Not even a windy, cold and blustery evening could keep walkers and runn
ers from participating in Rome’s most fun and foamiest 5K and health walk of the year, as more than 700 participants took to the trails in and around Downtown Rome for the Leprechaun-a-thon 5K and health walk presented by Atrium Health Floyd on Saturday evening.
Cedartown’s Dalton Benefield blazed through the event, covering the 3.1-mile course in a record 16:47 to grab the overall title. Rome’s Sam Lindley finished second overall with a time of 17:26, which was also faster than the previous course record.
Keri McGinnis from Smyrna grabbed the women’s overall crown with a super-fast 20:59.
Cartersville’s Mario Singer took the men’s masters title with an 18:56, which was also good enough for him to place fourth overall in the race. Calhoun’s Krista Timmins won the female masters title with a 26:17.
Rome’s Ken Pharoah, a fixture at local road races, won the men's grandmasters title with a 22:27. Julie Harris also from Rome was the female grand masters champion with a 28:42.
All told, 365 participants finished the 5K, while another 350-plus took part in the two-mile health walk.
As always, the Town Green had a large wall of foam that plenty of people braved despite the cooler temperatures.
“It was great seeing people of all ages and abilities come out and enjoy the walk and the run and get some exercise,” Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Director Todd Wofford said. “We would like to thank our main sponsor Atrium Health Floyd and our sponsor Powerade for helping make this event so successful.”
Full results for the road race can be found here.
Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation will also be holding a 5K run and health walk in the fall. Date and time will be announced later.