Saturday, June 2, 2001 -- Cairo, WV
Ridge Runner Races (iPO Event Id#: 2939)
Story and photos by Dave McKain
[Details]
[Coverage]
[Overall Results]
[Results by Class]
Pictures:
[Set 1]
[Set 2]
[Set 3]
[Set 4]
[Set 5]
[Set 6]
[Set 7]
[Set 8]
[1998 Coverage]
[1999 Coverage]
[2000 Coverage]
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Since this is the only marathon scheduled in West Virginia this year, many participants came from quite a distance to complete the race and further their goal of running a marathon in all 50 states. Unfortunately, finding a place in WV to run a marathon (let alone a 5K) where there aren't any hills is pretty difficult. At least the hills in the region are just that, and not mountains (unless you are from the flatlands).
One person making the long trek to WV for the marathon was Joe Bowman
of Dunwoody, GA. Bowman arrived at North Bend State Park around 2am
and proceeded to sleep in his car before waking for the 7am start
time. While this may not have been conducive to breaking the course
record it was good enough for a win with Bowman finishing the 26.2
miles in 2:58:40. In a battle for second place, Kevin O'Grady
(3:04:41) of Columbus, Ohio nipped Jeffrey Ardo (3:04:59) of
Macedonia, Ohio to take second place. In addition to contending with
the hilly course, the competitors may have been slowed by difficult
road conditions. The final 3 mile stretch from Harrisville to the park
entrance had deteriorated from a combination of weather and heavy
construction traffic. Until the road is repaired the course record of
2:50:15 is safe.
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In the 10 mile race, Cole Carpenter of Harrisville took the win with a time of 1:02:31 followed by David Bee (1:06:49) and Eric Dougherty (1:09:42). The 10 mile course had some trecherous conditions to deal with including 5 miles of gravel road and having to ford a wide stream about 4 miles from the finish. While the road may have been a little rough the scenery and atmosphere were great.