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Race director Patrick Farris (foreground) provides pre-race instructions
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The Greasy-Gooney 10K celebrated its fifth anniversary on Saturday 25 October 2003 with beautiful weather and a record turnout. Eighteen Greasy-Gooney veterans were joined by twenty-five newcomers, combining to break the race's previous record of forty-two finishers (set in 1999 and tied in 2001) by a single runner. The throng was treated to pleasantly cool temperatures in the mid-40°s and bright sunny skies, although the light breeze flowing down the Blue Ridge added a minor wrinkle to the challenge of the course's uphill first half. But most of the participants seemed to enjoy the many scenic views and the race's low-key, fun atmosphere.
Chris Crosby leads Bob Schneider to the finish
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Washington, DC's Bob Schneider, 27, returned to the Shenandoah Valley to try for his second overall victory in as many weeks, having easily won the Blue Ridge Hospice 5K on Saturday 18 October. This time, however, Schneider faced a strong opponent in the form of 29-year-old triathlete Chris Crosby, who was coming off an impressive fourth place finish at a half-Ironman triathlon in September.
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Brad Arehart (yellow shorts), Mark Vann (red shorts)
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It's not known how close the two runners were to each other for most of the 10K, but by the time they came zooming back into Browntown, Crosby owned a gap of less than fifty yards. Crosby's final time of 35:10 proved to be the second fastest performance in the race's history, just twenty-three seconds off the course record. Schneider cruised across the finish line eight seconds later with a time which would've been enough to win any of the three previous Greasy-Gooney 10Ks.
There was little competition for third place among the men, as New Market, VA's Brad Arehart, 29, finished all by himself in 36:48, two minutes forty seconds in front of 2002 men's champ Mark Vann, 37. Vann stooped to taking one of his infamous walking breaks during the third mile, drawing jeers from Terry Leckie and Karsten Brown off in the distance behind him. But he turned on the jets over the second half in order to break forty minutes, finishing in 39:28. Although he failed to defend his men's title, Vann earned the "Most Awkward Race Attire" honors by running shirtless in the cool weather.
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Mike Capraro; Diana Krupica & Susan Musante
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Meanwhile, Mike Capraro, having recently moved to Linden, worked his way past both Leckie and Brown to finish as the top male Warren County resident in 42:12. Capraro's fiancée, Susan Musante, also ran the race, finishing with her sister Diana Krupica in 59:19. Hopefully neither Capraro nor Musante wore themselves out during the race, because they had a wedding to attend later in the day-- their own! Hopefully their Greasy-Gooney age group awards were not the highlight of the day.
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Women's winner Monika Bracken
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Among the fifteen female participants, the obvious pre-race favorite was course record holder Monika Bracken, 38, of Castleton, VA. Once again she was running Greasy-Gooney on sore legs, having completed the aptly-named Mountain Masochist Trail Run 50 Miler a week earlier. But once again she found herself winning the 10K easily, smiling as she crossed the finish line in 45:08. Second place went to Winchester's Ann Robb, 40, who held back a bit because of her unfamiliarity with the course. This may have left her with enough energy to hold off fellow Winchester resident Mary Rice, 27, as Rice crossed the line five seconds after Robb's 46:43 finish. Amy Nieters, 27, wound up as the first female finisher from Warren County, running a 51:37 for fourth place. And rounding out the women's top five was Ann Chancellor Walker, 23, who edged out fellow DC-area runner Lori Schwartz, 22, by a few steps (52:01 to 52:03).
This year's most improved runners were Steven Viers of Ashburn and Colleen Snyder of Linden. Viers dropped 1:37 off of his 2002 time to finish tenth overall in 44:21, while Snyder improved on her '02 performance by 1:37 with a 1:14:21 finish. Jeff Campbell of Elkton and Bob Gurtler of The Plains also
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Bob Gurtler sporting a Halloween mask; Jeff Campbell and his amusing cycling jersey
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managed to shave more than a minute off of their 2002 times. Gurtler, 68, is also one of seven runners who have run all five editions of the Greasy-Gooney 10K; the others are Brown, Leckie, Ric Francke, Paul Grosz, Denny Myers, and Jim Shaughnessy.
After everyone arrived back in Browntown, race director Patrick Farris announced the award winners and then handed out a number of random prizes, including squash, Halloween candy and masks, board games, and a copy of Cosmopolitan magazine. Farris, also the founder of the race back in 1999, is largely responsible for the race's lighthearted feel, and he is owed many thanks for his continued efforts! Additional thanks go out to the race's volunteers, including Leckie & Brown, Mrs. Rankin, and a couple of Farris' history students from Warren County High School. (And we must not forget the contributions of Tom & Jean Lacombe, owners of O.J. Rudacille's General Store in Browntown, for their help and for the prizes they donated, including free Christmas trees from their tree farm!)
With any luck, the Greasy-Gooney 10K will enter its second half-decade next year on Saturday 23 October 2004. See y'all back in Browntown!
Shannon Neffendorf of Dallas, TX! |
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Women's runner-up Ann Robb celebrates with sister Judy Masi |
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