Hap Hudson 2012 Homecoming Race Attracts Runners and Walkers

Coach Hap Hudson’s 5K road race during Mississippi College’s 2012 Homecoming should attract at least 250 runners and walkers on October 27.

Named for the beloved Clintonian, longtime coach and ex-player on the MC Choctaws football team, the road race starting at Cockroft Hall that Saturday morning at 8 a.m. promises to be fun for all participants.

The course winds through historic Olde Towne Clinton and surrounding neighborhoods and winds up at Robinson-Hale Football Stadium.

Hudson, who usually starts his day with sprints and a brisk stroll through his Clinton neighborhood at 4 a.m., will sound the gun to get the race started.

Sponsored by the Mississippi College Department of Kinesiology, the race is a tribute to a popular 76-year-old educator who continues to teach a kinesiology class at his alma mater. It’s also an avenue to promote healthier lifestyles. Proceeds from the event go towards scholarships for students at the Christian university.

The 5^th annual Hap Hudson event keeps growing every year, says race director and kinesiology professor Suzanne McDonough. It’s obvious the University of Mississippi graduate has a heart for running. Her office wall in Cockroft Hall is overrun with numbers from her many road races over the years.

McDonough believes Hudson’s many friends in metro Jackson running circles are a big part of the race’s appeal. “All Roads Lead to MC” is the 2012 Homecoming theme and an appropriate message for the Hap Hudson race.

Mr. Hudson practically bleeds blue and gold. He and his wife, Johnnie Ruth Hudson, a retired MC administrator, have five children and they are all proud Mississippi College graduates. One of them is 1982 MC alumnus David Hudson, a trainer for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. The couple has 16 grandchildren.

Johnnie Ruth Hudson says she will be on hand to watch this year. Mrs. Hudson joked that she’s won all of the awards for finishing at the back of the pack as a walker in previous years.

Refreshments will be provided after the race. The cost is $15 to pre-register by the October 25^th deadline and $20 during the day of the race. People can register as late as 7:45 a.m. that Saturday. The MC Athletic Department furnished many of the prizes for the event.

To obtain a registration form and consider payment options, go to www.active.com. For more information, contact race director Suzanne McDonough at 601.940.8186 or 601.925.7720 or SMcDonou@mc.edu.