Saturday, June 5, 1999 -- Cairo, North Bend State Park
North Bend Ridge Runner Races
Story and photos by Greg McCulley

[Coverage/Recap] [Pic Set 1] [Pic Set 2] [Pic Set 3]
[Overall Results] [Results by Class]

Joe Smindak takes a well deserved drink in the shade

Marathoners from Arizona, Maine, Florida and all across the country made the trip to Cairo, West Virginia, for the 21st Annual North Bend Ridge Runner 26.2 mile and 10 mile events. Near Parkersburg, starting in the scenic North Bend State Park, this challenging USAT&F certified marathon attracted many racers in pursuit of another 50 States and D.C. Club milestone.

Last year's overall marathon winner, 38 year-old Joe Smindak of Dayton, OH, proved he still had victory in mind. His impressive run in 2:54:42 shaved over six minutes off his finish time from a year ago. Paul Peterson, from Bethesda, MD, crossed the line nearly ten minutes later at 3:04:00 to take second overall. Top female finishers included Jennifer Lunden (3:51:09, 19th overall) of Huntingtown, MD, and Donna Olson (4:08:43, 28th overall) of Bloomfield Hills, MI.

Jessica completes the Taylors' one-two punch

At the short event, just ten miles, West Virginia's own Larry Taylor of Fayetteville was number one overall with a strong 1:02:17. Making it a Taylor Family sweep, Jessica Taylor, Larry's daughter, continued an impressive year of running with a 1:18:57, first female and fourth overall. Eric Dougherty (1:12:04), of Parkersburg, WV, took second overall while the second female was Kathy Cashman (1:29:14), 10th overall.

Another year of great racing was provided by a host of North Bend State Park employees with Angel Adams coordinating. Generous sponsorship was provided by Pepsi, Runner's World, IGA and others. Special thanks also go out to Kevin Vincent for his shirt design and Ritchie County EMS for their medical support.