Saturday, May 17, 2003 -- Matewan, WV
Historic Matewan 5K Run (iPO Event Id#: 5505)
Story and photos by Ariana Kincaid

[Details] [Coverage] [Overall Results] [Pic Set 1] [Pic Set 2] [Pic Set 3]
[2000 Event Coverage] [2002 Event Coverage]

Muscling his way through the Matewan 5K!

Over 50 runners and walkers showed up on a rainy day in May for the Matewan 5k. That's the largest group of competitors ever for a Tug Valley Road Runners Club race, excluding their always popular Marathon & Half Marathon. Kudos to Dave Hatfield and the TVRRC!

The Fourth Annual Historic Matewan 5k and Kids' Fun run was held in conjunction with festivities surrounding the 83rd Anniversary of the Battle of Matewan. For more info, check out www.Matewan.com/History/battle/.

The course is a complicated one, due to the peculiarities of an historic small town in the coalfields of West Virginia. The race started at the main entrance through the flood wall that surrounds and protects the town, looped through town twice, went back to the start line, then followed the path outside the flood wall, under the railroad, out to the elementary school, then back through town for an almost loop to the finish line in front of the Matewan City Building.

It's starting to get crowded at the starting lines

First to appear through the flood wall heading to the finish line was Frank Stanley, 44, of Paintville, Kentucky, who finished with a time of 17:12. Randall Watts, 48, was next, with a time of 18:29. Finishing third overall was first female finisher Kelly McGraw, 31, with a time of 19:11. (If you'll recall, she pulled the same trick at last month's Williamson 10k.)

Fourth overall and third place male was Mike Maynard, 32, finishing in 19:32. Second place female at 20:27 was Robin Weiner, 44, of Logan, West Virginia. Finishing third for the females was Holly Rooper, 13, of Scott Depot, West Virginia.

Coasting in to the finish

Of special note among the competitors was the father-daughter combo of Carl and Stephanie Hatfield. Carl, you'll recall, is West Virginia's most famous runner. In 1967, he became WVU's first All-American in Cross Country, and repeated that feat a year later. He organized the West Virginia Track Club, and led them to the Boston Marathon team championship in 1974, and the AAU national team championship in 1978. Hatfield also won the AAU national marathon championship in 1978 and represented the United States at several meets around the world.

His daughter Stephanie, a rising sophomore for West Virginia Wesleyan College, has begun racking up her own litany of honors as a member of the Lady Bobcats Cross Country team, including WVIAC Rookie of the Year. She was this race's fourth finishing female, with a time of 20:47.

Thanks to all the folks that made the Historic Matewan 5k possible: Dave Hatfield, Danny Elliott, Dave King, Erik Eskew, the Matewan Boy Scouts, Williamson Daily News, and Food City. See you next month for the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon & Half Marathon!