Inaugural High Bridge Half Marathon and 5K Race

By Mary Sansone, Southside Messenger Staff

Last Saturday, September 7, runners came from all across Virginia, as well as some from out of state, to participate in the first ever High Bridge Half Marathon and 5K. Bright and early, the half marathon started at 7:30 a.m. while the 5K run commenced half an hour later at 8 a.m.

With 250 runners, the race began in Downtown Farmville at High Bridge Trail State Park Plaza and extended across the High Bridge itself. The bridge is almost half a mile long, and runners participating in the half marathon crossed it twice.

The half marathon and 5K were timed by Riverside Runners of Lynchburg, Va., and results for the races were separated into categories based on gender and age of the runners. According to farmvillehighbridgehalf.com, after four hours of racing, the timing was put to a stop. While participants were still encouraged to complete the run, if they did not cross the finish line after these first four hours, they were not eligible for awards. Winners of the half marathon received cash prizes, whereas the winners of the 5K were given medals.

The overall male awards for the half marathon were given to the first three males to cross the finish line. They were Tim Morris (40), Jeff Harrington (43) and Daniel List (47). The overall female awards were given to the first three females to cross the finish line. They were Alice Kassens (38), Vicky Jasparro (40) and Emma Johnston (32).

The first three 5K runners to cross the finish line received the overall 5K run awards. The male winners for this were Stephen Ferguson (21), Aaron Barber (33) and Ryan Canoy (20). The female winners were Brandy Tharpe (15), Libertad Houser (36) and Jayne Thomas (34).

More results for the half marathon and 5K can be found on riversiderunners.com.

Helen Person, executive director of Downtown Farmville, was one of the main organizers of the event. Talking about where the idea to hold a half marathon and 5K run came from, she said, “This all started last December when Eric Houghland, who is the park manager over at High Bridge Trail State Park, said, ‘Helen, we need to have a half marathon.’”

Person went on to say, “There were some folks here that wanted to put one [race] together, but they just didn’t have time to do it, so they thought maybe this would be a good opportunity for Farmville Downtown Partnership and the [High Bridge State] Park to partner to do this.”

Along with the half marathon and 5K, several local businesses were able to set up booths at the Riverside Festival which was a companion event to the races. Sponsored by Promotions Committee of Farmville Downtown Partnership, the Riverside Festival was meant to be “reminiscent of the county fair with games and amusements by area community organizations,” according to farmvillehighbridgehalf.com.

The Riverside Festival contained vendors selling food, art, jewelry and more. These vendors included Eddie’s Citrus Kicker, Fresh Batch Jams, Bianca Rose Soap Company, Lions Club and more.

The money that was raised from the half marathon and 5K is planned to go to the revitalization projects in the Farmville Downtown region, according to Person. “It really kind of helps to ce­­­ment the fact that outdoor recreation is important to our Downtown development and revitalization,” she said.