Huff 'N Puff on the Bluff 15k

A few Limestone County runners made the trip to Sheffield, AL, on Saturday, March 13, 2010, for the 8th annual Huff 'N Puff on the Bluff 15k. The course is a hilly, certified 15k (9.3 mile) course that travels through downtown Sheffield and along the Tennessee River.

The overall winner was Hirbo Hirbo of Florence, AL with a time of 51:32. The overall female winner and masters female winner was Lori Goldweber of Birmingham, AL with a time of 1:05:04. The masters winner was Israel Melendez of Plantersville, MS with a time of 58:06.

Limestone County finishers included the following runners.

1. Barry Pugh of Elkmont, 1:17:58
2. Gregory Hacker of Athens, 1:28:20
3. Amy Carlota of Athens, 1:31:50
4. Mike Sweeney of Athens, 1:32:23
5. Jesus Rodriguez of Athens, 1:33:01
6. Denise Sweeney of Athens, 1:48:37
7. Melinda Dugger of Athens, 2:14:12

Overall results and age group results are available at the Shoals TRAC website.

The Big 5k

The inaugural Big 5k run is scheduled for Saturday, April 24, at 8:00 AM. The race will begin and end at Bridge Street in Huntsville. This is a 5k race that will benefit the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of North Alabama.

The fee is $12 until April 1, and $15 thereafter.

You can view and download a registration form here.

For more information about Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Alabama and the Big 5k, visit their website at http://bbbsna.org/.

Delano Park 12 Hour Run

The 2010 Delano Park 12 Hour Run took place Saturday, March 13 at Delano Park in Decatur. This run is a USATF certified 1 mile loop on a scenic, non-technical trail through Delano Park. This event includes a 50 mile run, a 12 hour run, and a 12 hour relay.

The idea behind the 12 hour run is to run as many laps around the 1 mile loop as possible in 12 hours. Partial laps do not count. The runner who runs the most laps in the 12 hours is the winner.

The only Limestone County finisher was Glen King of Athens. Glen competed in the 12 hour run. He ran 65 miles and was 6th overall!

The results are here.

The 50 mile run is Alabama's only USATF certified 50 mile race. The overall winner of the 50 mile was Allen Smith of Auburn, AL. He ran the 50 miles in 7:09:38. The women's 50 mile winner was Betty Holder of Ringgold, GA in 10:50:04. Marcus Farris of Auburn, AL set a 50 mile state age record for 19 year old males. He ran the 50 miles in 7:22:52.

The 12 hour run winner was Jim O'Brien of Chicago, IL. He ran 76 miles in 12 hours. The women's winner was Liz Bauer of Plainville, GA. She ran 71 miles.

Chick-fil-A Charity 5k

The inaugural Chick-fil-A 5K race is set for April 10, 2010 with proceeds going to the Jessica Elkins Meningitis Awareness Foundation. Starting on Washington Street near downtown Athens, the race will begin at 8:00 a.m. and follow a course which accomodates both runners and walkers.

The Jessica Elkins Meningitis Foundation was founded in memory of Jessica who died December 26, 2007 after a five-day battle with meningitis. Her parents work to educate the community about meningitis and are advocates of menactra, a vaccine against meningitis that is available.

The fee is $25 and the course runs on the old Summer Sun course in Athens, certified course AL02010JD.

View and download an entry form.

Register online at Active.com.