Pittsfield Independence Day Race 2000

Race Information:

Date of Race: July 4, 2000
Location: Pittsfield, MA
Race Type: Road Run
Promoter: Berkshire Medical Center
Sponsor: Berkshire Medical Center
Scoring By: Plattsys
Weather: Gray skies
Recurring Race: Independence Day Road Race
Results: Complete (Source)

Race Description:

2000 marked the 15th consecutive running of the Independence Day Race. 19-year-old Paul Phelps of Pittsfield won the race with a time of 16:03. Rebecca Fuore successfully defended her title (and earned her third championship overall) with a time of 18:29.1, just out-kicking Wendy Cwalinski at the line. A new record of 725 runners entered the race. The old methods of scoring - lining up the runners in finishing order in a chute after the finish line to associate times with bib numbers - was becoming unmanageable. Fortunately, technology had progressed to the point where race director Mike Hogue was able to try out a modern alternative - chip timing. In coordination with Ken Platt (Plattsys), runners for the first time completed the event with a large (by today's standards) chip laced into one shoe. Thus, the end of the millennium also signaled the end of manual timing and scoring - a welcome change for racing around the world.