RIVERFEST RUN: A RACE SUITED FOR HURDLERS

Nothing seems to daunt the Kohlfield Riverfest Run.

Not rain. Not ridiculous heat indices. Not floods. Not even the threat of the cancellation of the Riverfest.

After all of those obstacles, race coordinators Ron and Vicky Keller still expect one of the largest assemblages in the race's 17-year history today.

Three separate events will be conducted in conjunction with the Riverfest Run. First, there will be a non-competitive walk which will begin at 7 p.m., followed by the main event -- the 5.25-mile run -- which will start at 7:30. Competitors may also choose to run the mile, which will start at approximately 7:35.

Vicky Keller said runners should register no later than 7 p.m. at the Tourist and Visitors Bureau parking lot at the corner of Main Street and Broadway.

The Kellers expect about 350 to participate in Cape Girardeau's biggest annual race. That's 75 more people than last year.

"What's hurt us is the heat and humidity in Southeast Missouri," Vicky said. "Right now, we have more signed up from out of this area than we do local. I think they want to see what happens tomorrow."

Forecasters are predicting high temperatures in the upper 80s with a chance of spot thunderstorms.

But no matter what Mother Nature unloads tonight, it won't be anything new for runners at Riverfest.

"Two years ago, in the middle of the race, we had a monsoon rain," Vicky said. "It felt good because it was so hot, but I had to practically swim to the finish line."

Last year, a thunderstorm began just as the race ended.

Riverfest -- the city's annual festival held downtown by the Mississippi River -- was in jeopardy of being canceled before organizers scraped enough donations together to save it at the last minute.

But Ron said the race would have been held nonetheless.

"We would've run the race anyway," he said. "Everything was already in place."

Speaking of being in place, the Kellers agreed that there should be some high quality runners vying for firsts.

In the 5.25-mile run, Poplar Bluff resident Art Waddle and last year's winner Kevin Wheeler will be the two runners to beat.

Wheeler, from Campbell, posted a time of 29:47 last year, but Waddle set the Riverfest record of XX.XX when he was a teen-ager.

Waddle, now in his late 20s, has been injured and took a 6-year hiatus from running, Ron said, but "He's just as good as he was when he was younger."

"He's an awesome runner," said Vicky. "This will be one race that I'm anxious to see who wins."

On the women's side, Pam Campbell from Centralia, Ill. won it last year with a time of 34:19. She will return to defend her title.

The mile winner a year ago was Bill Gammon with a time of 5:39, while Kim Pancoast -- who just completed her freshman year at Cape Central high school -- won the women's competition with a time of 5:55.

The race will be the same as in years past. It will begin downtown and meander up Cape Rock Road to Cape Rock Park and back again.

"It's a scenic run," Ron said. "It's a real nice course. It's got some hills and some nice flat stretches in it."

There will be eight age divisions for the women and 11 for the men in the 5.25-mile run. In the mile competition, there will be seven divisions for the men and women.

There will be a $12 charge to run the race for those who have not already registered. All participants will receive a T-shirt and a finisher medallion. More than $500 in U.S. savings bonds will be awarded to top finishers.