NATCHEZ &045; The eighth annual Miss-Lou Heart Walk, which raises money to fund heart research and educational programs for the American Heart Association, had its largest turnout ever for Saturday morning’s 1-mile walk and 5K run in Downtown Natchez.

&uot;The American Heart Association felt it was important to have a Heart Walk in the Miss-Lou to save lives and raise dollars for and raise awareness of heart disease,&uot; said Lisa Campo, regional director for the American Heart Association. &uot;Eighty thousand dollars is our goal this year.&uot;

And it was appropriate that 5-year-old Bailey Thompson, who was born with six holes in her heart and is now this year’s American Heart Walk poster child, was the first person to cross the finish line in the 1-mile run after calling the start of the run.

&uot;The last two years she came in last, so we let her walk in first,&uot; said Ingram Thompson, Bailey’s father. &uot;She really did want to come in first. She’s happy to be a representative of the Heart Association. She’s so personable.&uot;

In the 5K (3.1 mile) run, Andrew Ketchings passed Ed Daly down the stretch on Main Street and crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 19:22 minutes. Daly finished three seconds behind Ketchings in second place.

&uot;We ran the whole way together,&uot; Ketchings said. &uot;I was a few yards behind him until we got to Main Street. We ran next to each other together until the end. He just ran a marathon, so he still had to be feeling that.&uot;

&uot;Weather was perfect. Good cause. Good prayer by Brother Bill Hurt. Excellent participation from my good friends Andrew Ketchings and Curtis Moroney.&uot;

Moroney finished third with a time of 20 minutes and 59 seconds &045; not bad for a guy who, after last year’s Heart Walk, didn’t run again until just a few weeks ago, but he said he wasn’t surprised about finishing third for the second straight year.

&uot;I thought I could do under 22:00, but I didn’t think I could do under 21:00, but I did,&uot; Moroney said. &uot;I guess I need to train more. I ran last year, but I didn’t run until three weeks ago. Ed took off first. He got off to a quick lead, then Andrew got on his heels and stayed on him. I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to do this thing.&uot;

One person who congratulated Ketchings and Moroney after they crossed the finish line was Trinity Episcopal head football and basketball coach David King, who then watched his wife Stephanie King win the women’s race in 22 minutes and 46 seconds.

&uot;It’s the first race I’ve ran in over five years,&uot; Stephanie King said, &uot;so I didn’t know what to expect. I was a little disappointed in my time. The last mile is very challenging, all uphill. Considering the course, I feel like it was a decent time, but I’d like to do better. But I had my own little cheering squad in my family to motivate me. It’s all for a good cause and have fun with the family.&uot;

Trinity’s Mallory Archer finished second at 22:59 and Huntington’s Jessie Moak was third at 23:07.

Altogether, 31 teams participated in this year’s walk while close to 40 people participated in the 5K run, which started and ended on the bluffs near the gazebo at the corner of Main and Broadway streets.

&uot;The largest-producing team is Coldwell Banker, which raised over $13,000,&uot; Campo said. &uot;Special thanks to presenting red cap sponsors, which are the Isle of Capri and God Red for Women and sponsor Natchez Cardiology Center.&uot;

One member of the Coldwell Banker team who participated in the one-mile run was Kurt Russ, who is also the chairman of the Natchez Chamber of Commerce.

&uot;My wife Jennifer is a pediatrician, so she sees a lot of children with heart disease and heart defects, so this is close to our heart,&uot; Russ said. &uot;My dad had a heart attack at 52, so that brought awareness to it. He’s alive. I have three friends who have children with heart defects.&uot;

Two other people who participated in the Miss-Lou Heart Walk were Phyllis Barrett of Britton & Koontz Bank and Paul Sparks of United Mississippi Bank.

&uot;It’s a great cause,&uot; Barrett said. &uot;And I walk and run every day. Trying to stave off old age.&uot;

&uot;My wife works in the radiology department at Natchez Community Hospital,&uot; Sparks said. &uot;We’re big supporters of the various causes, especially the American Heart Association. I’ve been involved with United Mississippi Bank for several years. I believe we raised over $7,000 this year. It was a total bankwide effort.&uot;

&uot;Britton & Koontz Bank raised $1,630 this year,&uot; said B&K fundraiser chairman Sherry Kiser. &uot;Sandy Davidson and Denise Smith are the team captains.&uot;