Wallace Campbell had participated in the Jubilee 8K Run four times before Saturday.
The former Montgomery Academy track standout had never won. He won the two-mile event a couple of times, but his best showing in the big race had been a second-place finish in his last attempt a couple of years ago, when he was a senior at MA.
Apparently, he's learned a few things while at Bucknell University.
Campbell finished more than a minute ahead of the rest of the field, knocking out the 8K distance in less than 26 minutes.
Just for good measure, he also won the two-miler by a wide margin.
"This was a pretty tough race," Campbell said. "It's up and down a lot and it's pretty hot out here. It's not the best time that's been recorded here. There was a guy from England who used to run in this -- he's the one who beat me a couple of years ago -- and he was in the low 25 (minutes). But this wasn't bad. I'll take it."
A little less than five minutes after Campbell crossed the finish line, the first female competitor -- Connie Robertson from Hapeville, Ga. -- came through.
Robertson leading the women was no surprise.
Of the six times she competed in the event, Robertson has won four times and finished second twice.
Despite the win, Robertson wasn't pleased with her showing.
"Normally, I'm in here in under 30 minutes," she said. "But I just felt lousy for some reason today. This wasn't the best I've done here, not by a long shot. I just felt bad today."
In the two-mile event, the first female to cross the line was 14-year-old Maggie Rickard.
That made Rickard, who just started running competitively last year, a first-time winner in her first attempt.
"I was really just running this race for fun," said Rickard, who just finished her first year on the MA track team. "I normally do a lot of cross country at MA, and I'm much faster at this distance in that. This wasn't a good time for me. But it was a lot of fun."
Also having a good time were several members of the Montgomery Fire Department.
The firemen, who have been competing in the two-mile event for several years, had their largest turnout this year.
Still, the result was the same as it has been the last three years -- Sgt. Ray Keel was the best of the group.
"I didn't think I'd be able to do it this year," Keel said. "I haven't had the time to train like I wanted to and we had a bunch of new recruits running in this. I thought for sure someone would beat me. I'm very happy with my finish."
While he was happy, Keel, like most of the runners, also was awed by the performance of Campbell.
"That guy is amazing," Keel said. "I wish I could run like that. To win like he did in both events is just outstanding."
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