The Bucknell Alumni Distance Team successfully defended its title at the 1999 Hood to Coast Relay, but not without a little bit of stress and an incredible, gutsy effort from every team member.

Going into the event, Bucknell's main competitors figured to be perennial favorites the Runnin' Woodies and the Michigan State Alumni Team, whose roster boasted five all-Americans. By the end of the sixth leg, however, it was apparent that unheralded Princeton Running Company, a team comprised of young runners from St. Joseph's, Villanova, Princeton and Penn State, would also be giving the Bison a run for their money. An unofficial source later stated that Princeton had intentionally submitted a mediocre anticipated finishing time so as not to draw any pre-race attention to themselves and then surprise everyone with the win. Little did they realize that such impudent tactics would merely serve as motivational fodder for the Bison.

Steadfast leadoff man Norbert Berenyi '91 once again got the Bison off to a strong start. Follow Van 1 compatriots Matt Kodak '99, Brian Fullem '86, Matt Deardorff '92, Brian Harshman '85, and Steve Clarke '95, kept the pressure on as Princeton, Michigan State and Bucknell battled it out. The lead changed hands several times and by the time Van 2 swung into action, Princeton was nearly a minute up on Bucknell, with Michigan State a very close third.

It soon became apparent that the Princeton and Bucknell running orders complemented each other; Princeton's Van 1 was apparently a bit stronger than their Van 2, while Bucknell's talent was evenly divided between Vans 1 and 2. This kept the race very close and exciting, with little opportunity for runners on either team to relax.

The Bison Van 2 contingent of Dave Granger '97, Joe Cresko '87, Rich Stark '88, Bob Chandler '97, Jeff Morganti '88, and Dave Hawes '84 kept up the pressure through leg 12. At the handoff from leg 12 to 13 - the rotation back to Van 1 - Bucknell held an oh-so-precarious 1:45 second lead over Princeton, and another 3:00 over Michigan State. The Runnin' Woodies were another couple of minutes back.

And then there were two. Much to their chagrin, Michigan State got lost on leg 19, a relatively simple and unencumbered leg with only one slightly tricky, un-lit and un-monitored turn. This error put them several minutes back and effectively eliminated them from the competition.

As darkness turned to dawn in the aptly-named village of Mist, the competition raged on. Legs ached, feet bled and nipples chafed, yet neither team was willing to surrender an inch. By this point, nearly 24 hours after the very first teams had left Mt. Hood, word of the Bucknell-Princeton competition was buzzing through the ranks. Comments of "there's Bucknell!" and "look - those guys won last year!" along with several "hey, where is Bucknell, anyway?" could be heard at the exchange points.

By the start of leg 34 in this 36-leg race, Princeton held a 15-second lead. Bison runner Rich Stark patiently erased the gap but was unable to put any distance between himself and his adversary. The race lay squarely on the shoulders of Jeff Morganti and Dave Hawes.

Stark and the Princeton runner handed off dead even. Sensing victory within their grasp, little did Princeton realize that the door was about to slam shut. In an amazing display of guts, Jeff Morganti averaged 4:55 per mile over the difficult 6.7 mile leg and eventually built an insurmountable 2:00 lead. Waiting nervously at the final exchange, unaware of Morganti's herculean efforts and looking as though he rather regretted wishing himself back on the team, Hawes jogged and paced and stretched. Nerves turned to adrenaline as Morganti burst from the trailhead, and adrenaline turned to euphoria as Hawes disappeared into the distance with the Princeton runner nowhere in sight.

Hawes cruised to the finish line, adding an additional 25 second cushion to the victory.

Following the obligatory photos, interviews and sound-bites, the team retreated to the Motel 6 for some much-deserved rest. The following day they returned to Portland and the curative powers of Terminator (also aptly named) Stout at a local brewpub.

The 1999 support crew consisted of Team Manager/Organizer Extraordinaire Ray Sullivan '86, Bob "Doc" Murdock '82, Lori Scott '87, Kim Tremblay, and Laurel Park spouse '88

1999 Hood to Coast Results

1999 Hood to Coast Photos

Click here & tell your friends about this page !

Have you got a human interest story about a runner you know or a race report to share ? ontherunevents.com is happy to share stories with our readers. Send us your stories, your experiences!

Copyright © 1999 ontherunevents.com, All rights reserved.
Commercial use or redistribution in any form, printed or electronic, is prohibited.