Saturday, May 8, 1999 -- Parkersburg
YWCA Pacesetter 5K Run/Walk
Story by Julie Bertsch with photos by Julie Bertsch and Dave McKain.

[Coverage] [Pic Set 1] [Pic Set 2] [Pic Set 3] [Pic Set 4]
[Run Results] [Walk Results]

Caleb Tisdale is running hard to the finish line

It may have been raining "cats & dogs" early Saturday morning, but by 8:00 a.m., the sun was shining high in the sky for the YWCA Pacesetter 5K Run and Walk. An astonishing number of people showed up, 168 to be exact! Helen Douglas, the wonder woman in charge of organizing and running the show, did an outstanding job of making sure that everyone knew where they were supposed to be, and when. This race was not only fun, but well supported by the volunteers, community, and the local police department who cleared the roads for the many runners and walkers who were in the 5K race.

Larry Cassady is just ahead of Michael Lewis as he picks up some speed

It was a close competitive battle for first place between Robert Smith and George Angelos. They were neck and neck throughout the whole race up until the very end. Smith fought through a minor mis-hap, getting tangled in some balloons arranged just before the finish line, but still managed to captured the win with a time of 16:28. Angelos came in a very close second behind Smith, with a time of 16:29. Robin Barnett was the top women finisher, with a time of 23:23, ten seconds ahead of second place Katrina Grubert (23:33). Many children also ran in the race, no doubt making their Mothers very proud for Mother's Day.

Shirley Greiner is all smiles as she walks in the YWCA Pacesetter 5K

Let's not forget about the 96 walkers that showed up smiling and ready to race in the 5K Walk! Rollie Woods power walked his way to be the first 5K Walk finisher with a time of 31:57. Bernard Fries was second, his time was 32:04. The first female walker, Martha Marks, finished 5th in the walk overall and had a time of 33:32.

The YWCA seemed to have trophies for almost everyone, including WVOutside's own Lew McGrath, who finished 1st in his age group! If you missed this race, then you missed a lot of great prizes, and a lot of great people. We can't wait to do it again next year. Thanks YWCA and all who volunteered their time!