Saturday, August 1, 1998 - Sunday, August 2, 1998 -- Summersville

Preston Grose got to race well past his bedtime

Moonlight Madness 5K Run

[More Pictures] [Results]

We've been to mountain bike races that last for 24 hours, and we've been to runs that take some racers over 8 hours to finish, but this is our first race that started at the midnight hour! The runners gathered, at The Athlete's Foot in Summersville's North Side Plaza, for two laps around dimly lit access roads and parking lots. Not a bad idea for getting in a good run while avoiding the hot August sun.

Mary Roeder, 2nd female, races down the dark roads

An impressive crowd of night owls participated in the first running of the Moonlight Madness 5K. As they ran out into the night (or early morning, that is), runners Charlie Moore and James Kneeland moved to the front to battle for first to come out of the darkness. They ran together for most of the race until close to the finish. With less than a half mile to go, Charlie made his move to put some distance on James. His strategy was to avoid a sprint finish that he felt would give James the advantage. Charlie's tactics worked, and he was able to take the win in 15:23, just 5 seconds ahead of James, on what may have been a course a little short of 5K.

Joshua Reynolds strides accross the Midnight Madness finish line

Also running a strong race was Aaron Kaylor, who started his weekend by winning the Fayette County 5K Challenge on Saturday morning. Aaron overtook several runners during the course of the race to post a third place finish in 15:40. Kathy Lencjo was the first female to come in out of the night, crossing the finish line in 17:34. Another impressive female racer was Kristina Reickarer who posted the fastest time (21:04) out of a group of eight 14 and under boys and girls, who were obviously out well past their bedtimes.

Kathy Lencjo was able to come in out of the night to accept her 1st place check

A special thanks goes to The Athlete's Foot and Debbie Dorsey, whose tireless efforts made the event possible. Words of thanks are also extended to the many volunteers and sponsors who helped make Debbie's job a little easier. The race sponsors included Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn, Super Service Chevron CITGO, North Side Land, Shoney's, Western Steer, Coca-Cola and The City of Summersville National Night Out.