The 63rd Running of the International Gold Cup Races took place on a brilliant sunny afternoon on October 21 at Great Meadow, The Plains, Virginia. One of the most prestigious timber races in the country, the race is conducted for the benefit of local charities. Local residents David and Karen O’Connor, Nina Fout, and Linden Wiesman were honored for their recent victories at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia where the Three-Day Event Team won the bronze and David O’Connor took home a gold medal for individual competition. The team preceded the races with a victory lap around the field led by the mounted U.S. Park Police Color Guard.