By Myra Bean

Racing for Paws 5K walk/run drew 269 people from five different states last Saturday morning during the annual Springfest. (See complete results on B8).

States represented were Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama.

Batesville’s C. D. Overton, 40-years-old, was the overall winner with a time of 18:13 minutes. Southaven’s Nicole Pell, 32-years-old, was the fast woman on the track.

The beauty of the event was that people of all ages were welcome to participate. James Breazeale, 76, of Sardis was the oldest person out for the morning and finished in a time of 40:32.

The oldest lady participating was Katherine Brower, 71, of Sardis. She finished with a time of 55:50.

There were baby strollers, young walkers and runners and even a few pets along the route.

Bob Mooney race director said this was the first year dogs were allowed to be in the race.

“I am aware Batesville has a leash law, but there was one dog off the leash who ran next to his human,” Mooney said. “That was amazing to me.”

There were 175 women and 94 men who participated. Mooney said this was a record number of participants in the four years of the race and also a record number of sponsors for the race.

Mooney also said the age divisions were different to allow more prizes for the youth.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Panola County Humane Society. Money figures were not complete at press time, but Mooney was confident this was a small step towards erecting a shelter to continue helping lost and abandoned animals in Panola County.

“We hope the race continues to be a fun event and part of Springfest, but the main purpose is to make people aware that we do have a problem in Panola County,” Mooney said. “There is just a small group of us working to get this done. The lost and abandoned pet population is out of control.”

To help the Panola County Humane Society, call Mooney at 662-609-7500.