By David Yon
Jackie and Jerry McDaniel made their debut Saturday, January 22, as directors of the GWTC 30K. The race, staged at Natural Bridge Monument for probably the last time, was well organized with lots of chili, volunteers and a great t-shirt. The crowd was small, but enthusiastic. Art Remillard ran the first half of the race with Lee Willis then pulled away in the second half for a strong victory, running 1:56:18 to Lee’s 2:00:29. Jane Johnson surrounded herself with a large crew intent on having a good time and then went on to win the women’ race in 2:13:50. Kirsten Baggett was runner up in a time of 2:41:09. The masters winners were David Yon, 2:05:57 and Barbara McNeal 2:57:01.
Best guess right now is the race will move to Old Centerville Road next year assuming starting area logistics can be worked out. The course at Natural Bridge has not been a draw for runners and so far the Refuge manager at St. Marks does not want to see the race return to the Park. I am confident though that the race is in good hands and Jackie and Jerry will figure out an answer for one of GWTC’s oldest races. It would be wonderful to see this race begin to grow again.