Stampede 5K draws good crowd

A better-than-expected crowd of runners turned out for the first ever Buffalo Stampede 5K/Fun Run. The races drew a few athletes from out-of-town, but mostly it was local runners who took advantage of the opportunity to test their training against a 3.1-mile course on the rolling hills of Star Route Road on Saturday morning. A second group ran the "Fun Run" -- a one-mile course on Railroad Street -- and participants ranged from Buffalo septuagenarian Frances Roach down to Palestine six-yearold Bryce Jackson.

The overall 5K win- ner was Robert Duncan, a member of the Seven Hills Running Club in Huntsville. Duncan finished in 18:23. The first female finisher was Jessi Jones of Palestine, in a time of 25:01. James Roach of Buffalo was the first to complete the 1-mile course and his time was 6:37. .

Top male finishers in their respective age divisions included: (19-U) Jessy Champion, (20-29) John Forrest; (30-39) David Freeman; (40-49) Robert H. Duncan; (50-59) Casey Lee. In the women's divisions, the winners were: (20-29) Morgan Raboin, (30-39) Jessi Jones; (40-49) Kay Young; (50-59) Teresa Nix; and (60-69) Mary Jane "The Energizer Bunny" Hartley.

Race organizers were thrilled with the turnout. Vanessa Goodwyn shared, "This was an encouraging start and we envision the race growing found it to be a beautiful course with little traffic, and with enough hills to be challenging but not overwhelming. One running enthusiast pointed out that there were no races of any close proximity on the weekend of the Stampede, and he promised to be back next year. We've learned from this one and will use the coming year to promote our race in the runners' circuit. It was actually (pant... pant) a lot of run, and having a race to shoot for definitely helps you stay with your fitness program."

Many thanks to the volunteers who helped out, including members of the BHS National Honor Society. Thanks, too, to the area merchants who contributed refreshments for the runners: Brookshires, Gilliams, Dollar General, Family Dollar, and the Abiding Place.