By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — Over 200 runners kicked off the 2025 Peach Festival with the annual Run for the Peaches 5K Saturday morning, with a pair of Ruston High School grads in Parker Nations and Thomas Rogers winnings their events, respectively.
And as nice as it is to run a race, it’s even better to raise over $7,000 for the Ruston High School cross country and track programs.
“As always, the Ruston community showed up in full force to support our student-athletes and local schools. The Run for the Peaches 5K was no exception,” event co-organizer Linzie Hebert said. “This year’s event marked a record-breaking turnout since COVID, a testament to the strength and unity of our town. We were especially honored to have special organizations like Ainsley’s Angels and members of our sheriff’s department join in the support.”
Rogers’ was the overall winner with a first place time of 17 minutes, 9.19 seconds, while Nations was the first female winner at 22:44.60. Both had stellar careers running for Ruston High.
A complete results list can be found here.
Hebert went on to thank all of the organizers and workers that made the race possible — including student athletes who made sure to hand out packets, give support on the course and award medals at the end.
“Events like this are what make it possible for our athletes to stand toe-to-toe with the best in the state—and rank among the best,” Hebert said. “We could not be more proud of our student-athletes and the way they represent Ruston High School and this amazing community.
”We’re excited for what’s ahead next year—on the track, on the cross country course, and beyond!”
