NATCHEZ &045; The 2004 Natchez Junior Auxiliary &uot;Run for the Kids&uot; 5K and one-mile fun run in Downtown Natchez was not only a run for the kids, it was also a family affair in the 3.1 mile walk and run.

Stephanie Daly of Natchez was the overall female winner in the 5K run in a time of 23 minutes and 52 seconds, which was also good enough for 12th overall among the men and women.

&uot;I’ve never been first before,&uot; Stephanie Daly said. &uot;This was definitely my personal best. I’m very familiar with the course. I was race director here just three years ago.&uot;

Stephanie gave credit to her husband, Ed Daly, also from Natchez, as well as practicing running the hills by the river for her first-place finish.

&uot;He gave me a pep talk on the way over here,&uot; Stephanie said. &uot;He just told me to run as fast as I could. It’s a challenging course because of the hills.&uot;

Ed Daly finished second overall in the 5K run and first in the men’s 35-39 age division as he crossed the finish line in 20:19 minutes.

&uot;It was a perfect day. Got some competition from Bill Hurt (who finished sixth),&uot; Ed said. &uot;Fortunately, I’m a better runner than I am a golfer. It’s a great 5K course. Perfect conditions. Perfect day to run in the morning and play golf in the afternoon.&uot;

Ed Daly is also playing in the Pilgrimage Four-Ball Golf Tournament at Beau Pr Country Club this weekend.

And there was a repeat winner in the 5K run as George Matthews Marshall IV, a Natchez native currently living in Portland, Ore., crossed the finish line in just 17 minutes and 33 seconds &045; well ahead of his winning time last year of 18:19 minutes.

And the familiarity that helped Stephanie Daly be the women’s winner also helped Marshall be the overall men’s winner.

&uot;That’s the fastest time in years by a few seconds,&uot; Marshall said. &uot;I’ve been training for the 5K. I thought I was going to beat my time. It did seem a little easier.&uot;

Marshall noted that he drove the course Friday to get a sense of where the hills and turns are to be more prepared for the race.

Jennifer Mire, also from Natchez, finished second overall in the women’s division and first in the women’s 30-34 age group with a time of 24:01 minutes.

&uot;It was a beautiful day to be here,&uot; Mire said. &uot;I feel good about my time considering being pregnant. Stephanie talked me into it. But it’s a good cause because we’re running for the kids.&uot;

Unfortunately, like last year, the turnout was low because of several other springtime events going on not only in Natchez but elsewhere.

&uot;We’re competing with softball tryouts, baseball tournaments, golf tournaments, Relay for Life garage sales, and the Race for the Cure in Jackson,&uot; race director Shannon Burts said. &uot;But due to the fact that things are going on, we may change it to the fall&uot; starting next year.

&uot;We want to thank the community and our sponsors. Without them we could not do this race,&uot; Burts added. &uot;I want to thank Cathedral and West Primary for their pre-registering in the fun run and to my fellow JA members for their support.

&uot;I also want to thank the Natchez Police Department and the (Adams County) Sheriff’s Department for their time as well as AMR Ambulance.&uot;

Because the small turnout in the 5K walk and 5K run, both started at the same time instead of one minute apart.

Jim Myrick of Ridgeland was the male winner of the 5K walk in 30:30 minutes and daughter Linda Myrick, also from Ridgeland, was the female 5K walk winner in 39:55 minutes.

&uot;I couldn’t believe it,&uot; Jim Myrick said of his time. &uot;It’s only my fifth walk. I’m a runner. I hurt my back and haven’t been able to run in two months. It’s an excellent course.&uot;

&uot;I usually do (the 5K walk) in 37, but we got lost so I was off by three minutes,&uot; Linda Myrick said. &uot;It’s a nice course. I enjoy coming here every year, especially to watch the kids run.&uot;