Joseph Mooneyham, center, won the Mother Earth Ironclad Half-Marathon Saturday and stands next to second-place finisher Raymond Mock, left, and Leon LaFrenier, who placed third. Photo by William 'Bud' Hardy / Neuse News

By Junious Smith III

Every runner has a story.

During Saturday's 5th Annual Mother Earth Ironclad Half-Marathon and 5K, nearly 1,000 had the opportunity to complete their races in their own ways. Race coordinator Amy Albritton said the turnout has improved each year, nearly doubling the turnout from the 558 in 2018.

“We’ve got a great team of people that bring this race to Kinston,” Albritton said. “It’s gone from 100 runners the first year to over 930 this year. Each year gets better and better — just come out and see for yourself.”

Pikeville’s Joseph Mooneyham won the Mother Earth Ironclad Half-Marathon for the second year in a row and said he's enjoyed all three of his trips.

“I was kind of nervous around the start, but I just kept pressing down on the pace,” Mooneyham said. “When I first ran (this race), I didn’t think much of it — I thought it was just a little race — but when I came out here I was so surprised. I was like ‘wow, this is awesome (and) I’m definitely going to become a regular.’”

Raleigh’s Erin Taylor ran the Mother Earth Ironclad Half-Marathon for the first time and won in the women’s division. Taylor said her friend encouraged her to and she set a personal record in the process.

“She had run it the past three years and said it was an awesome flat course, so we were like ‘let’s give it a try,’” Taylor said. “It’s nice you get to go through the whole town of Kinston, so it’s really fun.”

Sanchit Singh, who hails from Trenton, dedicated his win in the 5K to his mother, who died on Jan. 17.

“I never let myself stop at any obstacle,” Singh said. “My biggest motivation was my mom, who passed this year due to Parkinson’s — I wanted to do it for her because she could not walk the last few months of her life and I wanted to show as her son I was going to make the name known to the entire world.”

Deep Run’s Niki Price won the Mother Earth Ironclad 5K after running in the race for the first time.

“It’s nice to be back where I grew up,” Price said. “I hadn’t been back in a few years, and it’s nice to run and see the changes here.”

North Lenoir's Anna Rouse also had a strong showing, finishing second among women in the 5K. Rouse, who runs cross-country, said her first Ironclad race was a great one.

“I like how there were so many people, and it just pushed me to be better and run for a cause,” Rouse said. “I didn’t expect to come in second and it was crazy.”

It wasn't just about the competitive aspect. Greenville resident Bill Kazda ran the 5K with his dog, Lulu, and was one of several at the event completing the race with a four-legged partner. Kazda said it was great to attend the event with friends and loved the course.

“A lot of our friends from Greenville are here,” Kazda said. “This is probably one of the bigger races in Eastern North Carolina — we love the people, the hospitality, the beautiful stadium and having heating restrooms instead of portapotties is nice as well.”

Kinston resident Jude Warren, 8, has run the last four 5K Ironclads and said he loves the event.

"I like running, I like there's music and all of the people who came out," Warren said.

Mother Earth Ironclad Half-Marathon and 5K Race Coordinator Vice President Jennifer Bland said it took a collaborative effort to make the event a success.

“We can’t do it without the support of our volunteers, our sponsors, of the runners coming out,” Bland said. “It’s all because of everything that everyone has put into this race.”

Here are the results from the Mother Earth Ironclad Half-Marathon and 5K

Men’s Half Marathon

Joseph Mooneyham (Pikeville) 1:17:25, Raymond Mock (Greenville) 1:18:19, Leon LaFrenier (New Bern) 1:23:28

Women’s Half Marathon

Erin Taylor 1:20:09 (Raleigh), Katie Sanderson 1:24:38 (Raleigh), Kate Egan 1:31:44 (Greenville)

Men’s 5 K

Sanchit Singh (Trenton) 19:16, William Price (La Grange) 20:08, Westley Doyle (Snow Hill) 20:08

Women’s 5 K

Niki Price (Deep Run) 22:05, Anna Rouse (La Grange) 22:42, Jessica Conner (Chocowinity) 23:35