Saturday, June 26, 1999 -- Point Pleasant
Pleasant Valley Hospital River Run

[Coverage] [Pic Set 1] [Pic Set 2] [Pic Set 3]
Results: [5K & 1M Overall] [5K & 1M By Class]

Sunny and beautiful in Pt. Pleasant

On a day when the heat kept a lot of people inside next to their air conditioner,over 70 racers took to the streets of Pt. Pleasant for the Pleasant Valley Hospital River Run on Saturday. Temperatures raced into the lower 90's, with the humidity level pushing 90%, leaving runners and walkers alike glad that they drank that extra water before the race, or wishing that they did.

The starting line for the 5K race was directly behind the Foodland. From there, racers wound through the streets of Pt. Pleasant, running northeast along the Ohio River before turning around and coming back to Tu-Endie-Wei Park for the finish line.

Craig Swisher on his way to the win

Although there were no climbs, whispers could be heard that the course might be a little longer than 5K, but some also agreed that it may be no more than delusions brought on by the heat.

Coming across the Ohio River to get the overall 5K win was Ohio-native Craig Swisher(16:32). Swisher stayed in a lead pack that was pulled by Larry Taylor(17:32) the first half of the race. Swisher slowly separated himself from the field, at one point he even passed the pace truck, during the second half of the race. Eddie Nehus(17:14) was the fastest "Mason Countian" in the race this day, and he finished second overall. Third place overall went to Kevin Batey(17:26), while Taylor's fast start ended in a fourth overall finish.

Erin Nehus strides through the heat

The fastest female 5K racer this day was Angela Holley-Malone(19:35), and she finished 10th overall. Her competition was tough, though; Jessica Taylor(19:43) and Erin Nehus(20:01) both finished within 36 seconds of Holley-Malone, finishing second and third for the women, and 11th and 12th overall, respectively.

This race takes place in conjunction with the annual Pt. Pleasant Sternwheel Regatta, and it was great to see all the people on the streets showing their support. Thanks go out to Pleasant Valley Hospital, Amy Leach, and all the volunteers for making such a fun race possible.