The Fourth of July weekend started with a bang for more than 150 runners in the second annual Independence Day 5K, presented by Vida Fitness and the Amelia Island Plantation. Runners enjoyed a beautiful shaded course through the Plantation and an overcast morning that, while humid, wasn't as hot as some Florida Fourths. Here are the official results.

Some of the finishing times were certainly hot! Overall male winner Kevin Horty led the way with a 17:50 finish, while the first woman across the line, Andrea Gosa, was sixth overall in 20:25. Our Amelia Island Runners club was also well represented! Congratulations to all of the finishers in the 5K and the one-mile kids' fun run.

If you completed the 5K, we probably have your picture(s) in our AIR photo album! If you would like a higher-resolution version, just let us know and we'll email it to you. This is a free service of Amelia Island Runners as part of our mission to encourage running and walking for all.

Here are some pictures from the event, including our AIR finishers (if you're an AIR member and we missed you, please let us know! Awards went 2-deep in each age group. Thanks to Race Director Amy Tompkins for a great job!

And we hope you'll join Amelia Island Runners for our Turtle Trot 5K/10K on Sept. 4. You can find out more here about last year's race and also sign up for the 2010 edition!