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July 26, 2008

GreenDog 5K makes debut in Tazewell

By JED LOCKETT

TAZEWELL, Va. — The town of Tazewell is known in Four Seasons Country as the home of the Bulldogs and as a town clad in green and white. So it made sense for a 5K road race to draw inspiration from these cultural icons for a name.

The first Green Dog 5K took place Saturday on the roads surrounding Tazewell High and Elementary schools. Runners gathered outside the high school to participate in the second road race in Tazewell in July.

This one had a better finish. Taylor Monk of Tazewell tried to chase down Stephen Pruitt of Cedar Bluff in the final moments. But the 35-year-old correctional officer held off the charge of the 16-year-old Tazewell High student to win, finishing with a time of 21:27 and winning by a second.

“I heard him coming up close to me,” Pruitt said. “Then I just had to sprint the last little bit out. I could tell he was trying very hard to catch me down that last stretch.”

“I just feel disappointed,” Monk said. “I would have liked to have won the race. I led the first two miles. But I don’t know. It was the first time I’ve ever led a race. It was great.

“But as soon as I got to the two-mile mark it seemed like I was gone. The guy just got right beside of me and took off.”

Taylor came back to push Pruitt to his limit. But in the end it was Pruitt who was celebrating a milestone.

“It feels great. It’s the first one I’ve won,” Pruitt said. “This is the fourth one that I’ve ever (run) in and I got lucky enough to win this.”

Ron Rogers finished third with a time of 21:55.

Pearisburg resident Erica Morgan was the fastest woman, finishing in a time of 25:16. The 24-year-old physical therapist enjoyed the scenic course devised for the event.

“It was really nice,” Morgan said. “The last mile was really tough because it was on asphalt and where the traffic’s at. All their exhaust was getting on you and just the heat of the pavement. So it kind-of drained you the last mile a little bit.”

Morgan was just as pleased with the way the race was organized from start to finish.

“I think it’s great that this many people have showed up,” Morgan said. “It’s nice to see.”

Sue Barlow of Harrison, Tenn., finished second in 24:36 and Vonda Wilson of Bluefield came in third at 27:19.

The Green Dog was the second 5K road race in Tazewell in a three-week span as the YoungLife Heritage 5K and 10K races were run in the downtown area on July 5.

It began as an idea to raise money for the United Way and its affiliates.

“It started out as a crazy idea,” Williams said before the race. “I started working out with a trainer about a year ago and we were talking about different types of fundraisers we could have for the United Way.

“And I went to a meeting of the Tazewell Area Chamber of Commerce and I said, ‘Would you be interested in having a 5K as part of your Main Street Festivals?’ And they said, ‘Absolutely, we would love to do that.’”

Williams immediately began volunteering her time with the administration of other road races.

“What was great is I got a lot of support from folks like Brad Pyott and his race and Charity (McDaniel) at the Varmint,” Williams said. “I went up there and helped. So it made it easier because I had good people giving me advice and showing me how to get things done.”

A total of 54 runners took on the challenge Saturday evening. Pyott, the director of the YoungLife Classic, was one of them.

“It was really well done,” Pyott said. “I think these folks putting on their first race did a great job with traffic control, timing and everything. It was really well done.”

The course for the Green Dog was much kinder and gentler on the runners than the one for the race three weeks ago.

“Mine has a few more hills. Just a few,” Pyott said. “But this is a great little course. It’s nice. There’s speed this time of day. They did a great job, a great location for it and a great weekend.”

But this was not just the first 5K Williams organized. It was also the first one she ran as a participant. Before the race, she felt trepidation.

“I expect to finish and not die,” she said. “That’s my goal.“

She finished in a time of 36:41 — very much alive

.“It was a lot harder than I thought. But it was a lot better,” Williams said. “I ran and walked and ran and walked and ran more than I walked.

“A few years ago, I was 50 pounds heavier than I am now and I was a smoked. So to say a few years later I’m 50 pounds lighter and running a 5K is pretty incredible.”

— Contact Jed Lockett

at jlockett@bdtonline.com

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