Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 6, 1993 TAG: 9306060067
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS BACHELDER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Blacksburg car-poolers Howard Nippert and Brian Walter were decisive overall winners on a muggy morning in downtown Roanoke.
After a second-place finish last year, the Nippert won the five-kilometer event by 61 seconds. Walter was 97 seconds faster than his closest pursuer in the 10K.
In the women's races, the field's young and fresh-legged were outdueld by a pair of veteran Salem runners. Hetty Hoyt, 39, won the 5K in 19 minutes, 3 seconds, and Sandy Andrew, 38, won the 10K in 42:56.
Nippert, who is training for a July marathon, used Saturday's ninth annual race as speed work. After winning in 15:15, the 27-year-old runner completed his workout with four 90-second sprint intervals.
"I could have either stayed on the track in Blacksburg by myself or come here to be with friends and to make a day of it," said Nippert, a graduate student in marine chemistry at Virginia Tech.
Kenneth Monger of Roanoke placed second in the 5K in 16:16, and Roanoke's Marshall Ferguson was third in 16:23.
Despite feeling "hot and tired," Walter had no trouble winning the 10K. The former Tech runner, coming off a victory in May's Shenandoah Life 4-Miler, cruised to a 31:20 finish.
Fellow Blacksburg runners George Propst (32:57) and Michael Pope (33:12) followed Walter to the finish line.
Based on their own post-race analysis, Hoyt and Andrew were surprise winners. It was the first overall Dominion victory for each after a combined 14 races.
Andrew outsprinted Christiansburg's Trish Menkhart in the last quarter-mile and won by five seconds. Shelly Threlkeld of Riner took third, nine seconds behind Andrew.
"There was one woman ahead of me at the four-mile mark," Andrew said. "There were people on the side keeping track and yelling to me, `You're in second!' I was really surprised, especially because I could see who was in first.
"I just decided to catch her. I've been doing some track workouts, and I think that made the 8difference in the sprint at the end."
Hoyt started near the back of the pack, then caught the 5K leaders midway through the race and held them off.
"I'm a come-from-behind type," said Hoyt, a mother of two boys, ages 2 and 6. "The younger runners go out very fast and I can't go with them. I just wait and try to reel them back in about halfway through."
Salem's Laura Southwick finished in 19:12, nine seconds behind Hoyt. Nancy Farriss of Forest was third in 19:24.
"I ran slower than last year," said Hoyt, who ran 18:36 to place second in 1992. "Because of the kids and a big renovation at our house, I just haven't done the work this year. So I'm absolutely thrilled to have won.
"I'll be 40 in a couple of weeks and to still be competitive with the college kids, that's the real achievement."
\ Note: Results from Festival Classic 5k and 10K on microfilm. ran on page C12.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***