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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners grab some refreshment as they take part in the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners prepare to start the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners take off at the start of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Richard Kimani, 35, of Homewood, Alabama, was the overall winner of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Rachel Hagues, 40, accepts her award as the top female finisher in the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner nears the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner takes a rest after finishing the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Awards wait for distribution to age group winners in the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners take off at the start of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners take off at the start of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner passes a refreshment station in the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Presley Weems, a professional runner from Bluff Park who now runs with the Atlanta Track Club Elite, and her mother, Bluff Park Elementary School Principal Ami Weems, run in the Bluff Park 8K in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Volunteers hand out drinks and cheer runners in the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Andy Hughes and Shaun Brady make pancakes for the post-race breakfast at the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners make their way along Chapel Road during the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner nears the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners cross the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner crosses the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners cross the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners near the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Sam Ford and Tripp Spain eat food after finishing the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner nears the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners take part in the Kids 1K Challenge in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners take part in the Kids 1K Challenge in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Dawn Corley hands out towels to runners as they finish the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner displays the 2023 T-shirt for the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner passes a refreshment station in the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner grabs a drink as he passes a refreshment station in the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners take part in the Kids 1K Challenge in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners gather after finishing the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners take off at the start of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners chat after finishing the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners near the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners near the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners near the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners near the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner nears the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Richard Kimani leads the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner passes by Birmingham Community Church the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner passes a refreshment stationi in the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner nears the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners cross the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners make their way along Chapel Road during the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners near the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners take off at the start of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners take off at the start of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner nears the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner crosses the finish line of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners stop for a photo during the Kids 1K Challenge in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner passes a refreshment station in the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners take part in the Kids 1K Challenge in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners line up for the start of the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner passes a refreshment station in the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Presley Weems, a professional runner with the Atlanta Track Club Elite, runs with a young boy in the Kids 1K Challenge in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Runners grab refreshments during the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A runner grabs a drink as he passes a refreshment station in the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
The top female finisher in the Kids 1K Challenge that took place after the Bluff Park 8K accepts her medal after the race in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
The crowd watches the awarding of medals for overall and age group winners after the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Presley Weems, a professional runner with the Atlanta Track Club Elite, right, hands out a medal to an age group winner after the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Lynsey Tibbs, organizer of the Bluff Park 8K, calls out names of winners after the race in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, as professional runner Presley Weems applauds and hands out medals to winners.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
T-Shirts were for sale at the Bluff Park 8K in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
The top male finisher in the Kids 1K Challenge that took place after the Bluff Park 8K receives his medal and award in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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The top three female finishers in the Bluff Park 8K receive their awards after the race in the Bluff Park community in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. From left are second-place finisher Kristin Williams, first-place finisher Rachel Hagues and third-place finisher Whitney Woodard.
Almost 400 runners took part in the third annual Bluff Park 8K race Saturday morning, and 41 children took part in the first Kids 1K Challenge.
“It was fantastic,” organizer Lynsey Tibbs said. “This is probably the best year yet.”
The 8K raised about $8,000 for Grace’s Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides food for people in need through various ministries, and the Kids 1K Challenge (about .62 miles), raised about $700 for the Bluff Park Elementary Run Club, Tibbs said.
Richard Kimani, 35, of Homewood was the overall top finisher with a time of 27 minutes, 25 seconds for the 8K, which is 5 miles. Rachel Hagues, 40, of Birmingham was the top female finisher, with a time of 33 minutes, 57 seconds.
In the masters division for those age 40 and older, Billy Rose, 42, of Birmingham claimed first place, with a time of 30 minutes, 32 seconds. He was sixth overall. The top female finisher in the masters division was Bluff Park Elementary School Principal Ami Weems, 49, who also lives in Bluff Park, with a time of 35 minutes, 24 seconds. She was 27th overall.
The 8K runners took to the foggy streets of Bluff Park at 7:30 a.m., and the Kids 1K Challenge followed at 8:30 a.m. Both races started and ended at Bluff Park United Methodist Church and were followed up with a breakfast of pancakes, bacon and coffee.
Presley Weems, a 2016 graduate of Hoover High School who grew up in Bluff Park and went on to run for Auburn University and now runs professionally with the Atlanta Track Club Elite, was on hand to give out awards.
Tibbs said she was glad the rain held off. There was a light drizzle, but it was nothing compared to the downpours last year. She also was pleased to hear there were many Bluff Park residents who stood along the course route, cheering for the runners, she said.
