Rose Festival underway as Rose City Run sweeps Thomasville

Apr. 22—THOMASVILLE — It was a nice, cool morning for runners in Thomasville as the Rose City Run 10K and fun run kicked off the festivities for the Rose Festival on Saturday.

}In the early hours of Saturday morning, 26-year-old Brian Miller out of Americus, Georgia, emerged the winner as he crossed the finish line with a time of 34:02.66. Miller carried a 5:29 pace through the 10K, an impressive speed. The overall female winner was Jamila Allen, a 34-year-old from Atlanta who ran a 43:30.87.

Runners came from all over to participate in the famous Rose City Run as Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Louisiana were all represented. Danny Sangster traveled the farthest, 477 miles from Gold Hill, North Carolina. Anyone of any age could participate, from 12-year-old Carlos Garcia, who took first place in his age group, to 87-year-old Joyce Hodges-Hite.

Thomasville was well represented as Tiffany Nunnally took first among females in the masters (40+) age group. The Thomas County winner was 16-year-old Dylan Thompson, who finished with a time of 42:48 and placed second in his age group. The Thomas County female winner was 31-year-old Cammie Hungerford, who finished with a time of 45:22.

When all was said and done, eight Thomasvillians finished in the top three in their age group, including the 14-18 age group that featured an all-Thomasville top three.

As for the fun run, 90 kids between the ages of 3 and 12 participated with 12-year-old Holten Dennard winning the race for the third straight year, running the mile in just 5:43.52. He is expected to race in the 10K next year.

Emma Thompson was the female winner and came in seventh overall with a final time of 7:23.84. Samuel Kanter and Hughes Thurston impressed as they were the two youngest top ten finishers at 8 years old. Kanter finished with a time of 7:18.15, taking sixth place, and Thurston crossed the line at 7:44.31, landing him in tenth.

The youngest participant was 3-year-old Layla Frisbie, who finished with a time of 13:11.13.

Organizations were also recognized, such as Jerger Elementary, who had the highest number of runners. The Thomas County Central's cross country team was also recognized as having the most members compete as a team with 15 runners.

Next up is the Rose City Walk, which will be held on Saturday, April 27. It is not too late to register, but there will be no race day registration. If you would like to register for the walk you can do so online at the Thomasville YMCA website.