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Mark Vann's inspirational message
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How do you make a tough race harder? Just add wind. This year's Lincoln Valentine's 3.4 Miler, held in the tiny Loudoun County hamlet of Lincoln, VA, was plagued by winds of 25 to 30 miles per hour. The howling gusts on race morning kept more than one runner from showing up, but fifty-nine challenge-seekers (including forty-one SVR members) ended up making it to the Goose Creek Meeting House to face the gale. Mercifully, temperatures were in the mid-40°s and the sun was shining on the race for the first time in a number of years.
Chuck Raper & Heather Kremer
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As the race was a celebration of the upcoming Valentine's Day, runners were asked to wear red, and the majority of participants had a little bit of red on 'em. The reddest runners had to have been Alexandria's Pat Griffith, who wore a red singlet & full-length red tights, and Chuck Raper, clad in red hat, red shirt, | |
Peachey
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& red shorts. Chuck didn't have to root around in his closet, of course, as he always wears red! It had also been suggested that runners wear pictures of their Valentines (real or imagined), but few followed through on this one. Volunteer Rick Kerby sported a pic of the late Jerry Garcia, but credit must go to Jen Peachey, whose back was covered with photos of family and friends.
Sandy & Ruth
C. Moore
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The powerhouse known as Sandy Adams managed to break Ruth Riemenschneider's Winter Series winning streak by taking the women's competition in 23:40. Ruth tried to work her way back up during the hilly 3.4 miles (or thereabouts; the course has not been officially measured), but she fell thirteen seconds short and took second place. Teenager Christina Moore ran well and wound up with third place in 24 minutes flat. Fourth went to Emily Harrison, who faded a bit on the final few hills but finished in 24:51, edging out Heather Kremer by six seconds.
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The Stickman
Thaine & Norton
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Sherando High School senior Jared Prunty zoomed out to an early lead, but racing veteran Mark Stickley reeled him in after a mile and wound up putting fifty-one seconds between himself and the youngster. The finish times of Mark and Jared were all the more impressive given the conditions; Mark's 18:02 may be a course record. (Your Webmaster has not involved with the club long enough to know for certain.) Clarke County High School senior Dustin Sweeney was all alone in third, crossing the line in 19:40. And it was a tough battle for fourth-- Justin Thaine and Rick Norton were together in the final mile, but Norton pulled away for a four second victory in 20 minutes even.
Robie Cone
Bob Atkins
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In addition to the overall awards, prizes were given to the oldest and youngest finishers. 75-year-old Bob Atkins was beat out by 77-year-old Robie Cone for the oldest runner prize; | |
Cecelia Osowski
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just 651 days separate their dates of birth. The youngest runner was 11-year-old Cecelia Osowski, who also happened to be the first finisher from Lincoln! Receiving a consolation prize was Charles "Chuckles" Bowles, who took a spill while attempting to pass Winter Series rival Kennon Yeck on the gravel-strewn final turn. Witness Neal Riemenschneider described the fall as "nasty". There was blood on Chuckles' finish card-- clearly Chuck was just going along with the "red" theme. Here's hoping that Chuck's still got all of his teeth!
As usual, space was filled up on the finish cards with a silly multiple-choice poll question: "What would be your ideal Valentine's Day gift?" The top vote-getter was "a romantic getaway", picked by seven participants. Tying for second were the cheap but ever-effective "kiss" and the incredibly romantic "new running shoes". Surprisingly, there were two write-in votes for "new lungs"-- although I guess it's not so surprising given the relentless hills of Lincoln. Others cast some amusing write-in votes (see the sidebar for a full tally), but women's winner Sandy Adams put things into perspective by wishing to "turn back time"-- a touching tribute to her late husband. Thank you, Sandy, for reminding us all of what's important, not just on Valentine's Day, but every day.
Volunteers square-dancing
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Race director Raylene Scott did her usual fine job of hosting the race, and our thanks as well to the Quaker Meeting House for the use of their facilities. And kudos to volunteers Rick Kerby, Jerry Anderson, and Betty Luttrell, and to photographer Kim Yeck! Everyone came together to put on an enjoyable event despite the horrific wind and hills. Hopefully we'll have only hills to face at next year's Lincoln Valentine's 3.4 Miler. In the meantime, don't forget to check out the race results and our selection of 126 race photos!
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