Warner, French win Red Bud 10-miler

Warner, French win Red Bud 10-miler

Bellingham, Means take 5K titles

2012 results … race-day photos … main event page 

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YELLOW SPRING, W.Va., April 29, 2012 — “Number 423, you … are … finished.”

The timer shouted out the encouraging words as 38-year-old Cindy Williams approached the finish line on Sunday of the inaugural Red Bud Distance Run/Walk.

The event featured a point-to-point 10-mile distance, which ran the length of River Road from Capon Bridge to Yellow Spring, as well as a 5K (3.1-mile) distance.

Though Williams, of Romney, was smiling, one could not tell whether it was of joy or exhaustion. Or, perhaps, a bit of both.

“Those are the words you want to hear,” claimed a fellow 10-mile runner at the finish line, located at the Capon Valley Ruritan Club.

More than 50 people registered for the two distances, which was organized by volunteers Pam Brady, Margaret Broderick and Tracy Carl — with the aid of the Potomac Highlands Distance Club. The event raised awareness and funds for Catholic Charities West Virginia and Hampshire County Committee on Aging’s senior nutrition program.

After a night of steady rain that produced a vision-reducing fog early Sunday morning, the 8 a.m. start time was just late enough for much of the fog to burn off and the skies opened to a beautiful blue. In short, the day turned out to be a typical Spring day — a rather atypical occurrence this particular Spring.

Emily Warner, 28, of Winchester, Va., took advantage of the runner-friendly conditions lead all 10-mile finishers from the Capon Bridge Public Library south along Cacapon River Road to the Ruritan. She posted a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes and 19.7 seconds

Warner averaged  7:20 per mile and pulled away from runner-up Paul French, 52, of Warfordsburg, Pa., by seven seconds each mile. French finished in 1:14:27.2, good for a lead of nearly three minutes over third-place finisher Eric Vaubel, 42, of Delray. Vaubel stopped the clock in 1:17:45.2.

In the women’s division, co-organizer Carl, 48, of Romney, placed second to Warner with a time of 1:25:32.7 — fast enough to capture the women’s Masters (40-plus) crown. Carl’s average of 8:33 per mile far outpaced her first effort down the same road last December when she initially scouted out the Red Bud race course.

Danielle Popp, 31, of High View, earned third place in the women’s field by posting an 8:39 pace (1:26:27.5).

In the 5K run/walk, local Jonathan Bellingham, 49, of Capon Springs, cruised to the line on the out-and-back race course — modified only slightly from the Ruritan’s own 3.1-mile race each fall — in 20:31.3, a pace of 6:36 per mile.

Veteran runner Neal Riemenschneider, 57, of Winchester, Va., placed second in 21:05.5 while young Codey Cochran, 14, of Augusta, took third in 21:20.6.

In the women’s division, Mary Means, 60, of Hagerstown, Md., took the gold — and the winner’s plaque — by stopping the clock in 26:25.3. Ruth Riemenschneider, 53, of Winchester, was second in 27:13.8. Laura Byrns, 44, of Three Churches, placed third in 42:52.6.

Event organizers expressed heartfelt gratitude to the many volunteers who worked tirelessly to bring about the event. In addition, sponsors, including many Hampshire County-area businesses, supported the cause. Chief among them were: FNB Bank, The Bank of Romney, Capon Bridge Family Dentistry, High Q Auto Care and Mark’s Floor Coverings.

Overall, the first-year event garnered support from more than two dozen businesses, nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

Complete results and race-day photos can be viewed online at http://PhDispatch.com.