Saturday, October 16, 1999 -- Martinsburg
Apple Trample 5K
Story by Don Parks with photos by Greg McCulley and Don Parks

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

A beautiful fall day for a 5K

A spectacular fall day greeted a big crowd of runners as they gathered for the 1999 Apple Trample 5K. The point-to-point race route took the runners from the start at Martinsburg War Memorial Park to the finish on the track of Martinsburg High School. In between the racers conquered the rolling hills of downtown Martinsburg and the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival Parade route, where crowds were gathering for the coming pageantry. The abundant sunshine made for a rather warm noontime start. The light winds would have been rather refreshing if they hadn't seemed to be a constant headwind.

Alison Whitney is along for the ride

Racing out to an early lead was Shepherd College Cross Country runner Danny Carter who was running the race in his best Apple Trample attire: overalls. Battling Carter for the "overall" win was Eric Chandler who kept pace for the first 2 miles. This was where 1998 race winner Mark Vann was able to join the leading duo after chasing about 20 meters back for much of the race. The final mile saw Carter and Vann racing shoulder-to-shoulder as they pulled away from Chandler. It wasn't until the final sprint on the track that Carter was able to surge ahead to take the win in 15:45. Vann took second at 15:51 with Chandler hanging on for third in 16:20. After the race Carter admitted that, "It got pretty hot out there in the overalls."

Seeing the finish line brings a smile

In the female ranks it was Ruth Riemenschneider, running for Power Bar, who paced herself early and moved into the lead by the end of the first mile. The 42-year-old Riemenschneider took the overall female win in a time of 19:39 and gave credit to her pre-race snack consisting of her favorite flavor of Power Bar: chocolate. Coming across the line in second place was Deanna Alby (20:33) with Vicky Krossman (21:26) taking third.

In an unofficial class of racers, it was Karsten Brown pushing Brittany Anderson across the line in 19:24 for the "Baby Jogger" first place overall. Second place in this tandem class went to Michael and Alison Whitney who ran and rolled to the finish in 23:49.

With an abundance of delicious fresh fruits and plenty of cool drinks at the finish, everyone completed the race with rewards waiting. Many also took home nice trophies for their accomplishments. For their generosity in sponsoring the Apple Trample 5K for another year, a big thanks goes out to the WV Air National Guard and the Mountain State Apple Harvest Committee.