Friday, July 14, 2000 -- Morgantown, WV
Brew Pub Twilight 5 Mile Trail Race
Story by Don Parks with photos by Dave McKain

[Details] [Coverage]
[Overall Results] [Results by Class]
Pictures: [Set 1] [Set 2] [Set 3] [Set 4] [Set 5] [Set 6] [Set 7]

Hey everybody, follow me to the WV brew pub!

On friday evening, the first annual WV Brewing Company Brew Pub Twilight 5 Mile Trail Race kicked off the Morgantown Arts & River Festival. But, before the racing and the festival could get underway, Mother Nature decided to put on a show of her own. Just before the scheduled race start the display of lightning, strong winds and pouring rain was quite impressive. Soon the powerful storm passed and the runners were now ready to put on their own show of strength and speed.

The race began with a quick half-mile of wet city streets before heading on to the paved Caperton Rail-Trail for a flat, 4.5-mile, out-and-back to the finish. Showing his quickness early, E.J. Linger paced the leaders through the first mile in just 5:11. Soon, Linger was joined at the front of the race by Rich Secrest and Kevin Williams. Before the 1.5-mile mark, it was Linger fighting to keep the pace that Secrest and Williams were now setting off the front.

Derek Clark sprints for a fifth place finish

The turnaround point in the race sent the runners off-road for a 600-yard stretch of single-track trail through the Core Arboretum. The end of this true "trail" portion of the trail race sent the runners back toward the finish on the rail-trail. By the time the leaders entered the Arboretum, Secrest had put a gap on second place. "I tried to run hard in the woods, but I couldn't reel him in," said the chasing Williams.

The second half of the race saw the leaders maintain their respective positions to the finish. Secrest took the win setting an initial course record with a time of 26:38. Williams crossed the line at 27:24 for second while Linger hit the tape at 27:58 for third. Commenting on the race, Secrest said, "It was just a warm, wet summer night... and it was fun going in the Arboretum."

Kay Bummel enjoys the "fun" evening weather

Among the female racers, West Virginia University Crosscountry runner Rebecca Stallwood quickly worked herself free of the competition. "I just ran hard from the start," she said of her winning time of 31:02, "and the weather made it fun."

The battle for second overall women's honors took a little longer to settle as about a half-dozen runners vied for the position early. Pacing herself nicely, "In a 5-mile race I'm not going to go out like a crazy woman," Beth Godwin surged just before the Arboretum to pull even with Johanna Fisher. By the time they returned to the rail-trail, Godwin had the advantage.

Hurry up... we don't want to miss the "refreshments"

Godwin, a West Virginia native who is moving back after 15 years in Florida, finished strong to take second place in 31:20. Fisher soon followed to take third in a time of 32:17.

Many more wet and weary runners found their way through the heavy evening air to reach the finish. Waiting there, at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Riverfront, was live music being performed by Triple Shot along with a host of encouraging spectators. Then came the refreshments and awards ceremony at the WV Brewing Company. Other than the usual trophies, fruits and power drinks, we'll let you guess what they were serving to many anxious, over-21, participants in their new souvenir drink glasses. Rain or shine, you'll not want to miss this race next year.