GRANT, Ala. — Kenneth Richardson cruised to the win Saturday morning in the fifth annual Cathedral Caverns Trail 15K at Cathedral Caverns State Park.
Richardson finished in 1:03, with Dylan Glass (1:06) in second. Both times were Top 10 finishes, as was third-place finisher Jake Baker (1:12).
Caroline Keenum claimed the women’s title in 1:22. She was 10th overall. Jenny Gage was second (17th) in 1:26:33, and Morgan Kreger was third (19th) in (1:26:44).
Glass and Gage continued their strong local performances, coming off the heels of wins in the Oak Park Challenge.
The Cathedral Caverns 15K and 5K events start on pavement for a short clip. They then dive into the woods for a hearty climb up Pisgah Mountain. The top is about 1,000 feet but the trail doesn’t go to the tip-top. The 15K runners loop through the woods before descending to a mix of woods and road to the cave.
About Cathedral Caverns
At the cave, everyone enters the massive mouth on the lighted path to run to the back. It’s one of the most awesome caves in the country. The massive cavern is replete with stalactites, stalagmites, calcium formations, shapes and colors. The cavern was explored and developed in the 1950s by Jay Gurley.
The massive cavern mouth is 126 feet wide and 25 feet high. One stalagmite, “Goliath,” is one of the largest stalagmites in the world. It is 45 feet tall and 243 feet in circumference. Another stalagmite is 27 feet tall and 3 inches wide. At the back of the path, the view is amazing but there’s a secret. Another small entrance, in the back, leads to more cavern rooms. They’ve been explored but aren’t developed or open to the public.
Another cool feature is the creek that flows under the Jay Gurley Bridge about midway through. The water level rises and falls with rainfall, sometimes quite quickly. Also unique about it is the source of the creek and end point are unknown.
The 15K had a field of 111 finishers. See all of the Cathedral Caverns Trail 15K results here.
Cathedral Caverns 5K
Peter Neidhart and Zuzu Dillard won the Cathedral Caverns 5K titles Saturday morning.
Neidhart finished in 22:56, which is second in the event Top 10 records. He clipped Jacob McLendon at the wire, with McLendon finishing in 22:57. Joseph Brantley was third in 23:38.
Dillard, who is 13, sped to the women’s title in 26:40. She was eighth overall. Her time also is second in the event’s women’s Top 10.
Meri Anglyn was second (15th) in 30:00 and Jane Frederick was third (22nd) in 31:58.
The 5K field had 237 finishers. See all of the results here.
The races were put on by Running Lane Events, with live timing by Arrow Live Results.
