Sober’s win is third straight
* Results – Overall – Age group
* Event page (with links to prior years’ results)
KEYSER, W.Va. — Seven of the first eight finishers of the 25th running of the Independence 5K were from West Virginia, but that didn’t stop Maryland runners from taking home some of the coveted prizes.
File photo by TriStateRunnur
Woody Snoberger
The event, sponsored by the Keyser Kiwanis Breakfast Club, features a double out-and-back course that appears flat but has a slight incline that runners feel more than spectators see. Mineral County school teacher Woody Snoberger, 29, of Ridgeley, was the first of 96 finishers to stop the clock on Saturday morning. The turnout was an 81 percent increase from the 2013 field, which featured only 53 5K finishers.
Snoberger’s winning time of 16:56.7 was the second-fastst overall time on the course since 2009, behind only Ryan Bowser’s 16:45.8 in 2013.
Young Leland Henderson, 16, of Keyser, was second overall in 17:20.4 while Robbie Jenkins, 30, of Ridgeley, was third in 17:49.4.
Tony Yurko, 51, of Cumberland, Md., was fifth overall and earned the men’s masters division as the first 40-and-over finisher with a time of 18:56.2. In seventh was Bradford Deel, 51, of distant Scott Depot. Deel’s time of 19:34 earned him the men’s grand masters (50-and-over) award and Larry Ferrens, 60, of Barton, Md., rounded out the top 10 with a 20:47.9 performance.
File photo by TriStateRunnur
Jen Sober
Jen Sober, 41, of McHenry, Md., was more than a full minute off her 2013 performance (19:53.3) but still managed to lead all female finishers with a time of 20:54.6. It was Sober’s third consecutive Independence 5K victory, including a 19:15 in 2012. Andie Myers, 36, of Oakland, Md., was second in 22:19.9 and young India Yates, 17, of Fort Ashby, was third in 22:54.9.
Kristi Yates, 42, of Fort Ashby, was the first 40-and-over female (24:33.7) and earned the women’s masters award while Nancy Bowling, 57, of Frostburg, Md., was 39th overall in 25:57.7, good for women’s grand masters champion.