Saturday, October 30, 1999 -- Huntington
4th Annual Wild DAWG Alum Run 5K
Story and photos by Don Parks

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

Getting a fast start on the Marshall University homecoming

The 4th Annual Wild DAWG Alum Run, held in conjunction with the Marshall University Homecoming, got off to a great start with ideal weather conditions. Plenty of morning sun and mild temperatures greeted over 175 runners as they set out to conquer a 5K course set on the flat streets of downtown Huntington.

Showing up in force were many members of the Marshall Men's Cross Country team, and they wasted little time in establishing themselves at the front. With a group of six forming a lead pack, it wasn't until after the first mile that senior runner William Byrnes surged to a 10 meter lead. Byrnes held his position as the pack slowly began to break up with Jason Redman and Scott Johnson chasing in second and third, respectively.

Halloween spirit brings out the likes of Superwoman and Superdog

Byrnes raced to a first place overall win (not to be confused with the "Overalls" win), finishing with a time of 16:03. When asked after the race about his PR performance, Byrnes smiled and said, "I'm real happy with that."

The battle for second raged a little longer as Johnson pulled along side Redman by the 1.5 mile mark. They ran stride for stride until the two mile mark where Johnson pushed to a short advantage. Johnson (16:15) kept up the pace to the finish and edged out Redman (16:18) by just three seconds. Both took advantage of the flat streets, as opposed to their normal off road hills, and posted PRs. Third place finishing Redman wasn't complaining about his finish as he took 45 seconds of his previous 5K PR.

Don't you know... the rewards of running are countless!

Running strong on the women's side was the ever-present Connie Young who finished first in 20:14. While it might not have been her best time, Young lead wire-to-wire and said after the race, "I felt good out there." Also doing well in the female ranks were second overall Joni Adams (21:09) and third overall Sandee Millage (21:18). These ladies should make a lot of us feel good (or maybe a little under-achieving) as none of them is any younger than 44 years-old!

After taking second in 1998's race, another inspiring performance was put on by this year's first place wheelchair racer, Chad Beam. You can be sure he'll be back looking for some more fun competition in 2000! And we are certain you won't want to miss it either.

With all this hard work on the part of the faithful Marshall University alumni and fans, the 13th ranked Thundering Herd didn't disappoint... final score: Marshall 41, Northern Illinois 9.