Spring means hot races and hot times for runners in Mississippi. And April is one of the best times of the year for training and competing.

Races around the state usually are associated with town festivals and the Run for the Roses down in Prentiss is one of the most fun little parties available.

The day begins this Saturday at 8 a.m., with the Run for the Roses 5K taking off downtown. All female finishers receive long-stem red roses and all finishers get Polish sausage dogs. Winners also receive cash prizes. The 5K run and walk winners in men and women’s categories each receive $100. Masters and grand masters winners each receive $50.

The race is scenic and flat as it winds around Prentiss, going through business and residential areas. A long stretch of highway is one of the only sections not shaded on the racecourse.
Besides, any race that gives away Polish sausage dogs at the finish truly understands the old adage, “if the furnace is hot enough, anything will burn.”

After the race, the Prentiss Lions Club Arts and Crafts festival takes over. Formerly known as the Commissioner’s Day festival, it’s one of the best small town festivals going.

For more information on entering the Run for the Roses, log on to www.mstrackclub.com.

Run from the Sun

The following weekend, downtown Jackson hosts runners from all over to bring awareness to a serious cause.

Runners in Mississippi rarely give the sun the proper respect, often taking off down the road without a shirt or sunscreen. There are consequences to those actions.

Just ask Keith Warren and Marshall Ramsey, friends here at The Clarion-Ledger who know a thing or two about the damaging effects of the sun.

Ramsey had three separate melanoma moles removed from his body and survived a serious scare thanks to early detection. “Frankly, I’m very lucky to be alive,” he said.

Warren’s father, Leonard, died eight years ago of melanoma. Mainly, he died because he waited so long to see a doctor, Keith Warren said.

To make runners and everyone else aware of the importance of early detection, Keith Warren established the Leonard E. Warren Melanoma Foundation. It’s dedicated to preventing melanoma and to helping find a cure for the disease once it reaches its later stages. At present time, there is no cure for advanced melanoma.

On April 16, the foundation will host the second annual Run from the Sun 5K run and walk. The race will continue the foundation’s mission of spreading the word of early detection.

“Last year’s race was a huge success,” Warren said when the foundation made a $5,000 donation to the Melanoma Research Foundation.

This year’s race begins at 6 p.m. on Congress Street next to The Clarion-Ledger in downtown Jackson. Free skin cancer screenings will be held and all proceeds will go to the Melanoma Research Foundation.

Race T-shirts will feature art by Ramsey who pens the very popular (except for a few of the subjects) cartoons each day in the opinion section.

For more information about the Run from the Sun, log on to www.runfromthesun.com.

Anderson Cup upcoming

Another great Mississippi road race sees its 22nd running at 8 a.m. April 16 in Meridian. The Anderson Cup 5K begins at the Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center and winds through downtown Meridian.

The race also features a two-mile walk and one-mile fun run. Pre-registration is $15 for the run and walk and the fun run is $13. Race day fees are $18 and $15 respectively.
For more information on the Anderson Cup Road Race, contact Valarie Hampton at (601) 553-6622 or by e-mail at vhampton@jarmc.org.