Saturday, April 24, 1999 -- Jane Lew
14th Annual General Lightburn Run
Story by Don Parks with photos and contributions from Lisa Selmon.

[Coverage/Recap] [Pic Set 1] [Pic Set 2] [Pic Set 3] [Results] [Awards]

The General's troops take to the streets of Jane Lew

After having been canceled in 1998, the very popular General Lightburn Run returned to the streets of Jane Lew on Saturday, April 24th, 1999. Its return was timed perfectly with a gorgeous spring day. There may have been a bit of a chill in the air, but the warm sunshine beamed smiles on the faces of almost everyone in attendance. Part of the enjoyment may be contributed to the fact that the Jane Lew 5K course is extremely friendly to runners looking for that PR. It begins with a long fast downhill and the remainder is as flat as it comes in WV. After making their way up the hill for the start, and waiting for traffic to clear, the runners were unleashed to attack the 3.1 miles just after 9:00AM.

John Reynolds leads the charge

It didn't take long for the quick feet of John Reynolds to carry him to the front of the crowd. Enjoying the fast course, Reynolds was able to build an impressive lead as he crossed the finish in 15:57 to earn first place overall honors. Running alone in second place was Patrick Doyle who recorded a time of 16:40. The racing was a little closer after that with Juan Phillips holding off his challengers to take third overall in a time of 17:32.

The top three women also managed to distance themselves from one another. Finishing just about a minute ahead of the rest of the female field was Jennifer Jageman who was clocked at 19:44, good enough for a 13th overall finish. Second place was taken by Julie Dyer who finished at 20:43. Back a few minutes more was Julie Zickefoose capturing third place among the ladies in a time of 22:58.

Simply a great day to be outside

Another impressive finish of note was put in by a little speedster named Jon Godwin who was accompanied much of the race by his four legged friend. His (or their) top 10 finish in a time of 19:15 is truly quite a feat considering he is just 10 years old!

There were many more impressive finishes and some of the exact times may never be known. It seems that the timing crew may have been a little rusty after a year hiatus. When the walkers started crossing the line along with the runners, things began to get a bit confusing. Everyone did their best to sort things out and it seems that the generous awards and post-race refreshments were more than enough to console the crowd.

Thanks go out to all those that worked hard to bring the General Lightburn Run back to the town of Jane Lew. Special thanks to the Jane Lew Volunteer Fire Department and the WV State Police who did a superb job of making sure the race was safe and fun for everyone.