MHS 5K Results

The Lord blessed us with bright sunshine, cool temperatures, and blue skies for the Run to the Endzone 5K at Morehead High School yesterday. Panther Pride filled the air as parents and students and various other people from the community came together to make this event a success. The kickoff for the event included a message from the mayor, the presentation of the American flag from MHS ROTC students, and the singing of the national anthem. A local pastor led the crowd in prayer, thanking God for our blessings and the opportunity to come together as we did. I felt a chill go up my arm as I took a moment to thank God that I live in a town where we have the freedom to publicly thank God for his blessings and ask for his protection.

The race began and runners took off straight down the hill on Panther Lane. As much as I wanted to sprint, I tried to remind myself that feeling was just adrenaline talking and that I needed to save some of it for the next hill...going up Pierce Street. I ran up Pierce Street, which is nothing I haven't done before, it's just that I hadn't done it lately. This was where breathing became a challenge and I really had to focus. I made it to the top. Ahhhhh...I knew I had a little time to run downhill and on some flat land before conquering the other hills to come. This was the time I tried to use to set my race pace and coordinate my breathing. The other hills were difficult, but I seemed to be able to navigate them a little better than Pierce Street. Luckily, I was familiar with the layout of the course. I have ran the neighborhood countless times when training for a half marathon a few years ago. When I crossed the two mile mark, my watch displayed 17:54. I was glad of that, but I lost time climbing the hills in the last mile. Going back up Panther Lane was definitely challenging. On Stadium Drive, it was tempting to increase speed as adrenaline began taking over once again. But I held back because I knew I would need everything I had left in me to climb Panther Lane to the finish. I rounded the corner and took off up the hill. I don't really remember feeling my legs at this point. I just remember breathing and focusing on the top of hill, reminding myself to give it everything I had at this point, because that great feeling you get when crossing the finish would only last for a moment.

I crossed the finish line in 29 minutes and 54 seconds. This was a little bit of a disappointing time for me, considering that it was about four minutes over the time I finished the last 5K. But that disappointment didn't last long when I saw the results and learned I had won first place in my age group. This was the first time I have ever won a first place trophy for running, so it was a special accomplishment for me.


Lydia enjoyed participating in the Tot Trot. This was her first race ever and I hope she learned some things about sportsmanship and the value of trying your best and finishing what you start. The picture below is proof that this was a fun filled event for people of all ages!


Thanks to those who worked hard to make this race a success and raise funds for athletics at our school. I enjoyed seeing students involved and hope they'll participate again next year! Here are some other great photos of the event: