TUPELO â For many at Saturdayâs Gum Tree 10k in downtown Tupelo, it felt more like a celebration than a competition.
Some said they were simply glad to be outside post-quarantine, enjoying a spring morning with other people and the return of an event that was canceled last year.
Some, delighted with the chance to give back, were volunteering as pushers so that physically challenged youngsters could race. Young families were starting new traditions as kids proudly showed off their bib numbers , while other families were marking decades of Gum Tree participation.
Vera Medlock, of Saltillo, sat on a Fair Park bench near the finish line. She was watching for her 15-year-old grandson, Logan Medlock, a cross-country runner.