Saturday, June 12, 1999 -- Parkersburg
Mountain State Classic 10K Run & 4K Walk
Story by Julie Bertsch with photos by Lew McGrath & Julie Bertsch

[Coverage] Pictures: [Set 1] [Set 2] [Set 3] [Set 4] [Set 5]
Results: [10K Overall] [10K Awards] [4K Walk]

Kevin Williams concentrates on keeping up his pace

A red sun in the morning is usually the sailor's warning, but on Saturday June 12th, it was warning for the runners in Parkersburg's City Park! The word to best describe the weather conditions at the 21st Annual Mountain State Classic was "humid." One runner summed it up as being, "Pretty, stinking, hot!" This was a tough way to start a course known for it's difficult hills that wind their way through the north end of Parkersburg. The hilly terrain seemed to work in Kevin Williams (34:42) favor as he managed to break away from the pack heading up Broad Street to keep his lead and cross the finish line first. "It was way too hot," Williams said, "three or four of us hung together for about the first mile, but I pulled away and stayed ahead."

Glenn Baldwin rounds the curve towards the finish

Williams may have been way ahead of everyone, but the race for 2nd place was really close. Poca River Run Champ Glenn Baldwin, and North Bend's 10 Mile Winner Larry Taylor, battled mile after mile, but Taylor opened up his stride to beat Baldwin by 10 seconds. "It was a tough course as always," said Baldwin, "I don't think I pushed myself hard enough because I'm not in enough pain right now. I think the humidity may have made the times slower overall." Winning must run in the family because Jessica Taylor (41:21) kept her lead to be the 1st Overall Female, like father, like daughter! Rebecca Schoonover was nipping at Taylor's heals, finishing as the 2nd Woman with a time of 41:48. The Third Place Woman was Susanne Ebersbach (43:27).

Hey, when's the next 10K?

Lots of volunteers with bright flags guided the runners around the course and the Parkersburg Police Department made sure everyone got to the finish line safely. The Culligan Water Experts were there to give out ice cold water, and there was an abundance of post race refreshments, including a picnic! After the 10K everyone got their cameras ready for some picture perfect moments, as kids of all ages got to strut their stuff and win prizes in the Mountain State Classic Kid Races. It was fun for everyone, and WVOutside can't wait to be part of next year's race! Special thanks to S. Mark Courtney at the Runner's High for supplying us with the race results so quickly.