The roadways around Columbiana turned in to a raceway early Saturday morning as the Liberty Day 5K race and mile fun run kicked off the yearly celebration.

The air-horn sounded at 8 a.m. to send 30 runners on a 3.1-mile loop through Columbiana’s side streets.

Early morning humidity made the race a little more difficult, but the heat wasn’t enough to keep everyone from finishing.

Joey Bohl of Oak Mountain came across the finish line first on the men’s side, finishing in a time of 18 minutes, 44 seconds.

&uot;I felt good today,&uot; Bohl said. &uot;But it was really humid out here.&uot;

This was the third time that Bohl has run the Liberty Day 5K and he said it was one of around 15 that he competes in during the year.

&uot;It’s a lot of fun and it helps me stay in shape he said.&uot;

Maureen Higgins took first in the women’s race, finishing with a time of 21 minutes, 37 seconds. Higgins holds the state record for the most marathons run with 106 and said she has been running for more than 20 years. She said that she doesn’t keep count of how many 5K races she runs a year.

In response to how she felt on Saturday, Higgins simply said, &uot;It was hot.&uot;