Just before the 7:04 a.m. start of the Born in the USA Four Miler, George Washington lost to Lady Liberty during best-dressed early morning holiday action. The $100 prize also escaped the mother-daughter team of Trish and Katie Reeves, who came to the July 4 event with Eager to Run, a group offering beginners a pathway to a lifestyle with running.

Ricky Flynn finished first on the Trenholm Rd. course, with a time of 19:07. (That’s a 4:47 pace). Check back here at SodaCitizen.com for more looks at how folks in South Carolina celebrate defending earth from the alien attack in 1996 — and our nation’s independence from Britain in 1776.

Copyright 2023 Sean Rayford. All rights reserved. All photos made July 4, 2023 in Columbia, SC

About the author: Sean Rayford is a South Carolina photographer documenting the state since 1997. Rayford ran cross country and track in high school and still runs to this day. He is currently running about twenty miles a week.

Related photo story: Harper Street Parade (4th of July)