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Running towards Hogback Mountain in the first mile
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Rain fell all night and into the morning of Saturday 26 October 2002 in Warren County, Virginia, but the clouds rolled out of the area just in time for the fourth annual running of the Greasy-Gooney 10K! Given that just thirty-four runners (the race's lowest turnout to date) showed up in tiny hamlet of Browntown, we suspect that the early morning weather may have kept a few people home. Those who did missed an absolutely spectacular morning, with bright sunshine and temperatures rising into the mid 50°s.
There are generally two reasons why people run the Greasy-Gooney 10K: Either they want to enjoy the beautiful rural scenery, or they want to see how they'll handle the challenging course. The good weather was certainly a boon to the former, giving runners some wonderful views
Glenn Luttrell runs off into the distance in the fourth mile
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of the narrow Greasy Run and Gooney Run valleys and of the Blue Ridge looming in the distance above. More than one runner told your author that they came to the race solely because of the course's renowned beauty.
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Lorie Weimar struggles up the mile three hill
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And those who arrived in search of a challenge certainly got it, in the form of the three uphill miles which kick off the race. "This isn't so bad," one thinks during the first mile or two... but then the incline gets steeper and steeper in the third mile. Eventually you're slowed to a plod as you round a corner and see the road stretching further uphill ahead of you. You bargain with yourself, you grit your teeth, you get yourself up to the treeline towards which you've been working... and then you learn that the hill is still not done with you! The road won't cut you any slack. But a minute or two later, just when you think all hope is lost, you reach the halfway point and the road levels out, then starts zooming you downhill on your way back to Browntown.
Start of the 2002 Greasy-Gooney 10K
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This is what was ahead for our thirty-four runners as they lined up on Bentonville-Browntown Road west of Browntown. With the horse in the field next to the start wondering just what the heck was going on, race director and course creator Patrick Farris told the runners what to expect, then sent everyone on their way.
Gunning their way out into the lead were 24-year-old Greasy-Gooney newcomer Larry Bullock and 36-year-old veteran Mark Vann. Vann had finished second in the inaugural race
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Men's champ Mark Vann before the race
Women's champ Monika Bracken afterwards
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and had placed fourth against a strong field in 2001, so he was itching to finally get an overall win this year. Bullock clearly presented Vann with a serious challenge, but in the end, Vann was able to hang onto a slim lead over the schoolteacher from Woodstock, winning the race in 37:00 to Bullock's 37:08. It was another three and a half minutes before the next finisher, 52-year-old Ron Greene of Fairfax
Kim Weisgerber-Craig
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, reached the finish line (40:39). Another "older" runner, 50-year-old James Moreland of Gaithersburg, reached Browntown about a minute later (41:33). Interestingly, three-quarters of the men's field was aged forty or over, and almost half were over the age of 49!
The women's competition belonged to Monika Bracken, 37, for a second straight year. Soreness from having completed the Mountain Masochist Trail Run 50 Miler a week earlier may have prevented Bracken from matching her 2001 course record, but the tough young woman from Castleton was still able to run the second fastest women's time in Greasy-Gooney history, dominating the competition in 44:09. The runner-up turned out to be another Mountain Masochist veteran, 36-year-old Kim Weisgerber-Craig, who finished in 45:23. Compared to Mountain Masochist, Greasy-Gooney must seem like a cakewalk! Third overall went to 41-year-old Lorie Weimar of Warrenton (49:39). Weimar's co-worker Kathy Manzo, 47, managed to come from behind in the second half of the race to edge out Fort Valley's Carter Wiecking, 32, for fourth place (51:32 to 51:37).
Glenn Luttrell gives Myron Kremer a hand
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Weisgerber-Craig was among the race's most improved runners, having run 3:49 faster this year than she did at the 1999 event (although she skipped the two intervening races). Bob Gurtler bettered his 2001 finish by 3:53 this year, bringing him back down to where he had been for the first two Greasy-Gooneys. But we have to give the most improved nod to Myron Kremer, who has improved steadily each year and went from a 44:14 in 2001 to an impressive 42:22 fifth-place finish this year. Warren County's own Terry Leckie also had a good race, with his 42:50 finish being his fastest result in four years of running the Gooney.
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Race director Patrick Farris, endorsing "Dr. Thunder"
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It was no surprise that the "Most Dressed Like Lord Fairfax" Award went unclaimed for the fourth straight year... although perhaps the problem is that few people know exactly what one is supposed to wear in order to resemble the eighteenth century owner of the lands surrounding Browntown. Meanwhile, local nutcase Karsten Brown, suffering from a swollen jaw due to an infected wisdom tooth, continued his undefeated streak in the "Most Awkward Race Outfit" competition, showing off his eBay addiction by wearing a gray eBay-acquired New York Yankees jersey over a red eBay-acquired 1980s-era Washington Capitals jersey. A number of other runners took home random prizes, from pumpkins to board games to a bottle of "Dr. Thunder" (a cheap Dr. Pepper knockoff won by J.C. Campbell).
Thank you as always to Patrick Farris for his creative race directorship, and thanks as well to all the volunteers, including Eric & Jessica Wood, Jim McKee, and Mrs. Rankin. And special thanks to Tom & Jean Lacombe, owners of O.J. Rudacille's General Store right around the corner in Browntown! The Lacombes donated a number of prizes, including the coupons for free Christmas trees given to the overall winners. And thank you to the local residents for putting up with our annual invasion of their little town. Hopefully they'll show equal patience when the Greasy-Gooney 10K returns for its fifth annual running on Saturday 25 October 2003!
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