Organizers call first Jam on Sloss Lake 5K ‘successful’
The running community is a tight-knitted group that loves traveling to various events and running the roads in communities across the nation.
Monday the runners were able to add a new destination to their list of races as 62 participants took place in the inaugural Jam on Sloss Lake 5K as part of the Fourth of July festivities in Russellville.
“We had 62 runners for the first year and we felt good about that number,” said organizer LaDonna Hitt. “Several runners said they enjoyed it and would return next year.”
Hitt said many of the challenges to starting a 5K were not an issue for her. Many 5K runs are associated with events — the Jam on Sloss Lake was already an established part of the Fourth of July in Russellville, so it provided a natural partnership.
The next challenge was deciding on a course, but that was not too difficult either because Hitt knew she wanted Sloss Lake to be the centerpiece of the course. To stretch the course out to the needed five kilometers — which is 3.1 miles — the route tan through parts of the nearby industrial park.
“The biggest thing we had to do was make sure medical needs were there and there was traffic control,” Hitt said.
The Russellville Fire Department set up trucks along the route to spray runners with a mist of water to keep them cool as they navigated the course and helped the runners finish the race with no major medical issues.
One of the unexpected benefits of the event was the exposure of Sloss Lake to many runners in north Alabama. Hitt said she was amazed by the number of people living within an hour’s drive that did not know about Sloss Lake.
“There is so much potential there. It is a huge asset to the area,” Hitt said. “Gary Cummings is the event coordinator and he has a vision for the area. The more people who start to go (to Sloss Lake), the more resources we can put out there. I felt like the run would help.”
The runners were impressed with the event and Hitt believes next year’s race could draw many more participants since word of mouth is one of the best ways to attract new runners to an event. Early indications are good the event will receive great reviews from the runners.
“I had a lot of people I respect in the running community tell me it was a success,” Hitt said.
The event drew runners from far and wide, with runners from several states, including Alaska. Sophie McAllister, an 11-year old from the Last Frontier, was visiting family in Moulton and decided to participate in the 5K. She won an award for farthest distance traveled to accompany the second-place finish she earned in her age group.
Jon Elmore of Decatur was the top overall finisher with a time of 19 minutes and 14 seconds while Tiffany Dudley was the top overall female finisher. Kenny Logan and Kelly Elmore won the male and female masters divisions, which are for ages 40 and over.
