Sunday, February 3, 2008 -- Charleston, WV / Kanawha City Community Center
Winter Series Runs and Walks #3 (iPO Event Id#: 10590)

[Race #1] [Race #2] Race #3: [Details] [Coverage] [Photos]
Results: [Overall] [Age Groups] [Male/Female] [ < 3 Races] [Walk]

Unseasonably Warm Winter Racing

Story and photos by George Gannon.

Winter Series Run/Walk #3
Photo by George Gannonn

The third and final race in the Winter Series Runs and Walk, which were sponsored by The City of Charleston Parks and Recreation Department and The Tallman Track Club, had one thing going for it. It was actually warm... unseasonably warm. That's a big change from the last two races.

During the first race, runners were faced with icy patches and frigid temperatures. In the second race, the field had to deal with the same cold weather, but that time the wind was blowing much harder.

So, on Sunday, the runners got a bit of a break, but this time, they had to go 10,000 meters.

Continuing his string of first place finishes, David Bias once again took the top spot and was named overall champ of the series.

Winter Series Run/Walk #3
Photo by George Gannonn

His total time for the 5,000 meters, 8,000 meters and 10,000 meters runs was 1:17:12. For Sunday's race, which crisscrossed thought Kanawha City, Bais said two volunteers riding on bikes in front of him helped guide him home.

"The bikers really helped," he said.

For the women, Charleston's Barrie Newberger took the top spot in all three races with a time of 1:27:44.

Newbergers success in the series was especially notable because the former Oberlin College track standout had never run longer than 6K.

Following the race, racers were treated to pizza at the Kanawha City Community Center.

After braving ice, wind and cold temperatures, that seemed like a pretty nice payoff.