The 2006 Race
 It
was a truly beautiful morning in the hills of West Virginia as a
hardy group of trail runners made there way to Babcock State Park
for the 2nd running of the Babcock Gristmill Grinder, a half-marathon
trial run in this spectacular park. With a new start & finish
area and a change in the course that eliminated some road and added
singletrack around the lake, it was destined to be a fine day of
trail running. Many new faces and some of the regulars gathered
at the Sugar Camp Picnic area to “hit the trail”. New
this year was a “walk” associated with the event, which
went to the famous Gristmill and back. A great time was had by all
it seemed, running and walking.
 In
the half-marathon, there was a small group out front most of the
way, but at the end it was Michael Bee that took
first in 1:30:00. The next three runners battled
up the last hill within a minute of each other. David Bee was
second with a (1:33:42), Joel Wolpert (1:34:25), in third, and
Bradley Mongold crossed the line in fourth at 1:34:47.
Emily
Chaney and Katie Aerni cruised the trail together for most
of the course. Rumor has it, they were talking all the way. Sounds
like some new running buddies were made. Chaney was able to pull
ahead in the end to spread things out and finished 10th overall
and first for the women in 1:48:19. Aerni (1:49:02),
crossed for a very respectable second. Anne Olashanski rounded
out the women’s top spots in 2:04:43.
All in all it was a fantastic day for trail racing and walking,
and smiles were plentiful at the awards. Custom pottery, “Darn
Tough” running socks and many other prizes were handed out
to the top finishers as well as names drawn from the hat. We hope
to see ALL of you back here in 2007 for the 3rd running at Babcock,
spread the word and bring your friends and family to enjoy the
park. Until then….
Happy trails!
For complete results, plus more coverage and photos by iplayoutside,
go HERE.
For more information about the West Virginia Mountain Trail Runners
organization and series got to www.wvmtr.org.
More About the Gristmill Grinder:
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Previous Race Articles and Results
See previous Race articles and results here.
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The Course
The course is a rugged mountain trail, which is sure to get
your adrenaline flowing!
More Info About Babcock State Park:
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