Saturday, April 29, 2000 -- Marlinton, WV
Great Greenbrier River Race
Story by George Gannon with photos by George Gannon and Joe Stevens

[Details] [Coverage]
[Pic Set 1] [Pic Set 2] [Pic Set 3]
Results: [By Class] [Overall] [Paddle] [Bike] [Paddle/Bike] [Run]
Also see results & coverage from 1998 and 1999.

A great day on the river

"Arrrrrgh!" "Lets's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go!" "C'mon, C'mon, C'mon!" As the racers charged the water for the first leg of the 15th annual Great Greenbrier River Race, shouts and yells and growls resonated throughout Marlinton, W.V. The racers were warning the river that they were coming.

The river is the first leg of the mountain triathlon. A four mile paddle that deposits the racers just below the Greenbrier River Trail. The next leg is an eight mile, out-and-back, bike race. The final stretch is a 5K run to the finish line. Helping the racers, the weather, which was described as "excellent," was cool and the clouds hid the sun most of the day.

One more leg to go

First off the water was Bob Veron, but the teams of Regular Guy Racing, John & April, and Father, Son, and Holy Boat were not far off the pace. They jetted to the bike area, about 50 yards from the take out point, and pedaled down the trail for the second leg of the race. Thomas Samples of Father, Son, and Holy Boat, caught up with the leaders just before the turn around area and never looked back. His desire to "get a big gap on the bike" paid off. He was all alone when he pulled in to transition area and took off in route to the finish line. His team captured first place overall and first place in the Family Category (1:22:52). The boys on Team D&E followed close behind (1:23:52), taking first place in the Open Category.

Follow the trail to the finish line

Bill Carney (1:28:40) managed to edge Bob Vernon (1:29:45) during the final running leg to take the top spot in the Solo Male Division. In the Solo Female Division, Sarah Crandall (1:40:16) took the top spot. In the Masters Category, Lexington Strong Men (1:25:10) posted some powerful numbers and took the top spot. For the Advantage class players, Outtasync (1:29:31) proved the were top of the pops, and took top honors. The team of MPAB Females (1:49:57) took top honors in the All Female Division.

Kudos must go out to all the racers and teams. A tough course, with few twists and turns, was no match for the this year's group of competitors.

Finish Line straight ahead

It was a fine race and a lot of fun. The finish area was full of tired, but happy, racers filling their stomaches with a home cooked meal. The rain held off just long enough for everyone to get their prizes. Be sure to check out the race next year, there are a wide variety of race categories, you will have a lot of fun, and it benefits a great cause in the Greenbrier River Trail Association.

Thanks go out to Gail Lowry for her handling of the race results. Also, two WVOutside shout-outs go to Joe Stevens and Amy Graham for their help.