This morning, nearly 60 runners woke up early to run Mercer University's homecoming 5K race. There were a total of six categories, where a total of eighteen medals were distributed.
The overall winner was Jack Bullen with a time of 17 minutes and 28 seconds, and the second-place winner was Marina Van Sickle with a time of 19 minutes 9 seconds.
Seth Tomlinson was the winner of the men's under-39 category, and Dean of Students Douglas Pearson took the men's gold in the "Master's Division" category, for runners 40 and older. The winner of the women's under-39 category was Lindy Kanaday, and the women's Master's Division winner was Amy Boyer.
Many familiar faces competed in the race from Mercer University students, faculty and staff. Undergraduate Admissions Director Christopher Pinto and Douglas Pearson both competed. Mercer Business professor Marko Horn and his son, Leif, made it out into the brisk morning to do some running together.
"Getting out and getting to run is always a good thing," Leif said. "It's a great family activity," his father said.
Todd Thompson, the event's coordinator, said he had expected the small turnout but was hoping to see bigger numbers next year.
"I think things went well, smaller turnout than in years past, but that's kind of on par with what we've been expecting," Thompson said. "A little bit warmer than normal, which is excellent, but we're happy with the turnout and the event overall."
Henry Keating '24 is a Journalism and History student at Mercer. He has worked at The Cluster as SGA correspondent, State and Local News Editor, Managing Editor and now as the Editor-in-Chief. Henry has held internships at the Macon Newsroom, Macon Telegraph, and Greenville Post and Courier. He enjoys backpacking, rom-coms, pottery and photography.
