Running in Hinton

Although I've now run races in 3 states and Washington D.C. including Marathons and trail runs in remote places the bulk of my running takes place in Hinton, WV. Which coincidentally is where I was born and where I now work.
Hinton is the county seat of Summers County and was established in 1873 but was not chartered until 1897. Hinton was named for a prominent lawyer named John Hinton and the husband of Avis Gwinn Hinton, pioneer, who owned the land upon which the city of Hinton is located. Hinton is a railroad town that went through a tremendous building boom from 1890 to 1920. Those days are now long gone and Hinton remains a quaint town that is slowly evolving with the times.
Hinton is where two spectacular rivers meet the New and the Greenbrier. Since it is along the river most of my running does occur on "flat" terrain. However, all one needs to do is to turn toward the mountains away from the rivers to find hills. It's not hard to get in a speed workout on the flat or tackle one of the adjacent mountains that climb 1000 or more feet in just a mile or two.

Most of the time, I run alone but I always enjoy bringing a friend along. On this particular jaunt around Hinton my friend KT joined me. As shown in the photo below we were getting ready to embark on a n early May run.
One of the terrain features I almost always climb is the Avis bridge (shown below). This is a relatively small hill about a half mile long with a level spot in the middle but it is always a good workout when thrown in at the end of a 4 or 6 mile run.
My usual loop is a 4.3 mile loop that covers about 75% of Hinton. Sometimes I modify this into a 6 or 7 mile loop that pretty much encompasses most of the town. I enjoy running up the hill to the top of the dam (shown below) and looking out over the beautiful Bluestone Lake.
Many times I will run errands while I'm out running like on this particular run where KT had to hit the bank... I mean make a deposit at the bank.
When I'm finishing up my run it usually means I'm going to be running through downtown and by the courthouse as shown below.

All in all it's a good place to run. In most places there are decent sidewalks and the cars (and their drivers) seem to move along at a slow enough pace that I feel safe. You can tailor your run through the "busier" parts of town which is what I like to do or go out on a more remote single lane road. You can cross the two rivers during your run and watch the fisherman hunt for bass along the grassy patches below the dam. For some reason I never seem to get tired of the running here and it's actually where I performed my debut run. This run was from my office to the Long John Silvers (1 mile) way back in November 2002. I had to walk back...

Awe Inspiring!

A friend of mine sent this my way yesterday and it is too good. It really inspires me by showing me that you "can" do anything if you put your mind to it. It also reminds me of the relationship I have with my Dad. I know he would do the same for me. It's the story of Dick (Father) and Rick (son) Hoyt. You can check them out at http://www.teamhoyt.com/

Be sure to have your sound on when you watch the video.

(Taken from their website)
Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father-and-son team from Massachusetts who together compete just about continuously in marathon races. And if they’re not in a marathon they are in a triathlon — that daunting, almost superhuman, combination of 26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming. Together they have climbed mountains, and once trekked 3,735 miles across America.

It’s a remarkable record of exertion — all the more so when you consider that Rick can't walk or talk. Note that when you see them cross the finish line, that is the finish line of an Ironman Triathalon!(See text after the video for more explanation.)

or if having problems with the video above you can click here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4B-r8KJhlE

For the past twenty five years or more Dick, who is 65, has pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines. When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles, Rick is in the seat-pod from his wheelchair, attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being pulled by Dick.

At Rick’s birth in 1962 the umbilical cord coiled around his neck and cut off oxygen to his brain. Dick and his wife, Judy, were told that there would be no hope for their child’s development.

"It’s been a story of exclusion ever since he was born," Dick told me. "When he was eight months old the doctors told us we should just put him away — he’d be a vegetable all his life, that sort of thing. Well those doctors are not alive any more, but I would like them to be able to see Rick now."

The couple brought their son home determined to raise him as "normally" as possible. Within five years, Rick had two younger brothers, and the Hoyts were convinced Rick was just as intelligent as his siblings. Dick remembers the struggle to get the local school authorities to agree: "Because he couldn’t talk they thought he wouldn’t be able to understand, but that wasn’t true." The dedicated parents taught Rick the alphabet. "We always wanted Rick included in everything," Dick said. "That’s why we wanted to get him into public school."

A group of Tufts University engineers came to the rescue, once they had seen some clear, empirical evidence of Rick’s comprehension skills. "They told him a joke," said Dick. "Rick just cracked up. They knew then that he could communicate!" The engineers went on to build — using $5,000 the family managed to raise in 1972 - an interactive computer that would allow Rick to write out his thoughts using the slight head-movements that he could manage. Rick came to call it "my communicator." A cursor would move across a screen filled with rows of letters, and when the cursor highlighted a letter that Rick wanted, he would click a switch with the side of his head.

When the computer was originally brought home, Rick surprised his family with his first "spoken" words. They had expected perhaps "Hi, Mom" or "Hi, Dad." But on the screen Rick wrote "Go Bruins." The Boston Bruins were in the Stanley Cup finals that season, and his family realized he had been following the hockey games along with everyone else. "So we learned then that Rick loved sports," said Dick.

In 1975, Rick was finally admitted into a public school. Two years later, he told his father he wanted to participate in a five-mile benefit run for a local lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Dick, far from being a long-distance runner, agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair. They finished next to last, but they felt they had achieved a triumph. That night, Dick remembers, "Rick told us he just didn’t feel handicapped when we were competing."

Rick’s realization turned into a whole new set of horizons that opened up for him and his family, as "Team Hoyt" began to compete in more and more events. Rick reflected on the transformation process for me, using his now-familiar but ever-painstaking technique of picking out letters of the alphabet:

" What I mean when I say I feel like I am not handicapped when competing is that I am just like the other athletes, and I think most of the athletes feel the same way. In the beginning nobody would come up to me. However, after a few races some athletes came around and they began to talk to me. During the early days one runner, Pete Wisnewski had a bet with me at every race on who would beat who. The loser had to hang the winner’s number in his bedroom until the next race. Now many athletes will come up to me before the race or triathlon to wish me luck."

It is hard to imagine now the resistance which the Hoyts encountered early on, but attitudes did begin to change when they entered the Boston Marathon in 1981, and finished in the top quarter of the field. Dick recalls the earlier, less tolerant days with more sadness than anger:

"Nobody wanted Rick in a road race. Everybody looked at us, nobody talked to us, nobody wanted to have anything to do with us. But you can’t really blame them - people often are not educated, and they’d never seen anyone like us. As time went on, though, they could see he was a person — he has a great sense of humor, for instance. That made a big difference."

After 4 years of marathons, Team Hoyt attempted their first triathlon — and for this Dick had to learn to swim. "I sank like a stone at first" Dick recalled with a laugh "and I hadn’t been on a bike since I was six years old."

With a newly-built bike (adapted to carry Rick in front) and a boat tied to Dick’s waist as he swam, the Hoyts came in second-to-last in the competition held on Father’s Day 1985.

"We chuckle to think about that as my Father’s Day present from Rick, " said Dick.

They have been competing ever since, at home and increasingly abroad. Generally they manage to improve their finishing times. "Rick is the one who inspires and motivates me, the way he just loves sports and competing," Dick said.

And the business of inspiring evidently works as a two-way street. Rick typed out this testimony:

"Dad is one of my role models. Once he sets out to do something, Dad sticks to it whatever it is, until it is done. For example once we decided to really get into triathlons, dad worked out, up to five hours a day, five times a week, even when he was working."

The Hoyts’ mutual inspiration for each other seems to embrace others too — many spectators and fellow-competitors have adopted Team Hoyt as a powerful example of determination. "It’s been funny," said Dick "Some people have turned out, some in good shape, some really out of shape, and they say ‘we want to thank you, because we’re here because of you’."

Rick too has taken full note of their effect on fellow-competitors while racing:

"Whenever we are passed (usually on the bike) the athlete will say "Go for it!" or "Rick, help your Dad!" When we pass people (usually on the run) they’ll say "Go Team Hoyt!" or "If not for you, we would not be out here doing this."

Most of all, perhaps, the Hoyts can see an impact from their efforts in the area of the handicapped, and on public attitudes toward the physically and mentally challenged.

"That’s the big thing," said Dick. "People just need to be educated. Rick is helping many other families coping with disabilities in their struggle to be included."

That is not to say that all obstacles are now overcome for the Hoyts. Dick is "still bothered," he says, by people who are discomforted because Rick cannot fully control his tongue while eating. "In restaurants - and it’s only older people mostly - they’ll see Rick’s food being pushed out of his mouth and they’ll leave, or change their table. But I have to say that kind of intolerance is gradually being defeated."

Rick’s own accomplishments, quite apart from the duo’s continuing athletic success, have included his moving on from high school to Boston University, where he graduated in 1993 with a degree in special education. That was followed a few weeks later by another entry in the Boston Marathon. As he fondly pictured it: "On the day of the marathon from Hopkinton to Boston people all over the course were wishing me luck, and they had signs up which read `congratulations on your graduation!’"

Rick now works at Boston College’s computer laboratory helping to develop a system codenamed "Eagle Eyes," through which mechanical aids (like for instance a powered wheelchair) could be controlled by a paralyzed person’s eye-movements, when linked-up to a computer.

Together the Hoyts don’t only compete athletically; they also go on motivational speaking tours, spreading the Hoyt brand of inspiration to all kinds of audiences, sporting and non-sporting, across the country.

Rick himself is confident that his visibility — and his father’s dedication — perform a forceful, valuable purpose in a world that is too often divisive and exclusionary. He typed a simple parting thought:

"The message of Team Hoyt is that everybody should be included in everyday life."

David Tereshchuk is a documentary television producer. He currently works for the United Nations.

Hospice Race 2007

Running in the Hospice Race

The hospice race is my favorite local race. I'm not sure why that is but I know it is a combination of the time of year (May), the course (one way, constantly rolling and beautiful farmland scenery) and the post race party (all the pizza you want!, and veggies and fruit too).

The hospice race is a 10k which is the shortest distance I enjoy running in a race. I usually don't start feeling good till after about 4 miles. At this race I see all my usual running acquaintances and some folks that I only see at this race.

Runners ride a bus from the Lewis Theater to the Greenbrier Valley Airport and then run the race back to the Lewis Theater along Fairview road. Last year my time was 46 minutes plus. I was hoping to break 45 minutes. We had a beautiful day. I had been out early that morning hunting turkeys. I had heard several but they wouldn't cooperate so I headed to Lewisburg.
The turnout was about normal for the last few years with almost 60 runners. I had several friends there, Lee (race director), Milton (ultra marathoner), Todd (Nice guy and super fast), and Kenny. My good friend Kenny was there. Kenny and I are bound by the fact that we both got into the running craze about the same time, lost weight, and are now well into the addicted phase of running. Oh and we both love our Garmin 305 GPS watches!


I carried my little $20 digital camera through this race. I lined up sort of near the front and we took off from the start. Kenny and I were talking and didn't really notice the race was about to start. We said our goodbyes after Lee's car horn signaled the beginning of the race. I was somewhere in the top 20 as we left the airport. Below you can see race director Scruggs and the runners at the start of the Hospice race.



I was really doing good on pace as I was trying for anything under a 7:25 min/mile pace. I was hanging at about 7:15 to 7:20 for the early part of the race. I caught up to Milton and we ran together for a little bit. Milton had already run from the Lewis Theater to the Airport as a warm up (6 miles!). I think he had also run a 50 mile race the weekend before. I was able to get around him and continued to pass a few folks till I finally settled into a spot.

About mile 4 I passed one guy who I had been struggling to catch. He was the young guy who had out sprinted me right at the end of the Great Greenbrier River Race the weekend before so i got a little revenge in. I then noticed I was chasing two guys and a young boy. There were a hundred yards or so in front of me. I wanted to catch them. Especially the boy. I knew he couldn't have been over 14. I thought he may even be 11. I found out later that he was 13. I kept thinking I know he's going to wear down but he didn't. The two guys that were with him caught him with about a half mile to go and passed him. So I finished several seconds behind a 13 year old. What a great talent he will be in the future!

I could see the race clock as I approached the finish it said 44:45 but it was too far away to make it there in 45 even. I took the picture below just as I finished the race. In the picture my Mom is taking a picture of me (right side). Thanks for coming Mom! I finished in 45:19, 12th overall, and first in my 30-34 age group (I think I was the only one!). The post race party was fun but soon it was time to head to my girls soccer games. Another enjoyable Hospice race in the bag.

The Great Greenbrier River Race Results are in!

Here's the facts. There were 130 "Entrants" which could be made up of 1 to 4 people. So I speculate there were over 200 people competing in this event. (Scroll down to see pictures from previous blog about the race).

By the way our team name was "Balance".

We were 6th overall out of 130 with a time of 1:34:14

We were:

20th in the run with a time of 20:36 (3 miles) ---- Yay me, I had to give the team something to pass didn't I? (I need to lose weight!) (8.6 mph)

5th in the canoe 41:35 (4 miles) ---- way to go guys (5.8 mph)

9th on the bike 32: 03 (10 miles) ---- Great debut Kevin! (18.7 mph)

NAME/TEAM	CATEGORY	RUN SPLIT	CANOE SPLIT	BIKE SPLIT		FINAL TIME
The Forum	Team M	0:17:42	0:40:01	0:30:58		1:28:41
Ray Legge	Solo M	0:19:11	0:39:09	0:30:28		1:28:48
Droop Mountain Boys	Team M	0:18:15	0:39:00	0:33:06		1:30:21
Greenbrier Valley Quarterly	Team M	0:16:37	0:44:23	0:30:21		1:31:21
Cave Run Outdoor Shop	Solo Adv	0:19:05	0:40:17	0:32:14		1:31:36
Balance	Team M	0:20:36	0:41:35	0:32:03		1:34:14
Wisp Outdoors	Team M	0:20:58	0:41:54	0:32:24		1:35:16
Army of One	Solo M	0:18:22	???	???		1:35:19
Pocahontas County CVB	Team M	0:19:04	0:42:51	0:34:23		1:36:18
Rachel Weber	Team Fam	0:23:56	0:42:44	0:30:52		1:37:32
Dan Cochran	Team M	0:20:27	0:44:05	0:33:03		1:37:35
Greebrier River Institute	Solo M	0:19:03	0:44:44	0:34:02		1:37:49
Daly & Sons	Team Adv	0:20:26	0:43:36	0:34:43		1:38:45
Ken Cooper	Solo M	0:21:33	0:44:42	0:32:47		1:39:02
Joe Laber	Solo M	0:18:51	0:45:50	0:34:34		1:39:15
The Thaw's	Team Adv	0:24:06	0:44:53	0:30:35		1:39:34
Ralph Robertson	Solo M Mst	0:24:07	0:43:31	0:32:25		1:40:03
Team D.O.	Team M	0:17:24	0:47:45	0:34:58		1:40:07
WVONGA	Team M	0:17:49	0:46:02	0:36:18		1:40:09
Ryan Mickleton	Solo M	0:18:11	0:52:01	0:30:28		1:40:40
Billy Fox	Solo M	0:21:45	0:47:02	0:31:53		1:40:40
Dan Withrow	Solo M Mst	0:20:57	0:44:23	0:36:07		1:41:27
Dillan Burris	Solo M	0:18:35	0:45:19	0:38:06		1:42:00
Keith Lilly	Solo M Mst	0:22:06	0:45:49	0:34:24		1:42:19
Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield	Team M	0:25:00	0:47:09	0:31:28		1:43:37
OU Fool U	Solo M Mst	0:21:34	0:46:03	0:36:16		1:43:53
Spruce/Ballhooter	Solo M	0:22:25	0:41:50	0:39:44		1:43:59
Angry Beavers	Team Adv	0:23:49	0:43:37	0:36:57		1:44:23
Naked	Team Fam	0:18:16	0:49:37	0:36:41		1:44:34
Veni Vivi Vivi	Team Fam	0:25:12	0:48:19	0:32:40		1:46:11
Team Linger	Team M	0:24:54	0:42:57	0:38:50		1:46:41
Jeff Bishop	Solo M	0:23:38	0:46:54	0:36:34		1:47:06
Chili peppers	Team Coed	0:19:52	0:42:30	0:44:57		1:47:19
Repeat Offenders	Team Coed	0:24:18	0:42:23	0:41:00		1:47:41
Matthew T. Walton	Solo M	0:20:55	0:45:53	0:40:54		1:47:42
Pig Pen Cameron	Solo M Mst	0:24:53	0:48:52	0:34:04		1:47:49
Keith Simpson	Solo M	0:26:15	0:45:51	0:35:45		1:47:51
Shaw	Team F	0:22:56	0:48:23	0:36:33		1:47:52
Chris Carte	Solo M	0:21:33	0:52:14	0:34:16		1:48:03
Kurt McCoy	Solo M	0:20:35	0:50:48	0:36:41		1:48:04
Alan Luton	Solo M	0:21:44	0:45:52	0:40:33		1:48:09
Neasese3@comast.net	Team Fam	0:24:40	0:42:42	0:41:12		1:48:34
Elrod Collins	Solo M	0:24:03	0:49:16	0:35:20		1:48:39
Buddy Butler	Solo M	0:22:49	0:46:57	0:38:57		1:48:43
Bill Shultz	Solo M Mst	0:23:39	0:47:42	0:38:09		1:49:30
Stephen Minor	Solo M	0:22:31	0:50:54	0:36:09		1:49:34
Jeremy Brown	Solo M	0:23:39	0:47:50	0:38:21		1:49:50
Andrew Fermes	Solo M	0:21:41	0:49:50	0:38:20		1:49:51
Cannibols	Team M	0:24:05	0:50:14	0:35:56		1:50:15
Robert Anderson	Solo M Mst	0:23:34	0:44:53	0:42:03		1:50:30
Travis Eads	Solo M	0:21:04	0:55:43	0:33:45		1:50:32
Chris Quasebarth	Solo M	0:21:48	0:51:38	0:37:10		1:50:36
Jeff Prichard	Solo M	0:23:59	0:50:03	0:36:58		1:51:00
Shaw	Solo M Mst	0:24:47	0:47:34	0:38:39		1:51:00
Jeremy Clark	Solo M	0:24:01	0:54:36	0:32:44		1:51:21
Bill Sobota	Team Fam	0:27:29	0:48:35	0:35:18		1:51:22
Mathis Brothers	Team Mst	0:25:37	0:44:39	0:41:22		1:51:38
Wonder Twins	Team F	0:23:05	0:48:04	0:40:34		1:51:43
Charlie Williamson	Solo M Mst	0:27:11	0:47:41	0:37:09		1:52:01
Stephen Royer	Solo M	0:27:25	0:45:45	0:38:53		1:52:03
Dynamic Duo Returns	Team Fam	0:25:46	0:47:15	0:39:03		1:52:04
Dana Gatewood	Solo M	0:21:32	0:51:57	0:38:37		1:52:06
Alan Thomas	Solo M	0:26:26	0:48:43	0:38:35		1:53:44
David Mitchell	Solo M	0:24:33	0:48:40	0:40:31		1:53:44
Paula Lilly	Solo F Mst	0:25:39	0:48:25	0:39:48		1:53:52
Jonathan Collins	Solo M	0:23:04	0:48:50	0:42:02		1:53:56
Elizabeth Carroll	Solo F Mst	0:27:08	0:48:02	0:40:12		1:55:22
Gary Robinson	Team Coed	0:25:30	0:49:34	0:40:28		1:55:32
Craig Watkins	Solo M	0:30:58	0:47:02	0:37:35		1:55:35
Blackwell and Company Team 1	Team Coed	0:24:56	0:54:00	0:36:57		1:55:53
Earth, Wind & Fire	Team Coed	0:29:03	0:47:32	0:39:31		1:56:06
Last Minute	Team Coed	0:23:03	0:56:45	0:36:34		1:56:22
Wayne King	Solo M Mst	0:23:21	0:49:04	0:44:01		1:56:26
J & J Duo	Team Mst	0:23:35	0:49:20	0:43:37		1:56:32
Broken Down	Team Mst	0:28:18	0:47:01	0:41:21		1:56:40
Good Bad & Insane	Team Coed	0:23:40	0:46:08	0:47:33		1:57:21
Runnin' On Empty	Team Mst	0:28:26	0:50:32	0:38:45		1:57:43
Susan Chappell	Solo F Mst	0:25:14	0:51:16	0:41:24		1:57:54
Point The Way	Team Coed	0:28:02	0:53:54	0:36:10		1:58:06
Dan Buskirk	Team Coed	0:24:23	0:51:15	0:43:03		1:58:41
Rich Simmons	Solo M	0:24:22	0:52:15	0:42:17		1:58:54
Mary Shultz	Solo F Mst	0:27:24	0:50:26	0:41:18		1:59:08
Winch Racing	Solo M	0:23:43	0:52:16	0:43:38		1:59:37
The Messers	Team Fam	0:26:20	0:52:05	0:41:16		1:59:41
Bob Luther	Solo M	0:19:50	1:01:45	0:38:11		1:59:46
Three Beasts and a Beauty	Team Coed	0:28:02	0:50:44	0:41:24		2:00:10
Be Aggressive	Team Coed	0:28:01	0:54:45	0:38:03		2:00:49
Lynne Ryan	Solo F Mst	0:24:02	0:54:07	0:43:14		2:01:23
Rotten Tomafoes	Team Coed	0:27:21	0:49:49	0:44:47		2:01:57
Tim Hofmann	Solo M	0:28:11	0:53:34	0:40:25		2:02:10
Kate Williams	Solo F	0:25:59	0:52:06	0:44:23		2:02:28
Nathan Sicko	Solo M	0:29:55	0:47:37	0:45:00		2:02:32
Samantha Daily	Solo F	0:26:37	0:49:09	0:47:00		2:02:46
Mark Howell	Solo M	0:25:19	0:51:03	0:46:26		2:02:48
Matthew Zinder	Solo M	0:27:19	0:51:30	0:44:17		2:03:06
Rudy's Revenge	Team Fam	0:30:21	0:55:00	0:38:05		2:03:26
Team Slavey	Team Coed	0:31:10	0:51:19	0:41:03		2:03:32
Rusty Webb	Solo M	0:25:12	0:53:10	0:45:13		2:03:35
Lisa Westfall	Solo F	0:24:57	0:55:01	0:44:18		2:04:16
Liz McGuffie	Solo F	0:31:23	0:52:58	0:40:06		2:04:27
Stacy	Team Fam	0:25:36	0:56:28	0:42:26		2:04:30
Kent Morrison	Solo M	0:29:01	0:57:49	0:37:47		2:04:37
Andrew Loudin	Solo M	0:25:54	0:52:41	0:46:12		2:04:47
Two Kooks from Cookeville	Team Mst	0:27:58	0:47:08	0:50:17		2:05:23
Diane Morrison	Solo F Mst	0:27:34	0:47:35	0:50:28		2:05:37
Tea Creek Lady	Solo F	0:24:30	0:53:23	0:47:45		2:05:38
Team Beer Racer II	Team M	0:30:30	0:54:09	0:41:20		2:05:59
James Scott	Solo M	0:31:01	0:52:03	0:42:56		2:06:00
The Mathis' Brothers Daughters	Team Fam	0:29:46	0:52:35	0:44:12		2:06:33
Angela Belcher	Solo F	0:27:55	0:55:49	0:45:09		2:08:53
Sassy Sister	Team F	0:25:55	0:55:03	0:48:01		2:08:59
Mark Bowe	Team M	0:26:23	0:55:07	0:48:08		2:09:38
MaryDell Joyner	Solo F Mst	0:28:42	0:54:32	0:46:59		2:10:13
Jeff Beverage	Solo M	0:25:56	0:52:25	0:51:53		2:10:14
Greenbrier Gargoyler	Team Mst	0:24:45	0:52:50	0:52:50		2:10:25
Amie Nottingham	Solo F	0:30:49	0:55:28	0:44:39		2:10:56
Steve Blackwell	Solo M	0:29:54	0:55:13	0:48:31		2:13:38
Challenged Athletes of WV	Team Challenge	0:25:44	0:46:30	1:01:44		2:13:58
Jane Reynolds	Solo F	0:26:52	1:00:01	0:48:09		2:15:02
Brenda Waugh	Solo F	0:26:53	0:59:43	0:48:27		2:15:03
Kim Nelson	Solo F	0:26:51	1:03:38	0:45:14		2:15:43
Tammy Duffield	Solo F	0:22:10	1:05:56	0:53:04		2:21:10
Cathy Payne	Solo F	0:27:20	1:03:13	0:54:23		2:24:56
Sandra Stroebel	Solo F	0:27:20	1:03:18	0:54:19		2:24:57
Blackwell and Company Team 2	Team Coed	0:38:45	0:55:46	0:50:29		2:25:00
Amanda Dethman	Solo F	0:38:46	0:56:39	0:55:37		2:31:02
Janet Cote	Solo F	0:38:47	0:56:35	0:55:41		2:31:03
Tom Kiffmeyer	Solo M	0:22:55	0:46:06	1:27:01		2:36:02
Gene Curtis	Solo M Mst	0:31:34	0:50:18	1:19:21		2:41:13
Leigh Ann Reynolds	Solo F	0:31:06	0:54:20	1:16:13		2:41:39

The Great Greenbrier River Race 2007

What can I say? This race is fun! It's fun for the racers and it's fun for the spectators. The race this year was in Marlinton and consisted of a 3 mile run, 4 mile downstream conoe, and a 10 mile flat bike ride. It can be performed as a team of 4 or less. Usually it's different people doing each leg but individuals can also do all three legs. There is even a "family" category for families that would like to attempt it. The first leg this year was the three mile run on the river trail. It was my job to start the race for the team and keep them in a good enough position to do some serious damage with the canoe. My friend Joe and his friend Jeremy are the old dogs at this race and really get a thrill out of motoring down the river in the canoe and passing people. The final leg of the bike ride would be carried out by my friend Kevin in his debut as a bicycle racer.

It was a misty morning and very cool. I think it was in the low 50's. I had been up since 5:20am because I went turkey hunting till about 7:45am. The turkeys were gobbling but they wouldn't come to my calls. Kevin met me at my house and we headed for Wal Mart to meet up with Joe and the sausage and egg biscuit he got me. When we arrived in Marlinton it was a flood of people with bikes and canoes in the small town. I am going to guess somewhere around 150. I'll know more when the results are posted. We got there a little early so these are just some of the canoes below.

After hitting the registration table (shown below), we began to stand around and wait for the "instructional" meeting. The lady that organizes the race is quite a character. She was trying to get everyone to "dance" to get warmed up. I downed a granola bar and some gatorade. After some pre-race instructions. Kevin was on his bike riding the 4 miles or so to Buckeye. I warmed up by running around town. The legs felt good after a couple days of rest. I told Joe I would be back in 20-21 minutes. I was hoping to be faster. I was wearing the little green stretchy bracelet for our team.

I lined up a little farther to the front than I think I would have normally. I was on the 2nd line of runners. It was pack of more than 50 but less than a 100 I think. Again I'll know more later. The countdown began and the man with the pistol pulled the trigger and "click" ... nothing. So we tried again and this time the pistol didn't fire either but we were told to start anyway on "go". I took off hard... too hard...

The best average pace I was hoping for was a 6:55. I looked down at a quarter mile and thus far I was running at a 5:43 min/mile pace. That's a short sprint pace for me! I began slowing down. The granola bar was a little too much to eat. I felt like I had a balloon in my stomach. I couldn't seem to get enough air or get "warmed" up really. The first mile was on pavement starting in the streets of town and leading out onto the trail. From there it turned to gravel. I ran the first mile in 6:43. Soon after that the lead runners came whizzing by going the other direction. My friend Birch was running 3rd. I said "go Birch" in the best out of breath voice I could do. At the turnaround point (1.5) there was a barrel to go around. I hate turning around in a race it just kills your momentum. I was slowing down a good bit now and my 2nd mile was a 7:20 with an average pace of just under 7:00. I got back on the pavement for the final mile.

The runners were strung out now. I was doing good but I was guessing I was somewhere around 20th in the race. There was this guy in front of me and I passed him. Then he sprinted by me. I didn't do anything but maintain my pace. I eventually caught him again. We rounded the corner off the trail and onto the street and he took off on a sprint for the final quarter mile. I couldn't. I was doing all I could. My pace for the last mile was about a 7:05 so I was able to speed up the last mile. I could see Joe step out of the crowd and into the "exchange" box. I sped up a little bit but couldn't sprint. I took the bracelet off and handed to it to Joe. He took off for the canoe. It was a couple hundred yard trip down to the water at the Marlinton bridge. I checked my watch ... 2.94 miles in 20: 40 which is a pace of 7:02. A little slower than I would have liked but about the best I could do at this time.


I just started gasping for air and staggering around. I was kinda out of it. It is one thing to run a marathon, you hold back, you prepare for the pain and fatigue at the end. In a short fast race, there is no muscle pain or fatigue, just a lack of oxygen. I wandered toward the river. Joe and Jeremy were so fast I didn't see them leave the bank. I then got to where I could see down the river a good ways. I couldn't see them there either. They were gone man!I had to make it to Peterstown to see my girls' soccer games so I hopped in the car. That's when I realized I could still see most of the race and not be late for the games. I drove down to Buckeye and ran/walked the mile or so back to the river. I got there before any boats arrived. I chatted with Kevin and told him how I thought I did. About 5-10 minutes later. Boats started showing up coming down the river. We were standing on an old steel bridge. It was a beautiful sight. Coming first were the Droop mountain boys. Some big fellows that had lots of power. Then another canoe. Then two kayaks. Then here they came... They were in 5th place.

As they went under the bridge (shown above) Jeremy yelled up at us "plus 13" meaning they'd passed 13 boats. I ran over to Kevin who was a couple hundred yards away. I said "get ready here they come". Once they beached, one of the race people miscommunicated to Joe that they had to stop right there. He said "I've got to get to the biker!" so they said "Oh you have to go across the field". In that confusion one team slipped ahead of us. Joe had to run a couple hundred yards around a big field to get to Kevin (shown in picture below). They exchanged the bracelet in the exchange box. Now it was Kevin's turn. He had the burden of the green bracelet. He got to his bike quickly and got a good start. He powered away through the starting chute.

I started talking to Joe about his trip. In several minutes the first biker came back by. Then another and another. Kevin came by in what I remember as 6th place. He later said he had passed one rider, evidently the one that got around Joe in the field. We saw the rider he passed go by and I said to Joe "there's no way he'll catch Kevin" because he really looked like he was struggling to go. The bikers had about 4 miles to go to the finish on the rail trail. A good portion of that was paved. The lead bikers were cruising along in the 20 mph range. I took off for Peterstown....


The guys stayed for the announcement of the winners. It appears we got 6th overall and 4th amongst the teams. That means 2 individuals did all three events and beat us!. I think one of them even got 2nd place overall. Like I said, I'll know more when the results are posted. (Kevin made a nice keepsake of the race shirt, green bracelet, and race bib.)


This was a really fun race. It would be great fun for families or buddies to do. Each leg is not that long for 1 or 2 people to do. There were some folks there who were serious. Others were there to have a good time and just finish. I heard the food at the after party was great. I would recommend this race to anyone in the area. It's fun to be in and watch!