Ashley Carrillo, 13, right, crosses the finish line for first place in the 5-mile run at the 15th annual Run Thru History at the Old Mississippi River Bridge. Jeff Hathorn, 46, left, captured first place overall in the men’s 5- mile run. About 700 runners and walkers participated in the event on Saturday. (Melanie Duncan ThortisThe Vicksburg Post)

[9/7/03]Saturday was a perfect day for runners young and old at the Over The River Run.

Jeff Hathorn, a 46-year-old from Bassfield, crossed the finish line in 28 minutes, 36 seconds to win his first OTRR title, while 13-year-old Raymond resident Ashley Carrillo won her third straight women’s title in the 5-mile run.

Hathorn has won Vicksburg’s other road race, The Run Thru History, two times, in 1995 and 1996, and was second in the RTH this spring. He was also second in the 2001 OTRR. This was his first win in any race since last October, however.

He beat 322 other runners to win. Roughly 775 people registered for the 5-mile run, 5-mile racewalk and 1-mile fun run, and about 720 actually competed.

“The old man is happy,” Hathorn said with a laugh.

Hathorn made his move around the 2-mile mark when some of the other runners tired. He was helped by cool temperatures in the mid-60s Saturday morning, a strong westerly breeze that pushed him back across the river from Louisiana, and a light training regimen that he said gave him some extra stamina.

By the end of the race, though, he was tiring. The last half-mile was a grueling test, but he was far enough ahead of the pack that it didn’t matter. He already had a huge lead, and beat Port Gibson’s Craig Winsor by 38 seconds. Winsor finished in 29:16.

“When I saw the half-mile to go, that’s when I started struggling,” Hathorn said. “I’m just glad nobody was close.”

Carrillo wasn’t thrilled with her time of 36:28, which was about a minute slower than last year’s, but was happy with her victory. She pulled away just before the halfway point, then held off several runners at the end.

Carrillo tired on the final stretch, but still managed to beat Vicksburg’s Melissa Langan by nearly 30 seconds. Langan finished in 36:57.

“It was kind of hard. This is the first time I ran five miles in a couple of months,” Carrillo said. “Today it felt really good out there. It wasn’t hot, and there was a nice breeze. If I’d have trained, I’d probably have had a (personal record).”

In the 5-mile racewalk, Vicksburg’s Debbie Cheney claimed her third straight OTRR title and hinted that it may be her last.

“I’m kind of kicking around the idea of trying to run next year. I’ve gone about as far as I can go with racewalking, and I want to try something different,” Cheney said. “I just hope I can run as fast as I can walk. Somebody has to teach me how to run.”

Cheney camped out near the starting line after the runners headed onto the Old Mississippi River Bridge, and immediately broke from the pack when the walkers were released.

By the time the walkers hit the foot of the bridge Cheney had a 20-yard lead and she never looked back. She finished the course in 45:09 and beat second-place finisher Kirby Hendrix by nearly 2 1/2 minutes.

“As soon as the runners left, I went up there,” Cheney said of her strategy of starting up front. “It seems if you’re not on the front line, it’s hard to get through the crowd.”

Although Hendrix was second to Cheney, the 56-year-old from Rayville, La., did win the men’s racewalk title for the second straight year, and the third time in four years. He crossed the finish line in 47:25, edging Jackson’s Bennett Randman by 13 seconds.

Randman was fourth overall, with Brandon’s Amy Macon in between he and Hendrix. Macon crossed the finish line in 47:35.

Hendrix said he and Randman were neck-and-neck throughout the race, and pushed each other toward the finish.

“Bennett was at me about 50 yards or so coming up the hill. He doesn’t get away from me. He’s a bulldog,” said Hendrix, who also won the OTRR in 2000 and 2002. “I can sense him. You can hear footsteps. I don’t tend to look back, but you know he’s there.”

In the 1-mile fun run, 15-year-old Magee resident Ira Ginn took first place with a time of 6:28.