Tuesday, July 20, 1999 -- Middlebourne
Jug Handle 5K Run & Walk
Story and photos by Marty Lamp

[Coverage] [Pic Set 1] [Pic Set 2] [Overall Results] [Results by Class]

"And they're off" in Middlebourne

Passing thunderstorms and a runaway cow couldn't keep almost fifty runners and walkers from taking part in the Jug Handle 5K on Tuesday evening. Believe it or not, at one point in the race, runners and walkers were joined by a nearby cow in the race to the finish. No one was hurt, and the energetic bovine was quickly controlled by the owner.

All runners and walkers used the same 3.1 mile out-and-back course that consisted of rolling hills and one major uphill on the first half. The course stayed on paved roads that stretched by fields and thick, green foliage.

Getting out in front early was Chris Perun(17:42). Perun would lead to the turn around, where Michael Bee(17:48) took the lead until losing it back to Perun at the three mile mark. Perun would finish first, Bee second, and Travis Taylor(18:51) finished third overall.

John Mike Nichols leads the walkers home

Kathy Wilming(24:18) finished first for the females. "That big cow kept getting closer and closer, I didn't know if I was gonna out run it", said an adrenalized Wilming afterwards. Emily Butcher(25:47) was fast enough to finish second, while Tracy Summers(28:05) rounded out the top three overall finishers.

Once again, John Mike Nichols(30:57) proved dominant in the walk, grabbing the lead from the beginning (his first mile was in 8:02), and keeping it until the finish. George Macek(31:26) gave Nichols no time to rest though, finishing second and less than 30 seconds back. The always entertaining Bill Cunningham(32:31) finished third.

Thanks go out to Angie for all her help with the results, and to Kerm Long for running the show.