A family that runs together stays together.
Tim and Missie Gregory of Alcoa, Tenn., will be celebrating 20 years of marriage in a few weeks, but on Sunday morning they celebrated their first place finishes in the fourth annual Rodeo Run at Clement Taylor Park in Destin that boasted its largest field yet, 250 runners.
“It was a perfect course, and perfect weather. We’re just happy to be here,” Missie said.
“I’m just overwhelmed with the turnout,” said race director Kimmy Meyers. “I knew I’d hit 200, but not 250. It’s incredible.”
Tim, 42, was the first male to cross the line in the 5K event with a mark of 18:09, while Missie, 43, was the first female to cross the line. She completed the race in 20:56.
“It’s not a PR, but it’s the best I’ve done in about a year,” she said.
As for Tim, “It’s the fastest I’ve done one of these.” Prior to Sunday, his fastest was 18:15 back in April.
“I took a few seconds off. I was happy,” he said.
This wasn’t the Gregory’s first Rodeo Run, they ran the event back in 2011.
“We’ve been coming here since 1996,” Tim said.
“We remember when Target was Delchamps. We still love it here,” Missie said.
The two run about 15 to 20 races a year from 5Ks to marathons.
“We run a lot in Florida,” Tim said, noting they have ran races in Tampa and Cocoa Beach.
The two run most every day. “We do it just to stay in shape,” Missie said.
“If you start training for something, you’ve got to stick with it. It keeps you out there,” Tim said.
“We always race together,” Missie said. “But we don’t always finish together.”
The two have been running together since 1999.
“We get up and run every morning. Back home and while we’re here,” she said.
As for Sunday’s race, “It was very well organized,” Missie said.
“One of the best things about running is everybody cheers each other on. You might be strangers coming to the race, but you leave like your buddies,” she said.
The top two Masters finishers were Scott McNey, at 20:04 and Donna Harris at 22:26.
Grandmasters were Jeff Harris, at 20:41 and Paula Piazza, 23:00.
The top three finishers in each age group are as follows:
9-and-under
Male: Maddox Hayles, 29:53; Braxton Beard, 30:06; and Michael Grant, 37:32.
Female: Elizabeth Morrow, 31:21; McKenzi Toth, 31:42; and Marlee Rountree, 34:54.
10-14
Male: Brad Willis, 18:55; Zane Sims, 20:04; and Luke Malott, 23:19.
Female: Ann Reash Tyler, 24:27; Whitley Patterson, 27:44; and Londyn Riley, 29:36.
15-19
Male: Demetrius Mulkey, 20:02.
Female: Serena Campbell, 25:15; and Adrienne Poole, 36:08.
20-24
Male: Atticus Mulkey, 18:23; Christopher Herbert, 20:02; and Thomas Marugg, 23:49.
Female: Kate Henderson, 39:52; and Haley Siglock, 43:34.
25-29
Male: Jeff Reaves, 22:08; and Trenton Smith, 24:03.
Female: Rachel Staples, 26:27; Heather Smith, 27:19; and Rachel Carroll, 31:30.
30-34
Male: Steven Garrett, 19:54; Chris Kinne, 20:36; and Steven Loveless, 22:34.
Female: Michaela Browning, 22:32; Jennifer Johnson, 23:48; and Andrea Moak, 26:45.
35-39
Male: Barry McCubbin, 20:06; Brian Dwyer, 20:44; and Andy Lewis, 21:41.
Female: Tiffany Music, 24:10; Katherine Lewis, 26:28; and Jennifer Wilcutt, 27:26.
40-44
Male: Garland Knott, 20:10; Kevin Johnson, 21:27; and Dan Allen, 24:22.
Female: Simona Faroni, 24:22; Kellee Dali, 25:51; and Emily Edwards, 26:34.
45-49
Male: Paul Poole, 20:25; Steven Rausch, 20:31; and Tommy Ransom, 25:03.
Female: Tammi Cox, 24:01; Donna Pink, 26:24; and Kristie Allen, 28:30.
50-54
Male: Eric Marshall, 22:14; Bruce Mulkey, 23:05; and Don McClintic, 23:56.
Female: Caroline Leuesque, 25:14; Elain Mulkey, 25:49; and Velina Sweatt, 26:40.
55-59
Male: Brian Halmaghi, 21:18; Mike Million, 22:18; and Charlie Allen, 24:02.
Female: Lin Rehale, 24:12; Sylvia Smith, 27:55; and Debbie Henderson, 31:08.
60-64
Male: Dean Bentley, 22:49; David Miller, 26:15; and Ace Fulton, 30:09.
Female: Linda Holloway, 31:34.
65-69
Male: Billie Christie, 25:48; and George Schriener, 30:40.
70-74
Male: Russ Eberhart, 32:16.
75-79
Male: Aaron Ellis, 27:00
Overall Walkers
Male: Ken Smalewich, 29:41.
Female: Aimee Shaffer, 40:01.