Saturday, October 2, 1999 -- Beckley
2nd Annual Beckley Half Marathon and 5K Run/Walk
Story and photos by Marty Lamp

[Coverage] [Pic Set 1] [Pic Set 2] [Pic Set 3] [Pic Set 4] [Pic Set 5] [Results]

Philip Waters feelin' fine at the finish

The sun was shining on a breezy Saturday morning in Beckley as the 2nd Annual Beckley Half Marathon took off. Well over 100 runners came out to enjoy the fresh autumn air, and to compete in 13.1 mile half marathon, or for those who like their running in smaller doses, there was also a 5K run.

The starting point for both races was the Country Inns and Suites. The half marathon course took runners out rolling, country roads for roughly eight miles before the toughest section. The final 5 miles contained some painful uphills until the final 1/4 mile downhill to the finish at the West Virginia Tamarack. The 5K course finished with some of the same climbing before descending to the finish.

Sue McGhie winning in Beckley

In the half marathon, Larry Taylor(1:18:02) jumped out to the early lead and never looked back. Taylor averaged 5:57 per mile for the race after running the first few miles in under 5:30 per mile.

"I was feeling pretty rough at the Little River Invitational, so I took it easy for a week or so to get some rest. I felt great today." said Taylor afterwards.

Keeping Taylor honest was Tim Howard(1:19:31), who despite nursing a hamstring injury, finished only 1:30 behind Taylor for second place overall. Rounding out the top three overall finishers was Duane Dombek(1:22:33)

Keeping busy at the Tamarack

For the ladies, Sue McGhie(1:25:50) once again proved the fastest female on the course, winning for the second year. McGhie finished over three minutes ahead of second place female finisher Kathy Lencio(1:29:03). Sharon Peake(1:33:47) was the third woman to finish.

In the 5K race, Michael Reickauer(19:46) took the checkered flag for the men, and Tomiko Williams(22:21) finished first for the women.

After the race, everyone was greeted with a medal, plenty of cookies and sweets for that post-race binge, while the overall winners took home a Seiko wrist watch. Thanks go out to Jay Rutledge for his hospitalty and race organization, and to all the volunteers that make his job a lot easier.