RIVERFEST RUN BRINGS NEW NAMES TO FRONT

The 16th Annual Kohlfeld Riverfest Run turned into a welcoming party for a couple of out-of-towners Friday night in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Kevin Wheeler, newly located to the area, and Pamela Campbell of Sedalia, Ill., came away with $100 savings bonds for winning the overall titles in the 5.25-mile road race. Wheeler won the men's title in a time of 29:47. Campbell led the women with a 34:19 clocking.

The 29-year-old Wheeler, originally from Pennsylvania and most recently from Mississippi, was making his first-ever visit to Cape. He and his wife, Sara, are in the process of finding a house in either Malden or Campbell.

"This is the first time I've been to Cape Girardeau," Wheeler said with a grin. "I just wanted to see what Cape Girardeau was like, see what this run was like and just have fun with it."

Wheeler did just that, taking the lead after three miles and never looking back.

"I just wanted to hang with the leaders and see how long I could hang with them," said Wheeler. "I stayed with them for about the first mile ... after the last three miles I was pretty much by myself."

Mike Manning of Poplar Bluff finished second overall in time of 30:45 with Bryan Kelpe taking third in 31:34. Manning won a $75 saving bond and Kelpe a $50 savings bond.

The 39-year-old Campbell had a game plan going into her first-ever Riverfest Run and, surprisingly to her, stuck to it.

"I wanted to start out conservative and I actually did it for a change," said a smiling Campbell. "Usually I take out too fast and I pay for it at the end. It felt good to have something left."

After trailing an early leader, Campbell took the lead for good just before the third mile. The victory was Campbell's second in a row after winning a road race in Salem earlier this year. She said it was her first ever 5.25-mile race.

"I just (run) for fun," said Campbell, who normally runs five or 10 kilometer distances. "I didn't run in high school or college. I started when I was about 30."

Leslie McNamara finished 18 seconds behind Campbell in second place with a time of 35:37 and 1998 Kelly High graduate Amy Arteme took third in 37:25.

Complete Riverfest Run results will be listed in Sunday's Southeast Missourian. Nearly 230 contestants completed either the 5.25-mile competitive race or the one-mile fun run.