Saturday, October 17, 1998 -- Elkins
Dash for Dialysis 8K Run - 5K Walk

[Coverage/Recap w/Pics] [Pictures Set 1] [Pictures Set 2] [Results]

Jeff and Shannon Kreil run through wonderful fall scenery on the outskirts of Elkins

The 3rd Annual Dash for Dialysis was held on Saturday morning, October 17th, under a stubborn fog and cool temperatures. However, the beauty of the morning couldn't be hidden as the sun worked hard during the race to shine on the participants. As the runners went out to tear up the course, the sun slowly burned off the morning mist to produce a wonderful day. The rolling 8K (~5 Miles) course left Elkins River Bend Park and quickly took the runners out onto scenic rural roads before returning them back to the park.

Drew Jones(R) and Anthony Lake(L) in a mid-race battle for second

The competition was fierce as no one took control during the first mile of the roughly 5 mile race. During the second mile, Scott Biola made a move and was able to put a gap on the rest of the field. Biola's lead held to the finish for a winning time of 28:31. Just about 20 seconds later, Drew Jones (28:52) crossed the line for second after spending the first half of the race shadowed by Anthony Lake. Lake was able to stay with Jones until after the two-mile mark. In the final miles, Lake couldn't match Jones' pace but held on for a third place finished, over a minute back, in 30:07. Another honorable mention goes out to Sam Severino, who may have struggled a bit to finish sixth overall (30:57). But, he certainly championed his brother Jim who did not participate after coming down with terrible case of excuses just before the race.

Rebecca Schoonover, 1st female overall, ran away from the competition

The fastest female to cover the course was Rebecca Schoonover in a time of 33:57, good enough for an eight overall finish. Shoonover paced herself nicely and took the lead over her competition during the first mile. She slowly built on her lead to finish over two minutes ahead of second place Rosanne Walker (36:18), who finished 12th overall.

In the 5K walk it was Amy Smith (32:15) and Adam Jones (28:31) taking the female and male titles, respectively.

All the proceeds from the event went to benefit the Central West Virginia Dialysis Fund, a charity that has been developed to help patients with kidney failure in the area. Many supporters turned out to participate by entering the race or volunteering to help coordinate the day's events. Our thanks go out to all these folks and the contributions they made to make the event a success.