COLUMBIA, Tenn. — A total of 540 runners and walkers participated in the 2019 Mule Kick 5K & 1-Mile Trot at Riverwalk Park on Saturday, April 6, raising more than $32,000 for the community thanks to contributions from racers and local sponsors.
Proceeds from the annual event, hosted by the Maury Regional Health Care Foundation and presented by Reliant Bank, will go toward maintaining the mobile medical unit the Foundation purchased in 2017, which serves at-risk and uninsured patients by providing health screenings and health education. The Foundation will also make donations to the Wellness and Aquatic Center Healthy Living Endowment, the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department and the physical education programs at Agathos Classical School and J.E. Woodard Elementary School, the schools in Maury County with the most race participants.
“Seeing people come out during Mule Day festivities to participate in this race that supports our health care efforts in the community is always uplifting,” said Joe Kilgore, executive director of the Foundation. “We are grateful to the sponsors and participants who made this day possible.”
After the participants finished their respective races, Kilgore presented awards to the top male and female overall finishers, master finishers (ages 40 and up) and super grand master finishers (ages 70 and up) as well as the top three finishers in each age group by gender.
Andrew Ogle had the fastest run of the day, winning first place overall for the men, with a time of 18:03, while Emily Rollins won first place overall for the women with a time of 20:50. In the master category, Daniel Kirby won for the men with a time of 20:31 and Gale Moore won for the women with a time of 25:19. Eugene Hollman and Patricia Bruhn brought home wins in the super grand master category with their respective times of 27:59 and 38:27.
The top three male and female finishers of the 1-Mile Trot were also recognized during the ceremony. The female winners included Chaslyn Stewart, Emalee McCord and Emma Dixon, while the male finishers included Tate Peters, Emery Seago and Brandon Kirby.
The full list of winners from the male and female age group categories is available at MuleKick5K.org, where all racers can view their times and print race certificates. Photos from the 2019 event are available on the Mule Kick 5K & 1-Mile Trot Facebook page at Facebook.com/MuleKick5K.
Sponsors for the 2019 Mule Kick 5K & 1-Mile Trot included presenting sponsor Reliant Bank and champion sponsors Maury Regional Health, Farm Bureau Health Plans, Winning Moves, Vanderbilt Health, The Daily Herald and the Kensington, Ashley and Graymere Apartments. The finish line sponsor was Advanced Foot & Ankle Care Center. Trainer sponsors included Maury Regional Medical Group, Advance Financial, Columbia Power & Water Systems, Maury County Visitors Bureau, McDonald’s of Maury County, Lucas Orthodontic Group, Mid-Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic, Brown & Maguire, CPAs, PLLC, Southern Radiology Associates, City of Columbia, Preventia, Benton Nissan and Encompass Health. Patron sponsors included Raymond James, Redman-Davis Insurance, Sonic, Smelter Service, Listerhill Credit Union, KFC, Chick-fil-A, STAR Physical Therapy, Benchmark Physical Therapy, Muletown Rec, Columbia Pediatrics, MX-Sports Grafix & Awards, Beck Dental Care, Mid-Tenn Juvenile Detention Center, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Maury County Realty, A Balloon Shop and Jones & Lang.
To learn more about the Maury Regional Health Care Foundation, to make a gift to the mobile medical unit fund or to learn about sponsoring next year’s Mule Kick 5K event, visit MauryRegionalFoundation.com, email MRHFoundation@MauryRegional.com or call 931.380.4075.