Saturday was a perfect day for a race, according to the participants of the Defiant Run after completing the half-marathon across Selma.

“The weather was great, probably the best thing that came from Hurricane Ivan,” said Evelyn Cox, who walked about half of the route with her race partner Barbara Lawson.

“My partner was from Birmingham, so I got a chance to share with her our rich history and pointed out Old Live Oak Cemetery and the historic markers on the homes.”

Cox and her race partner were one of nearly 50 participants in the second annual Defiant Run sponsored by the Selma Youth Development Center.

Participants of different cultural backgrounds in the run/walk event were linked by plastic chains and made to work together to complete the race and defeat obstacles in their way.

The purpose of the race, said Defiant Run organizer Frank Hardy, was to give Selmians an opportunity to embrace cultural diversity and become a better community.

“We are planting the seeds to make this a big event,” said Hardy “We want to make a difference in Selma, and we have to start somewhere. Hopefully, this seed will grow.”

Starting from the parking lot of the Selma Mall, the racers made their way through the city to Bloch Park, where they were faced with three large barrels of hay to climb over and rope to crawl under.

“I really liked the race,” said Whitney Webster. “The obstacles were pretty simple.”

Webster and his partner were one of the first place winners in the Defiant Run.

Keevin Lowe, a second place winner in the race, said he might not have finished if it wasn’t for his partner, Adam Davis of Birmingham.

“The route was way easy, but the closer we got to Bloch Park I started to feel like I couldn’t make it,” Lowe said. “My teammate really pushed me to finish.”

Roderick Webster, the third-place men’s team winner, said he could also feel his body wearing down by the time he reached Bloch Park, but somehow he and his partner managed to hang on.

“I didn’t think I was going to make it back to the mall at first, but we made it,” he said.

All three contestants said they would be a part of the Defiant Run again next year if given the chance.

Dr. Kirit Chapatwala, a member of the Defiant Run planning committee, said he thought the event went really well, but there was always room for improvement.

“The people who didn’t participate missed out on a good thing Selma is doing,” he said. They should have these races in every city and every house, from the White House to the poor house.”

Hardy said he also thought there should have been more participation in the race from the local community.

“We had a bigger interest from out-of-town visitors than locally,” Hardy said. “That can be very discouraging about the future of Selma.”

Hardy said despite the low turn-out from Selma residents, he still feels his efforts to promote the race were not in vain.

“If Selma wasn’t in this condition, we would not need this race,” Hardy said. “Hopefully, each year this day will have more impact, not only in Selma but also around the county.”