Saturday, April 17, 1999 -- Morgantown
Run Forrest ... Run!!
Story by Don Parks with photos by Marty Lamp and Julie Bertsch.

[Coverage/Recap w/Pics] [Results]
Pictures: [Set 1] [Set 2] [Set 3] [Set 4] [Set 5] [Set 6] [Set 7]

They're off and headed into the forest...

April showers might bring May flowers, but they probably weren't talking about snow showers! That's exactly the type of weather that greeted the enthusiastic crowd of over 100 runners and walkers at Camp Mountaineer, just outside Morgantown, WV. The conditions for the Run Forrest... Run!! 5K on Saturday, April 17th, didn't seem to have any effect on the folks that enjoyed a fun race over the hilly, off-road course. If you haven't been out to jump in a few mud puddles or for a run through the woods lately, you missed a great opportunity.

Dashing through the woods...

One individual who seemed to be having a particularly good time was John Reynolds. It didn't take long for Reynolds to break off the front and sprint alone through the trees for a first place overall win in 18:03. Meanwhile, Derek Clark and Andy Clump were dueling it out for second place honors. With about a mile to go Clark was finally able to gain an advantage. He was able to hold the gap and finished second in 19:22. Clump wasn't far behind with a third place time of 19:33.

The little guys cheer for the big kids

Among the women runners, it was last year's MAGP series winner Julie Warner who looked ready to defend her title. Warner stayed out in front from early in the race to take first with a time of 22:57. Shelly Ralston took a little longer to pass her competition as she took second in 23:28. Right on her heels at the finish were Sheri Flohr, 22:31, and Robin Stone, 23:36, taking third and fourth, respectively.

Chas Mick sums up the race experience

From the Kids Race that preceded the 5K straight through the last walker making their way through the forest, smiles were all over the rosy cheeks of the day's adventurers. John Reynolds, the days champion, was having so much fun that we found him out running the course for a third time! Well, it appears some folks just can't get enough of the fun in West Virginia.