Rain Can't Dampen Runners' Spirits

Light rain wasn't enough to prevent 133 runners from participating in the second annual Chamber Challenge 10k presented by the South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.

Seventy-two men and 61 women ran, ranging in age from 12 to 65. Ricky Flynn, 23, finished in a time of 32:52 to place first overall among the men, winning the $250 prize. For Flynn, a former NCAA cross-country champion, it was his third road race since graduating from Lynchburg College. Part of the reason Flynn competes is to earn money, he said, but his passion for running still drives him.

Flynn ran a little slower than his previous races, something he attributed not to the rain, but the terrain.

"The rain was nice actually, it wasn't too hard. But the course was a little hillier than I expected," said Flynn.

While Flynn comes from a background of winning, the first place female had a slightly different story.

Pam Daley, 27, finished in 46:15 to take the women's crown. Daley is training for longer races, but was pleasantly surprised by her performance on today's 6.3 mile course.

"I never win races," said Daley. "I just wanted a challenging race. The course was challenging, and it was perfect weather."

Vulcan Materials was the primary sponsor for the event, which raised over $7,500 for South County Secondary School sports teams.