Sunday, September 13, 1998 -- Helvetia
Helvetia 10K Mountain Run and 5K Walk
Pictures: [Start/Mile 2] [The Climb] [The Top/Finish]
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Even the drive to the race on Alexander/Helvetia Rd. was scenic |
The 84th Annual Helvetia Fair Association sponsored the First Annual Helvetia 10K Mountain Run and 5K Walk on Sunday morning, September 13th. It was a great addition to the two day fair that also offers a little something for everyone, including a parade, Swiss dance programs, arts & crafts, a square dance and more.
The morning's weather was a delight with plenty of sun and cool temperatures. This only added to a scenic race course that was centered around the beautiful little town of Helvetia. The race route, of just over six miles, first sent the runners down stream along the Left Fork of the Buckhannon River, on the paved Alexander/Helvetia Road. After a mile of flat pavement, the race crossed the river and headed back to town on a slightly more rolling gravel road. The course then took the runners through town and out for another half mile of pavement. At this point, it was a right turn onto a gravel road that followed Upper Trout Run, upstream, for another mile on rolling hills.
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At 2 miles, it's all smiles for (L-R) Tracy Rosencrance, Jill Zurbach, and Bob Jones |
The competition for the fastest to cover the course became a two man show between Larry Taylor and Derek Finegan. Taylor was able to establish an early lead and held it through much of the race. However, after closing in on the top of the long climb, he could see that Finegan was behind him not ready to give up the chase. At this point, Taylor made the decision to go out hard at the top and do his best to drop Finegan altogether. His strategy worked as Finegan lost sight of Taylor as he reached the top of the climb and now had little enthusiasm for trying to chase him down. Taylor crossed the finish line first, with a time of 36:23, and Finegan second, with a time of 37:46. The two leaders had managed to put almost a five minute gap on the rest of the field.
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(L-R) JR Cornell, Joel Rodgers, and Tod Kaufman are chased to the top of the climb after 4+ miles of racing |
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Don Teter, admitting to too much Helvetia Fair celebrating Friday night, knows it's all down hill from here |
Special thanks go out to all the volunteers who helped out with the race, especially the race organizers, Jo and Dan Lehmann, and local artist Joe McInroy, who designed the race T-shirts. It is also great to have generous sponsors like the Helvetia Fair Association, Coastal Lumber, and St. Joseph's Hospital.