The theme was Run, Sip and Savor, but one of the favorite T-shirts of the day was “Where’s the finish wine?” The runners were split into two separate races because of the numbers and how the runners were chip-timed.
Mark DeLap | The Bladen Journal
THROUGH THE VINEYARDS
There were a lot of local celebrities who either participated or helped out at the race. For the Dublin Peanut Festival queens, there was a lot of work, volunteer help and even a bit of fun as three of the four queens in attendance ran through the finish line while the other took care of handling registrations.
Mark DeLap | The Bladen Journal
Jameion Purdie came in first in the 10 a.m. race with a time of 19:53:21. He was actually the first runner of the 2025 races that ran across the finish line. Overall for the day, he placed second in his gender and first in his age bracket, running in the 40-49 year old age group.
Mark DeLap | The Bladen Journal
Aide Gonzalez is seen running the last leg of the Lu Mil 5K - past the new blooms in the vineyard. She ran in the 10 a.m. race and placed first in her age group and second in her gender. Her time was 23:18:60.
Mark DeLap | The Bladen Journal
Over 550 runners came to Dublin, North Carolina to run in the annual Lu Mil 5K race. This year the theme was called Run, Sip and Savor Wine Run. The day was a bit overcast with a little wind which was a near-perfect weather day for those who came out to run, to spectate and to drink a little vino. Here is the 10 a.m. runners all coming through the starting gate and getting ready to take off.
ELIZABETHTOWN – The annual Lu Mil 5K – this year themed “Run, Sip and Savor” featured over 500 runners on a near-perfect weather day for a race Saturday morning.
People came from all over the state of North Carolina as well as from many surrounding states to run in one of the most scenic events of the year.
The Lu Mil Wine Run 5K hosted over 550 runners which was up from last year’s total of 300 at the Lu Mil Vineyard located at 438 Suggs Taylor Rd in Elizabethtown.
It was a chance to spread out and run the vineyard comfortably with two smaller groups vs one large mob. Whether runners were looking to run, walk or just enjoy the wine this race was a sure thing for a great time and an incredible experience. This year each registrant received: T-shirt: Super Soft Ring Spun Cotton T-shirt, wineglass: shatterproof, collapsible and portable, finisher medal: wineglass shaped medal, race bib, chip timed 5k run/walk results posted online…and of course, a pour of wine.
Denise Taylor Bridgers, one of the owners of the Lu Mil Vineyard said that she was excited to see all the runners who came this year to participate.
“There were over 550 at the last count of runners who signed up today,” she said. “The first time slot they said held 300 for timing purposes. The remainder ran at 11:30. We’ve had close to 600 registered before, but it was bad weather and only a portion of those showed up. Today it’s beautiful, perfect weather.”
There were so many other things that surrounded the race that made it a great day to just come out to eat or relax or even fish.
“We’ve got a Hawaiian food truck, the Peanut Festival’s here with a tent, we’ve got a lady here with Invigorate Wellness that is giving IV infusions after the race at their tent as well as Barefoot Brew, lemonades and orangeades today,” she said. “As for new things this year, we did change the route for the racers up a little bit. I went over it last night with the 5K team and they jumped right on it. It took out some going behind some things and gave us some new views, so I was excited about changing it a little bit.”
The scenic views of Lu Mil Vineyard provide a great ambiance for the run and each runner gets a free drink ticket to get a chance to sample some of the wines from the vineyard that grew the grapes that they were running in.
They had their choice of a glass of wine or a wine slushy. The Lu Mill Vineyard grows Muscadine grapes and many local samples were available for tasting both before and after the race.
There were multiple food booths and of course the famous Lu Mil wine tasting station. The Lu Mil Wine Run 5K happens just a month before their big May Day Jamboree. Whether you’re a runner, a walker, or just here for the wine, this event came through with fun, breathtaking views, and an experience runners will never forget.
Charles Cook (20-29 age group) was the overall winner for time in the 5K with a time of 17:39:65. The top female winner for the race was Talisha Herring (40-49 age group) with a time of 20:17:29.
Top 12 runners for the day: 1) Charles Cook, 2) Jameion Purdie, 3) Ryan Miller, 4) Tlisha Herring, 5) Taylin Cromartie, 6) Ty Carroll, 7) Julian Ravilious, 8) Brandon Moser, 9) Anthony Torres, 10) Nicoa Pierrilus, 11) Abelino Leal III, 12) Aide Gonzales
Final results can be seen at: https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/103403?resultSetId=374123#resultSetId-539002;perpage:100
More pictures are available on the Bladen Journal Facebook page as well as some featured photos in today’s issue of the Bladen Journal on Page 13.