Race Director's Post-Race Note
Dear Race Participants,
Thank you all for coming out to support
our 3rd Annual Harrison Hills 5K/10K Halloween Trail Run last
Saturday! It was a joy to see entire families in costume, smiling faces of
volunteers, and all of you enjoying what our beloved Harrison Hills Park has to
offer. That perfect fall morning saw nearly 250 runners and walkers on the race
course, taking in the crisp air and spectacular views of Allegheny River along
the way. Afterwards, hungry athletes, supporters and volunteers helped demolish
a mountain of ‘monster munchies’, and took part in the costume contests,
fitness competition, Chinese Auction
& 50/50, free kids activities and more.
Ready, Set... GO! Matt Lipsey charges ahead to lead the 10K Start.
Figure 1 Best overall costume,
Deacon Simko 'Snack vending machine'; 1st place trophies; 2nd & 3rd place
medals; Blue Group; Best Owner & Pet 'Super family', the Jankowskis.
Photos: Mike McNeil and Mike Kneiser
A slew of course records fell in both the 10K and 5K. Trail
beast
Matt Lipsey, 26, ran a
zinging
new 10K course record of 39:37 to take 1
st overall. Womens 1
st
overall,
Cara De Carlo, 38, returned
to crush her own 10K record with 50:14 and 1
st. Top runners in the
5K were
Christopher Borland, 22,
with 27:41 and
Sara Weiland, 12, with
30:29 – a new course record.
Macey Edwards
is one to watch: at 7, she’s currently 2
nd overall fastest female in
the 5K, with 32:31, bettering her own 2015 PR by six minutes. Results at Smiley
Miles
https://goo.gl/qpKsDc
Figure 2 Maxwell Weiland, 8, set a new 5K
AG record of 32:32 for males under 10; Christopher Borland 22, James Fenn, 16
& Michael McNeil, 53, placed 1st, 2nd & 3rd
overall 5K; Tony Swierkosz, 51, 1st
10K AG and volunteer who has logged 100s of hours working on the trail; Paul
Tyree, 68 and Steven Wise, 66, having a blast on the race course; Sarah
Paladin, 29, en route to 1st 10K AG and new AG record 1:00.39; Sara
Weiland, 12, 1st overall 5K and new course record 30:29; Don
Goughler, 71, 1st 5K AG and a title sponsor of the race – Thank you
Goughler family! Photos by Mike McNeil.
The Fitness Competition.
Mark Karenchak, 51, after coming 2
nd
in the 5K AG, got in 20 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, 47 sit-ups, 19 box jumps (in 4
minutes), and out-planked younger competitors to be crowned Mr Fitness 2016. Miss
Fitness,
Jessi Drayer, ran a 10K (2
nd
overall), proceeded to do 30 pull-ups, 47 push-ups, 61 sit-ups and 50 box
jumps, to set a new record of 264 points for females 13 and up. A thrilling
Plank-Off that was especially heated among kids 12 and under, saw siblings
Brock, 5, and
Macey Edwards, 7, wresting Mr and Miss Fitness Junior,
respectively. With plank times of 15 and 30 minutes and overall points of 312
and 594, these two have set records that’ll be tough to beat. Results at:
https://goo.gl/NifXQ6
Deepest appreciation to our generous
sponsors and donors for cash and in-kind contributions. Sponsor
list:
https://goo.gl/KOrI2K. Key sponsors
were Eric Shick Insurance, the Goughler family, Brackenridge American Legion,
and Grace’s Wok. Citizens Hose Station #167 “The Birdville Brothers sponsored
the ambulance service, while Allegheny Health Network Sports Performance
sponsored the Athlete’s/Medic Tent. Birdsfoot Golf Club, Carnegie Museum,
Children’s Museum and Venture Outdoors were among the generous donors to the
Chinese Auction (pics below). Over $3000 was raised to fund future key Scout
projects in the Park. To our 85 volunteers –including four wonderful Scout
families and five Park Rangers–who helped before, during and after the event,
you rock. Volunteer list:
https://goo.gl/HVWJT0
. Quoting Jacob Rees-Mogg, “
People coming
together as a community can make things happen.” All of you made this event
the most successful one yet. Thank you.
A few of the 20 raffle items up for bid at
the Chinese Auction, made possible by generous donations from local businesses,
organizations and individuals: Golf Club Package, “Pancake Breakfast”, “Coffee
Lovers”, “Namaste” and “Fondue & Sweet Treats”.
I was happy with many aspects of the event but there is room
for improvement. Based on helpful feedback from last year, we worked hard to
ensure the awards ceremony started on time, as with all the other activities
offered. There was a ten minute delay in the awards ceremony as the timing
service discovered two 10K participants placing first in the 5K because they
cut short their race. Also, despite our best efforts, the 7.5 km aid station
that was supposed to be located at a key turn was inadvertently moved by the
assigned ranger, causing a number of 10k runners to pass up that turn. I
apologize if you were affected by this and will make sure it doesn't happen
next year.
I hope you will continue to give your support by sharing
your thoughts with us in the survey below. We need your valuable feedback on
your event experience, to make next year even better. Survey respondents
receive $5 off next year’s early registration fees:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FZKXXTY
.
Happy Trails and see you next year!
Spencer Clark
Race Director
2016 Logos used on Medals and Race shirt were designed by Melanie Tan of
Duo Designs, Malaysia
(A few more photos on the next couple of pages)
Follow us to receive updates and photos, including Jason
Harrell’s 100s of race pics:
Master of Ceremonies the one and only Mike
Zewe, and Jan Clark, head judge for Costume Contest; chick & lamb at the
autumn harvest photo booth; Beau, Brock & Ben Edwards at the haunted photo
booth. Photos by John Clark, Jessica Frank and Taylor Edwards
Below: A dozen vendors and sponsors booths, including Dr Emily Paskorz from
Health Pyramid Vitality and Longevity Center and Dr John Kuruc from Elevate
Sport and Spine. Photo by Jason Harrell. Vendor list at: https://goo.gl/EeT3J1
Serving up some of the best post-race food
in this neck of the woods. Jack-o-Lantern clementines and creepy bananas
creatively stenciled by Girl Scout leader Jennifer Stewart and family; part of
the dessert selections; Witches finger cookies made by Denise Blackburn &
Mike Brown. Hungry runners went through 150 portions of Grace’s wok-fried rice,
150 portions of Kathy’s famous vegan chili, 80 slices of Jamie’s yummy cold
veggie pizza, 64 slices of J&S pizza, 200 chocolate zucchini and banana
muffins, 100 portions of fresh fruit salad, 40 slices of homemade pies (apple
pies by Kathy Brooke and Reba Blackburn, pumpkin pies by Theresa Walker). Menu
list at: https://goo.gl/NW0tuq
PITT Make-a-Difference-Day student volunteers
helped spruce up the Environmental Learning Center and Outdoor Classroom for
the event
Val Williams of Songs for Young Whippersnappers got
the crowd moving, and kicked off the race with a performance of the Star
Spangled Banner. Photo by Mike McNeil.
The Bradley family has been with us since the inaugural race in 2014. Photo by Mike McNeil.
Race participants are rewarded with a
spectacular view of the Allegheny River and three surrounding counties, along
the ridge line. Photo by Dennis Bauman.
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