Saturday, July 31, 1999 -- Summersville
Moonlight Madness 5K Run
Story & photos by Don Parks

[Coverage/Recap] [Pic Set 1] [Pic Set 2] [Pic Set 3] [Pic Set 4]
[Overall Results] [Results by Class]

Crowder and Kneeland lead the way through the night

It's midnight, do you know where your running shoes are? At midnight, on the last Saturday in July, quite a few runners were wearing theirs. It was the second running of The Athlete's Foot Moonlight Madness 5K. Using the well lit parking lots of Summersville's North Side Plaza, folks stayed up well past their bedtimes to escape the summer sun and enjoy a unique race.

The course consisted of two loops with very little in the way of hills. Add in the fact that many guessed that the course might actually be a little shy of 3.1 miles and you'd think it would be an easy run. But the night air wasn't as friendly as one might hope. With temperatures still hovering close to 80 and the humidity laying thick, it was going to be a tough night.

Jessica Taylor raced ahead of all the women (and quite a few men)

As the clock ticked off the last seconds of July, August began simultaneously with the start of the race. It didn't take long for Steve Crowder and James Kneeland to leave the rest of the runners in the dark. The two ran together the entire race until the finish was within sight. Kneeland commented later, "I knew Steve already raced in the morning so I just wanted to stay with him." His plan worked well as his finishing kick proved to be plenty to propel him to first overall in 14:23. Crowder easily held on for second in 14:29. Taking up the third spot was Larry Taylor (15:02), who was coming off a win at the Bear Hole 10K on Saturday morning.

Jessica Taylor, Larry's daughter, enjoyed an impressive win in the female ranks. She emerged from the darkness to reach the finish line in 17:05, good enough for a top ten overall finish. The rest of the women battled for position further back in the pack. Taking second overall among the ladies was Barri Newberger (22:36), over five minutes off Taylor's pace. Newberger still had a race as she was just seconds ahead of the third female, Nicole Young (22:44).

After midnight and there's still plenty of fight left in them

First or last, running or walking, it seemed that everyone loves to get out and play in the dark. Rewards were plentiful after the racing as ice cold water and fresh fruit were waiting at the finish. If the night was good to you, one of many trophies came your way with the top finishers taking home some cash for their efforts.

You can be sure that Debbie Dorsey and her enthusiastic crew of volunteers will be back at it again next year. WVOutside will certainly be back, and you know our cameras will be flashing.