Schools
Tucker High Hosts 56th Annual Road Race
"Everybody's a Champion," says Gold-Medal Olympian Mel Pender.
On Saturday morning (THS) hosted the 56th annual . The race, the marching band’s main fundraiser, included a 1-mile fun run and a USATF-certified 5K, which was a prequalifier for the annual Peachtree Road Race, held every year in Atlanta on July 4. Typically around 300 runners participate, but this year, according to organizer Geonice Hanchett, we had “more [race day registrants] here than we expected,” and the Yellow Llama t-shirt company was printing race t-shirts on site, trying to keep up with the demand.
The THS marching band performed and the Tiger mascots started the race and cheered the runners on.
The race began at the corner of Chamblee-Tucker Road and Ball Park Road and wound through the neighborhood behind the high school, including stretches down Smithsonia, Spring Glen, Old Norcross Road, and North Park before finishing in the Chamblee-Tucker side parking lot of the school. After the race, participants were encouraged to make their way down to the football field, where the awards ceremony was held. Race sponsors (including Patch.com, , and , among others) had tables and tents set up with snacks, water, and door prizes.
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The first runner to cross the finish line was Ricardo Rodriguez with a time of 18.24. Second place was taken by Tucker LoCicero, and third was Dennis Harville. The first-place female runner was Molly Bardsley with a 22.20 time. Medals were given to the top three male and female finishers in each age group. In addition, received a plaque for their Premier Sponsorship of the race. The THS staff took the award for “Most Participation from Tucker High School,” and running club took the prize for having the “Most Participants” for the second year in a row.
Olympic gold-medalist Mel Pender, Jr. posed for pictures and gave a pre-race pep talk for the runners. “You don’t have to be a big guy to be great. I’m a little guy,” he said (he’s 5’5”). Even though not everyone will win today, “everybody’s a champion,” he told the crowd.
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Pender raced in the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, finishing sixth in the 100 meter race. He then raced in the 1968 Summer Olympic Games, held in Mexico City, where once again he finished sixth in the 100 meter run after a strong start. He went on to run the second leg of the 4x100 meter relay, and his team won the gold and set a new world record with a time of 38.24.
