The Hoptown Half-Marathon and 5K went off without a hitch Saturday in Hopkinsville as runners and walkers took advantage of the cool temperatures in the morning.
The half-marathon kicked off at 6:30 a.m. and the 5K followed soon after, with the first of the runners completing that race at a surprisingly fast pace. Hopkinsville Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tab Brockman says everyone was excited to compete and many of them would finish with impressive times.
Money raised by the race will go back into the community, benefiting both the United Way of the Pennyrile and Challenge House, in memory of Mayor Wally Bryan, who passed away last year.
Thirty-five-year-old A.J. Haynes of Clarksville was the half marathon winner with a time of 1:20:40 and 31-year-old Sean Taylor of Bardstown was about eight minutes behind him to finish second.
The only Hopkinsville resident in the top 10 was 53-year-old David Kabithe, who finished ninth.
Twenty-six-year-old Danielle Bradley of McLeansboro, Illinois was the first female to finish the half-marathon and she placed fifth overall with a time of 1:39:46. Forty-year-old Emily Neff of Hopkinsville was the top-placing local woman with a time of 1:52:08—sixth among females and 17th overall.
Over 400 hundred participants took to the streets, which Brockman called a tremendous turnout. The plans have already begun on next year’s race, which Brockman is hopeful will be even bigger as we are able to put the pandemic behind us.