Price, Pemberton run winners

Published 3:17 pm Friday, May 29, 2009

Florida State University Seminoles cross country and track runner Tyler Price, and Bainbridge runner Erica Pemberton were the male and female champions of Monday’s third annual Memorial Day 5,000-meter, 3.2-mile run, which featured a field of more than 100 runners.

Price won the overall championship in the run, sponsored by coach Mandi O’Mara’s Bainbridge High School Bearcats and Lady Cats cross country teams, with a time of 16 minutes, 11 seconds.

Pemberton’s female winning time was 23:16.

Email newsletter signup

The run started and ended behind Memorial Hospital and Manor.

Kyle Harris of Bainbridge was a close second overall with a time of 17:57. It was his second strong finish in a row. In April he won the second annual Amanda Regan Inspirational 5,000-meter, 3.2-mile run with a time of 18:14.48.

Price said he heard about the run from Paul Hoover, his former coach at Wakulla, Fla., High School, who has won several runs in Decatur County in the past.

“Coach Hoover told me about the run, and I came up here with him,” Price said. “I am rehabilitating from some back problems I incurred during cross country season, and I really enjoyed the course, which was smooth, yet challenging.”

Pemberton, who was holding her 2-year-old daughter, Addie, after the run, recalled that she was pushing her in a stroller while competing in the 2008 run.

The top male and female masters, over 40 finishers were Brian Hickey from Schenectady, N.Y., and Julie Harris of Bainbridge. Hickey was visiting friends in Tallahassee.

Winners of the one-mile, fun-run held in connection with the 5,000-meter run were Trey Walker and Mabry Grace Briggs.