Sunday, October 24, 1999 -- Morgantown
8th Annual Red Ribbon 5K
Story and photos by Marty Lamp

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

EJ Linger winning in Morgantown

Gray skies and blustery conditions couldn't keep 200 runners and walkers from hitting the streets for the 8th Annual Red Ribbon 5K in Morgantown on Sunday afternoon. This race took place during Red Ribbon week, Oct. 24th-30th, during which people from all across the United States celebrate a drug free lifestyle. The red ribbon is a visible symbol of their committment to a drug free America.

The 3.1 mile course started in front of Montgomery Wards of the Mountaineer Mall. From here, the racers wound through the parking lot and down to Green Bag Road. The downhill continued until a left turn onto Vo Tech Drive.

Sara Walker warming up before her win

After looping through the White Park area neighborhood, and coming back out on Vo Tech Drive, it was time to pay the piper. A right turn took everyone back up Green Bag Road for the final kilometer. The finish line was just up from Snider's Floor Covering.

The top three finishers this year were the same top three finishers from last year, but the first person to cross the finish line was EJ Linger(15:55). Linger beat his third place time of 16:55 from last year's Red Ribbon by a full minute. Last year's winner Ed Frohnapfel(16:10) finished right behind, good enough for second place overall, with Kenny Beerbower(16:15) finishing third overall.

WVOutside's Julie Bertsch enjoying the moment

The fastest woman in the race this day was the gracefully powerful Sara Walker(18:07). Walker kept a 5:50 per mile pace to finish over two minutes ahead of her closest female competitor, and 22nd overall. The battle for second was a little tighter as Heather O'Shea(20:09) and Angie Garlowich(20:12) dueled until the finish with O'Shea finally finishing second, and Garlowich finishing third in the female class.

Thirty-one walkers came out to compete or just stroll along, and Steve Bence was the first one to finish. John Mike Nichols finished second, while George Macek took third.

Thanks go out to John May for handling the results, and to all the volunteers who helped before, during, and after the race.