Saturday, August 21, 1999 -- Bridgeport
Sports Page, Bridgeport Parks & Rec. Children's Fun Run
Story & photos by Julie Bertsch

[Coverage/Recap] [Pic Set 1] [Pic Set 2] [Results]

The litte guys & gals are off to a good start!

The start of school is right around the corner for the kids in West Virginia. Some kids are getting ready by buying new pencils, and parents are stocking up on lunchables. There are some kids, however, that get ready to go back to school in a different way. The children and pre-teens at Bridgeport City Park on Saturday, say goodbye to summer with a Fun Run! "I've been training all summer long for this!" one child exclaimed, "I've been running around my house." Making sure that they were all stretched out before the race, children from ages 11 to 14 lined up at the start for the 2K and 3K.

Alex Weaver paces himself through the 2nd lap

Alex Weaver was off to a quick pace, just after the start, darting ahead and finishing first with a time of 11:03. Weaver finished first in the Fun Run that was held on June 12th, but in this 3K he bettered his time by 28 seconds! Running a great race of their own was David Haws (11:51) who finished 2nd, and Bryan Brown (13:03) took the 3rd place spot.

In the 2K Race for 9 to 11 year olds, Heath Haws kicked up some serious gravel to finish with a 1st place spot and a time of 9:41. Keeping a steady lead on his chasers, Joey Mullen (10:28) crossed the finish line to capture 2nd place. Stacie Aliff finished only 10 seconds or so behind Mullen. She received a great time of 10:34.

Alex Joseph kicks up some gravel on the downhill

The children who were 8 years old and younger ran a 1K Race. Robert Sterns did a great job on the downhill slide to finish first with a time of 4:26. Not too far behind was Alex Joseph (4:53) who finished second, and Micheal Mullen (5:11) who finished third!

The NCWV Sports Page Magazine and Bridgeport Parks and Recreation did a wonderful job with the races. There were plenty of awards and drinks for everyone, and the parents all worked together to help out. WVOutside was proud to be a part of it all!