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Caleb Hammons comes up the final stretch of the Old Mississippi River Bridge on his way to victory Satursday in the 35tha nnual Over the River Run. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Allie Free heads for the finish line at the 35th annual Over the River Run on Saturday. The 13-year-old from Cleveland won the women's 5-mile run championship with a time of 36:39. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Race walker Larry Robinson zooms to victory in the 35th annual Over the River Run on Saturday. Robinson won the event's 5-mile race walk championship for the 11th time, with a winning time of 52:24. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Cathy Dorbeck won the Over the River Run women's 5-mile race walk championship, with a time of 57:41. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Titus Williams heads for the finish line in the Over the River Run 1-mile children's fun run on Saturday. Williams won, with a time of 7:50. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Lillian Carrillo heads for the finish line in the Over the River Run 1-mile children's fun run on Saturday. Carrillo won the girls' 1-mile championship, with a time of 8:42. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

When it comes to the Over the River Run, Caleb Hammons is pretty philosophical.

“I run it about every year. I sometimes win and sometimes don’t,” Hammons said.

On Saturday, he did — again.

Hammons clocked a time of 28 minutes, 59 seconds to easily claim his fourth victory in the 5-mile run across the Old Mississippi River Bridge and back. The 41-year-old from Pelahatchie also won the Over the River Run in 2008, 2015 and 2021. He finished second last year.

“It is fun. I’m trying to get back motivated. I haven’t been training well the last few weeks, so I’m trying to get back into it,” Hammons said. “I was about a minute slower than last year. It wasn’t great. It was OK. I’ll take it.”

Hammons’ winning time was nearly five minutes ahead of runner-up Trystin Carpenter, who crossed the finish line in 34:42. John Hogan was third in 35:52 and Keith Mcgehee fourth in 36:11.

“Nobody was trying to stay up and I went pretty hard. I was gone after the first half-mile and settled in and tried to push,” Hammons said.

The fifth-place finisher was the women’s champion, 13-year-old Allie Free of Cleveland. The Bayou Academy eighth-grader was visiting family in Vicksburg and they all decided to participate in the Over the River Run.

Free then left them on their own on the bridge while she posted a time of 36:39. The women’s runner-up was Emma Stevens, who finished with a time of 41:54 that was good for 18th place overall.

“Very cool. It was fun. I liked it,” Free said. “I haven’t ever done that (run on the bridge) before. It was cool.”

Cathy Dorbeck hadn’t been on the Old Mississippi River Bridge before, either, but made her first trip a memorable one. She won the women’s 5-mile race walk championship with a time of 57:41.

Elizabeth Joyner was second in the women’s division, and fifth overall, in 58:58.

“It feels great. I might do it more often,” Dorbeck said. “I’m really not competitive. I don’t even like to play checkers against people. I only Wordle against my children. I swear to God, on my life, I had no idea that I won.”

Dorbeck won her age group at the Run Thru History in March and frequently walks and runs for exercise. She signed up for the Over the River Run at the urging of a friend.

“I’m a fast walker. I’m a nurse, so we have to walk fast. Nobody wants to wait on you for anything.,” Dorbeck said. “Linda Larson drug me out here. She is the one who has drug me out to anything I do, because she’s busy in the community and is trying to get me more involved.”

The overall walk champion was hardly a newcomer to the race or winning it. Forest resident Larry Robinson claimed his 11th Over the River Run overall championship, and sixth in a row, with a time of 52:54.

Runner-up Steve Pranger had a time of 57:33.

“As I get older, every time I finish now is a blessing. It’s great that I’m still competitive at it,” Robinson said.

In the children’s 1-mile fun run, Titus Williams was victorious with a time of 7:50. Walter Carrillo was second in 8:12, and Lillian Carrillo third in 8:42. Lillian Carrillo was the girls’ champion.

MORE COVERAGE:
• Over the River Run photo gallery
• Complete Over the River Run results

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

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