Bear Run 4-Miler, 25 January 2004

Ward, McCubbin Win Bear Run Race

Running between bad weather conditions on Saturday and Monday, club members Bobby Ward and Tina McCubbin captured the men's and women's divisions of the Bear Run Four Miler, held in and around Pleasant Valley on January 25.

Ward, who had finished second in the Mighty Medford Freeway 5K held two weeks earlier, quickly moved to the front of the eighteen runner field. His time of 6:10 for the first mile gave him a twenty second lead over Bill Stahr, who was the only runner to mount any challenge to Ward on a chilly but relatively windless day.

At the three mile mark in this out-and-back course, passed in 19:05, Ward's lead over Stahr had expanded to forty seconds, and he comfortably cruised to a thirty-seven second win. Roger Kilgore separated himself from a cluster of masters runners to finish third, with Jim Beacham and John Patterson following him.

McCubbin, the easy winner of the female division of the Medford Freeway race, again had no real pressure, as she ran a consistant 7 minute pace to finish sixth overall. Dee Nelson finished four minutes behind in second place, while Liuda Galinaitis captured third with a last mile surge which recent Florida visiter Chris Reese could not match.

We next meet at noon on Sunday, February 8, for the Four Mile Predicted Time Run, to begin from the parking lot of the F & M Manufaturing Company, located on Tech Court, off Magna Way, on Route 97 north of Westminster. Since this race is a predicted time race, any one can win, and there will be no age or sex categories. Watches are not allowed during the race.