Saturday, June 4, 2005 -- Masontown - Morgantown, WV
Deckers Creek Trail Half Marathon (MAGP #6) (iPO Event Id#: 6757) Story and photos by Heather Bury

[Details] [Coverage]
[Overall Results] [Results by Class]
Pictures: [Set 1] [Set 2] [Set 3] [Set 4] [Set 5] [Set 6] [Set 7]
Event Coverage: [2001] [2002] [2003] [2004]

It is all downhill from here

A hot and morning greeted over 250 runners as they took to 13+ miles of the scenic Deckers Creek Rail-Trail. The good news is that the trail follows the creek gradually downstream (i.e. downhill) the entire race. And the really good news is that there is an abundance of delicious food waiting at the finish line!

Anyone who ran the Decker's Creek Rail Trail race will tell you, it's not the heat that will kill you, it's the humidity. It was a brutal weather day, even for a downhill race, and an experienced Decker's runner knows that the last 3 miles are hard on the legs, lungs, and mind. As you come off of the slight down slope of the cinder path and hit the flat pavement, you realize that you may have just smacked a brick wall. Add the humidity on top of that, and you have yourself a recipe for disaster.

The weather didn't seem to bother Danny Fink, who came all the way from Swoop, Virginia to test out the downhill course. He turned in a time of 1:14:58 to win by over three minutes.

Danny Fink leads the way to Morgantown

Second place was Morgantown's own Ryan Skotnicki who definitely earned some useful MAGP points for his 1:18:12. Just 30 seconds behind was Dexter Smart for third at 1:18:42.

Running only her second post collegiate race, West Virginia University standout Devon Plesuk turned in a time of 1:23:52 for the win in her first half marathon ever. Her finished placed her 10th overall.

Shelley Ralston of Masontown, Pennsylvania came in second with a time of 1:31:25. Third place was secured by Lauren Hamilton of Morgantown in 1:35:01.

Everyone that participated can feel good knowing that they helped contribute funding to the non-profit Mon River Trails Conservancy (MRTC) whose sole purpose is the development and management of the Mon River and Deckers Creek Rail-Trails.