Vicksburg’s hometown heroes dominated the 26th annual Run Thru History on Saturday – all except for one road-tripping runner.

Gordon Fisher, a 26-year-old from Ocean Springs, prevented a Warren County sweep of the 10K run and 5K racewalk by winning the run in 32 minutes, 4 seconds. The time was the seventh fastest in RTH history, and 2 1/2 minutes faster than second-place finisher Terry Goodspeed, a 25-year-old from Indianola. Defending champion Rob Oates was third, in 35:44.

Fisher beat a field of 345 other people in the 10K. A total of 748 finished the two longer races and the Blue-Gray 1-miler, and roughly 900 signed up for the three races.

“I was on my own, trying to stay focused and talk to the guy on the bike,” said Fisher, whose only competitor in the final half-mile was a Vicksburg police officer on a mountain bike.

Vicksburg resident Keri White won the women’s 10K, while Debbie Cheney won her fourth straight racewalk title. David Chaney won the men’s racewalk.

Fisher’s first encounter with the hills of the Vicksburg Military Park came on the spur of the moment. He rode in with a group of friends who were competing in the race.

“I hopped in the car, basically,” Fisher said. “I’m training for a marathon. I heard it was hilly and I needed a workout.”

White blew away the women’s field to win her second RTH title. White, who runs cross country and track at Southern Miss, crossed the finish line in 40:34, about 90 seconds ahead of Vicksburg resident Kristi Walski.

“I wanted to break 40 minutes, but I hadn’t raced in a while so I was happy with the time,” White said. “I hadn’t raced in a while because I redshirted last year. I ran in the Over the River Run, but was way out of shape.”

It was the first time White competed in the RTH since she won it in 2001, but she didn’t forget a step. She separated herself from the other women after about a mile and cruised to the victory.

“I could run it with my eyes closed. I ran it every day in high school,” said White, a former Vicksburg High track and cross country star.

In the racewalk, Cheney was her usual dominant self.

Seeming to fly more than walk, she won the racewalk with a blistering time of 26:53 that was the best of the four in her RTH dynasty.

Cheney broke from the pack at the start and was never challenged. She finished 3 1/2 minutes ahead of second-place walker Tina Branan and nearly four minutes ahead of Chaney, the men’s winner.

“I tried to push hard. I just felt good today,” Debbie Cheney said. “I can’t believe it’s the fourth year in a row. I know I’m not going to be the queen forever, but I’m enjoying the ride. Somebody is going to come along and beat me, and I’m going to be the first to congratulate them.”

David Chaney watched Cheney zip away, then settled in for his first men’s RTH championship. It was the second straight race victory for Chaney – he won last week in Natchez – to continue a great start to the road racing season.

“This is the second race in a row I broke 31 minutes. I don’t think I broke 31 minutes at all last year,” David Chaney said. “I’ve just been training a little harder. I got the fire back, so to speak. I’ve been doing it since ’93 and it comes and goes.”

The Vicksburg dominance at this year’s RTH extended to the children’s Blue/Gray 1-miler. Montana McDaniel, a 12-year-old from Vicksburg, won the overall title by completing the distance in 4:36.

Alexandra Edwards, a 13-year-old from Monroe, La., won the girls’ race in 4:50.