DECATUR, Ala. — Josh Whitehead won the 44th River City Run 10K and 5K races Saturday at Point Mallard Park, including a state age record in the longer race.
Whitehead, 45, of Madison, won by almost seven minutes against the 10K field, crossing the line in 32:29. That 5:14-per-mile pace was strong enough to push him to the Alabama age record by six seconds. Whitehead clipped the record held by Carl Nicholson of Huntsville. Nicholson’s record, set April 4, 1992, in Decatur, was 32:35.
Blake Thompson, 42, of Huntsville, was second in 39:15. James Ebert, 36, of Huntsville, was third in 40:24.
Daisy Hernandez, 20, of Elkmont, won the women’s title and finished 10th overall. She finished in 49:42. Jamie Pitt, 44, of Trinity, was second (11th) in 50:00. Pam Albright, 40, of Decatur, was third in 51:20.
The 10K field had 91 finishers, with 88 of them from Alabama, two from Florida and one from Illinois.
See all of the River City Run 10K results here.
River City Run 5K
Whitehead won the 5K event in 18:25, with Mark Boatwright, 16, of Waverly, finishing second in 18:36.
Logan Wood, 8, of Hazel Green, was third in 19:51. Wood was the youngest finisher in the field. He set a state age group record in February in the Winter Winds 2-Mile run in Huntsville.
Sylvia Vizcarra, Elena Johnston and Daisy Hernandez finished 10-11-12 to take the women’s podium spots.
Vizcarra, 19, of Decatur, finished in 22:56 for the top spot. Johnston, 18, of Hartselle, was next in 23:06, and Hernandez rounded out the trio in 23:27.
The field had 106 finishers, all from Alabama. The 10K finish and the entire 5K is run on the Point Mallard park and golf course perimeter road along the Tennessee River. The 5K course is an out-back. The 10K is a loop.
The Committee on Church Cooperation was the charity sponsor.
See all of the River City Run 5K results here.
