Friday, July 9, 1999 -- McMechen
18th Annual 5K Mickey Phipps Memorial Run
Story and photos by Julie Bertsch

[Coverage/Recap w/Pics] Pictures: [Set 1] [Set 2] [Set 3] [Set 4]
[Results] [By Class ]

There's the signal, and they're off!

It seemed as if the whole town lined the streets Friday evening to watch runners and walkers make their way up and down the bridge and cobblestone streets of McMechen. It looked as if there might be a brief rain storm as the race got underway, but the sun was the only thing that was beating down consistently throughout the 5K. More than 100 runners entered the streets as the signal was given, but by the last mile or so, the heat had turned many of those runners into walkers. The muggy weather proved to be a tough addition to the slightly hilly, extremely windy course.

Ed Tullius cruises his way down the bridge with speed

Feeling quite confident before the race, Ed Tullius jokingly nudged racing buddy, Ricky Moore at the starting line to let him know that he had better "Watch his back." Ricky was ready to watch his back and nobody else's, as he pulled ahead the first mile using the downhill on the bridge to his advantage. Ed Tullius still looked strong even on the way back up the short incline, but it just wasn't enough to beat Ricky as the heat took it's effect into the last mile stretch. Moore (16:32) finished as the Overall Winner and Tullius (17:58.) finished a good minute or so behind him to capture 2nd Overall. Joe Foster ran a good race with an 18:15 finishing time to get 3rd.

Dee Corley keeps a good pace up the incline

It was a close race for the women as Valerie Price held onto a strong lead the first mile with no women in site behind her. She looked too far ahead to catch, but a certain runner had her eyes set on Price. A determined Dee Corley kept up her steady pace and turned it up a notch in the end to pass Price, and captured the Overall Female trophy with a time of 21:13. Price (21:17) was not far behind, however, when she finished only seconds behind Corley as the 2nd Overall Female. Tina DiCocco (21:45) ran her own race and took home the Women's 3rd Place Overall prize.

Matt Pearson gets some wet relief from the heat

Racers were sweating and running hard, but luckily there were plenty of water stops and volunteers with hoses to spray just about anyone who ran or walked by them. People got hosed down even if they weren't in the race! It was so humid that two excellent runners dropped at the finish line from heat exhaustion, and the McMechen Police, EMT's, and Fire Dept. were there for help and support. The racers finished the race at the beginning of a festival that included bingo, a band, and some free beverages! Many friendly faces and happy racers gathered at local parties to get together with friends old and new alike.

Special thanks goes out to Race Directors Toby and Jeff Katie for putting on such an excellent race, and to the following people; Kathy and Bob Willming, Blake Headen, George Macek, Ed Tullius, Ricky Moore, and of course Terry Whitecotton. Without people like them, these races just wouldn't be the same, or nearly as much fun.