Wilson, 48, 23:11
Female 40-49 Winner
Melanie Stanford, 40, 28:32
Male 50-59 Winner
John Zenor, 51, 21:13
Female 50-59 Winner
Beth Mills, 50, 38:57
Male 60-69 Winner
Greg Lochart, 65, 29:38
Female 60-69 Winner
Diana Grant, 69, 46:42
Female 70 and Over
Maureen Mayfield, 74, 52:06
10K Race Results
Male Overall Winner
Ryan Stanford, Age 36, 36:43
Female Overall Winner
Kaye Porter, Age 53, 49:05
Male 20-29 Winner
Benjamin Baumgardner, 24, 55:40
Female 20-29 Winner
Anna Thomas, 29, 1:12:54
Male 40-49 Winner
Jason Mayfield, 43, 38:10
Male 50-59 Winner
Joe Boros, 59, 51:16
Female 50-59 Winner
Cynda Fickert, 53, 1:06:44
Male 60-69 Winner
Downey McGee, 68, 56:04
