2003 RACE REPORT
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Damaged Koplets home
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Founded in 1979 by Don & Linda Corley, the Bluemont Fair 10K celebrated its twenty-fifth running on Saturday 20 September 2003, despite the best efforts of Hurricane Isabel. The storm swept through Virginia late on the 18th, leaving downed trees, flooding, and power outages in its wake. Although the northern portion of the state escaped with relatively minor damage, the tiny Loudoun County town of Bluemont was left without power on the eve of its annual fair (and with a tree resting on the damaged Koplets home on the corner of Clayton Hall Road and Snickersville Turnpike). But power or no power, the fair-- and the 10K-- would go on as scheduled!
Start of the race
Heading down Route 7
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The effects of the storm probably kept a few people home, but 106 runners (down from 124 in 2002) showed up on a beautiful sunny morning in Bluemont. Temperatures rose into the mid 60°s by the time the participants made their way up Clayton Hall Road to the starting line near the Route 7 intersection. After a few words from Don Corley (who is given race number "1" each year in honor of his place in the race's history), the race began, with runners streaming out onto Route 7 and down the long first mile. The gravel roads later in the race's course were slightly muddy, and two narrow spots of standing water could be found at the course's low point on Hollow Oak Road, but few other effects of the hurricane were apparent.
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Mark Vann
Adam Pegues
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1999 champion Mark Vann finished second to Clarke County High School graduate Dustin Sweeney last year, but with Sweeney, 20, opting to photograph this year's race rather than run it, the 36-year-old Vann hoped this would be his year to earn another win. But Vann would be challenged by Charlottesville's Adam Pegues. In the end, Vann's 2003 lucky streak continued with a 37:32.3 overall win, besting the 22-year-old U.S. Naval Academy grad by thirty-five seconds. Following them for third was Masters winner Jason Sparkowski, 43, a former DC resident now living in West Hartford, Connecticut. His 38:39.4 finish time put him well in front of the three teenagers who followed him (Clarke County High School's Ware Smalley & Simon Biddle-Snead, and Loudoun Valley High School's Branden McDonnell) as well as his next closest Masters competitor, Leesburg's Malcolm Carlyle (41:53.1). 58-year-old Bob Chase of Falls Church finished in 42:05.3 and easily took the Senior Masters win, crossing the line three and a half minutes ahead of the next runner over the age of 49.
Ann Robb
Martha Cammack
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The 2002 battle for second female overall came down to Leesburg's Martha Cammack and Winchester's Ann Robb. Cammack managed to edge Robb by forty-five seconds last year, leaving Robb to make due with an age group award. This year it was Robb's turn, and the 40-year-old's best Bluemont performance in many years was enough to keep her comfortably in front of the 36-year-old Cammack. Robb, who has finished in the top three every year she's run the race since 1999, finally got an overall victory with her 44:56.3 finish. Cammack nabbed second for a second straight year, finishing in 45:53. | |
Melinda Biddle
Ethan Becker-Menditto
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This was a little bit off of what she ran last year, but it was well ahead of her 2000 performance-- and just enough to keep the third place finisher, Front Royal's Mary Rice (46:06.8), at bay. With Robb having taken the overall award, 43-year-old Melinda Biddle of Millwood captured the top Masters award with a 50:03.1 finish. Clarke County High School coach Nancy Specht picked up her second straight Senior Masters award in a time of 52:31.8.
Winning special awards for being this year's youngest and oldest runners were Ethan Becker-Menditto, Robie Cone, and
Robie Cone
Sam Robey
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Sam Robey. Ethan, 11, wound up as the race's youngest participant for the second straight year, as he's 323 days younger than Erin Broy, the next youngest. At 60 years of age, Sam Robey was the race's oldest female participant (and one who has won numerous other Bluemont awards over the years). But when Sam was born, this year's oldest male finisher was four months away from his twentieth birthday! Robie Cone just turned 80 a couple weeks before this year's race, and he has won the oldest finisher award for as long as the Webmaster has records (which, admittedly, is only back to 1999).
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Team Stroller: Karin & Joel Hemphill, Christine Adams
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Of course, many other runners made their way around the rolling course, charging up the challenging final two miles with varying degrees of success. And whether or not these folks managed to come away with a Bluemont Fair mug for finishing first or second in their age groups, we hope they had a good time at the race!
Much thanks is owed to race director Raylene Scott, and to the Bluemont Fair committee, for putting together another successful event in spite of the challenges posed by the hurricane. Thanks as well to all of the race's volunteers, including Cathy Rinker, Sandy Ashby, Jan Edmondson, Bill Poindexter, Tom Ashton, Gail Ellingwood & family, Don & Linda Corley, Dr. Gary Adams, Rick Kerby, Karsten Brown, Jason Page, Nancy Bullock, the women of the Blue Ridge Eagles Ladies Auxilary, and others whose names escape us! And a big thank you is owed to the race's sponsors:
Erin Broy
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Kevin Giles
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And thank you to the Shenandoah Valley Runners for their assistance and support. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this year's 10K, you're welcome to contact the aforementioned race director, Raylene Scott, at (703) 771-0070. The 2004 Bluemont Fair will most likely take place on the weekend of 18-19 September 2004, so the 26th annual 10K ought to end up being held on Saturday 18 September. Hope we'll see you there! |
