Meadows, Hott win Founders Day 5K

Meadows, Hott win Founders Day 5K

Complete results (PDF) … Main event page
Photos – Set 1 (start, turnaround point) … Set 2 (start, finish line)

CAPON BRIDGE, W.Va., Sept. 30, 2012 — Pete Hobbie was stoked to see his 23-year-old son, Elijah, run the Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Ohio, earlier this month.

The 50-year-old Kirby resident used the event as motivation to run his first-ever road race. He didn’t win the fourth annual Founders Day 5K on Sunday in Capon Bridge. He didn’t come in second. But his 15th-place finish had him looking for more racing opportunities in the Hampshire County area.

Hobbie was one of more than two dozen runners and walkers in the 3.1-mile event, which coincides with the annual Founders Day Festival.  This year brought changes to the run, though. The course was relocated from the old middle school to the Capon Bridge Public Library. The course included 1.55 miles out Cacapon River Road and back towards the library.

It was the first time the Potomac Highlands Distance Club helped to stage the race. The extra boost seemed to have helped, as participation tripled this year (27 finishers) from last year (nine finishers).

This year’s event drew participants from four states — West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. The ages of finishers ranged from 10 to 63 years old. The increased turnout was credited to assistance by the Founders Day Festival’s organizing committee and local business sponsorship, including The Sweat Shop in Capon Bridge. In addition, this was the first year the run was staged on a Sunday, instead of Saturday, which allowed word about the event to spread.

Mike Meadows, 55 years young from Martinsburg, W.Va., led the field to the finish line with a time of 18 minutes and 47.8 seconds. Last year’s winner, Timothy Loughran, earned a second-place finish this time despite this year’s time of 19:32.2 being considerably faster than last year’s winning time of 20:53. Meadows and Loughran ran shoulder to shoulder for the first half of the race. Loughran surged ahead early in the second half before Meadows caught up and pulled away, on the strength of a 5:54 final mile, for the win. Meadows won two PHDC races earlier this year, including the Bash Dash Mile in Hancock, Md., and the Pony Express 5K in Martinsburg.

Jacob Brashears, 15, of Augusta, finished third in 21:07.9 — slightly ahead of Jesse Johnson, 20, of Capon Bridge, and Neal Riemenschneider, 58, of Winchester, Va. Johnson stopped the clock in 21:13.6, only 2.6 seconds in front of Riemenschneider.

Jodi Hott, 27, of Romney, was the first female to cross the finish line. She completed the 3.1-mile distance in 26:15.6, just in front of Winchester resident Tina Marshall, 26:20.7. Marshall was done in 26:20.7 and beat out Hali Shockey, 47, of Slanesville, for the women’s masters title. Shockey’s time was 27:21.8.

Race officials directed a huge “thank you” to race-day volunteers Taylor, Lindsay, Herb, Kathleen and Stacy. Every participant benefitted from their spirt of giving and willingness to help each other out.

Oh, and as for Hobbie? His next chance to race in Hampshire County is the 2nd annual Turkey Trot 2-mile run and walk on Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 22 in Romney. The Potomac Highlands Distance Club is in charge of that one, too. Entry fee is only $3 and donations of canned goods, which will be given to a Hampshire County food pantry, are accepted.

For complete race results and 200 race-day photos, visit www.PhDispatch.com. Next year’s Founders Day 5K race will take place on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.