Saturday, May 17, 2008 -- Charleston, WV / Kanawha State Forest
Dirty Dog 15K Trail Run- MSTR #3
[Details] [Coverage] [Photos] Results: [Overall] [By Class] [Dogs]
Coverage:
[2006]
[2007]
Story by Don Parks with photos
by JR Petsko (and
a few more photos by Don Parks, too)
The men, women, and dogs packed the starting line as the signal was given at 9:00am to get the racing underway. The course is basically a clockwise loop through the forest. You start by making you way up to a ridge top, then you race along the ridge before heading back down and up another ridge. You finish with a run along this opposite ridge line before descending to the finish.
When the runners had made their way toward the top of the ridge at the two mile mark it looked to be a three man race. Jacob Malcomb, Michael Bee, and Randy Gibbs had almost a minute lead over the rest of the field. Gibbs' four-legged companion Jack also looked in great shape to be top dog once again.
However, lurking behind this lead group was defending race champion
and course record holder Jason Bryant. Was he off his form
this year or was he just pacing himself for a strong finish?
While Bryant wasn't able to match his winning time from a year ago he was able to catch and pass Gibbs and Bee on his way to claiming second at 1:06:26. Whether or not he surged or they faded, his early pacing paid off.
Gibbs and Bee battle neck and neck to the end with Bee able to out sprint Gibbs to the line to claim third at 1:07:56. While Gibbs came up short of reaching the top three podium he did more than enough to pace Jack to a three-peat as top dog at 1:07:57. In the process he set a new canine course record by almost three full minutes.
On the women's side Alison Bryant looked on pace to easily set
a new course record with a big lead as she approached aid station three
at the five and a half mile mark. Unfortunately this is the point where
Bryant missed a left turn and unknowingly shortcut the course. Being
the good competitor that she is she immediately disqualified herself from
the race. Bryant was not the only one confused at the same intersection
and the race officials will be sure to have it better marked in future
races.
Keeping pace with Mrs. Parks the whole way was her canine companion Sunny. Sunny was the fasted female dog of the day and the third dog overall. The second place overall fastest dog title went to Reacher who was escorted to the finish by his master Zach Workman in a time of 1:20:57.
The sun continued to shine as all the runners, two and four legged, made their way to the finish. You would think that bringing several dozen dogs together in a crowd of well over a hundred racers, friends, and family would be a recipe for disaster. Amazingly, it was one of the most friendly and festive post-race celebrations I've ever attended with respectful dog owners and many a well mannered canine. I'd like to see how a Dirty Cat trail run would go...