VALDOSTA — On Wednesday, John Seppala ran away from the other 180 runners at the Baytree 8K road race.

Seppala set a course record by crossing the finish line in 28:15, nearly two minutes faster than his closest competitor.

“I was pleased with the way I ran,” Seppala said. “I was pretty even-paced, which is what I wanted to do. I ran each mile right about 5:42, which is good for me.”

Seppala distanced himself from most of the field relatively quickly, and by the time he finished running around the Valdosta State campus, around the three-mile mark, he had a comfortable lead. He further increased that lead going back down Baytree, and crossed the finish line for a 116-second victory. He was the only runner to complete the race in less than 30 minutes.

“It was really nice to win,” Seppala said. “This was a good event. It’s good to win the race, and set a course record, even though this race has only been around two years.”

Seppala, a mathematics professor at Valdosta State, ran collegiately for Shorter College. He competes in around 12 races a year, including triathlons.

Finishing second was Chris Gaither of Nashville, who crossed the finish line in 30:11. Rodney Elliot placed third, finishing in 30:43. The Masked Avenger, who ran the race wearing a red mask, took fourth, in 31:10. Chad Novack, a former teammate of Gaither’s on the Berrien High track team, came in fifth in 31:32.

The women’s winner was Beth DeLoach of Valdosta, who crossed the finish line in 37:46. DeLoach is a newlywed, and her husband Jason also ran in the race, finishing in 42:23.

Jody Durham of Valdosta finished second among the women, crossing the finish line in 38:31, 12 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Kim Megow of Valdosta. Heidi Gonzalez of Valdosta (39:03) and Brandi Faircloth of Hahira (39:21) rounded out the women’s top five.

The second annual Baytree 8K attracted a field of 181 runners to Valdosta. The five-mile race started in front of Valdosta Stadium Cinemas, went down Baytree Road, around Valdosta State University, and back up Baytree, before ending on Norman Drive, in front of Home Depot.

“I was real pleased,” race organizer Todd Smoot said. “We had over 180 runners compete this year, which is more than we had last year, and this is going to grow. My goal is to have 500 runners next year.”

One of the purposes of the race has been to honor the local veterans. For the second straight year, proceeds from the Baytree 8K will go to the Lowndes Veterans Council. This year, Smoot expects to hand them a check that is considerably bigger than it was last year.

A number of veterans volunteered their time to help out at the race. Many encouraged the runners along the course.

The age division winners were: Mary Alice Smoot and Matthew Baun (11-under), Reanne Harris and Hunter Honeycutt (12-14), Kathy York and Gaither (15-19), Polly Bobseine and Scott Fagley (20-24), Brandi Faircloth and the Masked Avenger (25-29), Melanie Hall and Rodney Elliot (30-34), Jody Durham and Greg Gore (35-39), Sherri Welch and Bret Wagenhorst (40-44), Pam Breza and Mike McFadden (45-49), Linda Wood and Mike Beeman (50-54), and Frank McLeod and Carol Herndon (55-59). Dorian Osborne was the fastest male runner over 60, and Kent Wiley came in first among the 70-over runners.

Charlie Mizell of Pearson completed the entire distance of the race in his wheelchair, which was custom built to allow him to compete in races like this one. Mizell was the only one competing in a wheelchair, making him the default winner of that division, but he finished in an impressive 48.17, better than 70 people who were running.

The reigning Mrs. Georgia, Ava Moore, also ran in the race. Moore, who lives in Valdosta, finished the race in 1:31. She ran while wearing her Mrs. Georgia sash.

This year, the start time was changed from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., giving the runners cooler temperatures to run in.

“I’m glad they moved up the start to 7:30,” Seppala said. “I think a lot of runners enjoyed running the race before it got hot. The temperature at Lowndes High School said it was 69 before the race.”

Smoot said he plans on keeping the Baytree 8K an annual July 4 race, and expects it to grow in the years to come.