Big numbers run in 21st Anderson Cup

By By Robby Atkinson / staff writer
April 11, 2004
The 21st Annual Anderson Cup Road Race was held on Saturday morning on the streets of Meridian, and the run was once again another great success for the city.
Over 200 participants from the community and state of Mississippi turned out for the event, and race coordinator Joel Johnson was very pleased with the number of people that ran in the races.
A familiar face to the Anderson Cup Road Race, Mike Thrailkill, took overall first place honors with an finishing time of 17:48. Thrailkill has won the 5K event on several occasions, and on Saturday, the local runner added another first-place finish to his record.
The day consisted of three different events which included the 5K run, two-mile walk, and one-mile fun run for the kids that were 12 years old and younger. Chris Martin of Meridian finished in second place in the male overall category of the 5K run with a time of 19:24, and Andrew Hoeniger won third place in the 5K with a time of 19:25.
Wanda Kennedy of Meridian won the overall women's championship with a time of 22:48, while Consuella Hooks of Meridian won second place with a finishing time of 22:52. Linda Glass of Butler, Ala., took home third place honors for the women with a time of 23:12.
Jimmy Gibson of Meridian won the overall championship on the male masters category with a finishing time of 22:15, and Felicia Brown of Meridian captured the females masters title with a time of 24:52.
Rick Fontan of Collinsville won the first place honor in the male grand masters with a finishing time of 19:54. Georgia Walker of Meridian took home first place in the female grand masters category with a time of 27:52 to round out the overall winners in the 5K event.
The Anderson Cup Road Race is held on the second Saturday of April every year, and Johnson is already looking towards next year's event.