DEMOPOLIS &045; Thirty-four participants lined up just before midnight Saturday morning at the Sports-Plex to put forth their best in the Midnight 5K Run, a race presented by the Bryan W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital Relay for Life team.

According to Brooker, the event raised $655 dollars between entry fees and donations to benefit Relay for Life. Brooker said the event would not have been possible without the contributions of sponsors the Cancer Care Center of Demopolis, Bryan W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital, Tombigbee Geriatric Behavioral Health, Bryan W. Whitfield, Sleep Disorders Center, The Demopolis Times, Colony Office Products and Marengo Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Donations from many of those organizations as well as The Athlete’s Foot, Hibbett Sports, BWWMH Gift Shop, The Ravine Golf Course and Subway made it possible for event organizers to give away door prizes.

Hank Atchison, a lineman for Alabama Power, finished the race first with a time of 19:21. The Marion Junction resident said he has participated in multiple runs, but reported Saturday’s race carried special meaning for him.

The 28-year-old Atchison’s time was 20 seconds better than second place finisher Andrew Cargile who pulled in a full 53 seconds ahead of his long-time friend, Raymond Boone. Les Spiller took fourth overall and was the first of the Master’s Division, the title assigned to those aged 40 and up, to finish. The 45-year-old finished with a time of 20:35, one second behind Boone. Demopolis Middle School student and Demopolis High soccer player Spence Overstreet was the youngest competitor at age 14, taking fifth overall with a time of 20:47.

Thomasville’s Kevin Gramelspacher pulled in sixth, followed immediately by two Tuscaloosa residents, Ed Freeman and Rod Dedrick. Demopolis’ Mel Griffin and Gary Brown rounded out the Top 10.

Only six seconds off of Brown’s pace was the event’s first female finisher, Allison Tucker. The Demopolis native and University of Alabama graduate said the race also carried a special meaning for her.

She finished two seconds ahead of 15-year-old Madison Duckworth. Hillary Stapp, 17, rounded out the Top 3 female runners.

Other honors went to Carol Moore-Smith who was the first female finisher in the Master’s Division.