Sunday, March 11, 2001 -- Boaz, WV
Leprechaun Run 5K (iPO Event Id#: 2968)
Story and photos by Patrick Shreves

[Details] [Coverage] [Overall Results] [Results by Class]
[Pic Set 1] [Pic Set 2] [Pic Set 3] [Pic Set 4]
[1999 Coverage] [2000 Coverage]

Is it the luck 'o the Irish or just plain hard work

The last race in the River Cities Runners Winter Series is the Leprechaun Run. Overcast skies, a slight wind and temperature in the mid to upper 40's greeted the participants as they gathered at the Sand Hill United Methodist Church in Boaz, West Virginia.

The course was an out and back and out and back. Just to clarify that, the racers left the start/finish line, went south on River Road, made a loop around the block, made their way back north over the start/finish line and continued on to the Henderson House where they turned and headed back to the finish.

At the start, several runners vied for the lead but it wasn't long before Larry Taylor broke away with Randy Gibbs close behind. Mike Massey and Aaron Kaylor were running third and fourth. At the first mile, Larry Taylor was setting a quick pace (5 minutes) that continued throughout the race. As the racers came to the finish line, it was Larry Taylor (16:08) withh Randy Gibbs (16:27) coming in second place. Rouding out the top three was Mike Massey with a time of 17:40. Finishing first for the women was Jessica Taylor at 19:44 while second place went to Emily Butcher at 21:25 and right on her heals in third, was Kim Huck at 21:26.

Keep on Truckin'

Larry Taylor was very happy with his time and the conditions. "The weather was great" commented Taylor and it made for a good race as the times reflected. Randy Gibbs was pleased with his performance in the winter series of races. "It gets me motivated for the season", he said.

This was also the time when the awards were given to the winners of the Winter Series. Like the Leprechaun race, first place in the series for the men was Larry Taylor, second place was Randy Gibbs and third place was Mike Massey. For the women, first place in the series was Jessica Taylor, second place was Jessica Hill and third place was Tonya Johns.

Running hard in Boaz

The success of the River City Runners Winter Series was evident again at this race with a turn out of 55 runners and walkers. Winter Series Director, John Mike Nichols, has been pleased with the exceptional turn out for all the races. Special thanks to the River City Runners and the volunteers that make everything run smoothly. I'm sure everyone will be looking forward to the spring and summer races.