Sue Crowe Memorial Arts Festival 5K and 10K, 2011

Photos by Mike Casper 

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[flickr tag="NVRC,Arts Fest kids races,George Etzweiler" user=all sort=date-taken-asc]

[There are two race stories this year, the Race Director's story, and an article written by Tara Murray for the CDT.]

Race Director's Story:

The 36th Annual Sue Crowe Memorial Arts Festival  5K and 10K races took place, as always, on the last day of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.  Race day was temperate, by traditional Arts Fest standards, with a temperature of about 80 and tolerable humidity.  We had 762 registrants and 720 finishers, both records for the more recent races for which we have complete records.  Old-timers say that back in the seventies and early eighties numbers were higher than that, however.  These may not be the biggest races on the current calendar, but they are certainly the oldest, and well-loved by individuals and families who return year after year.  They are the principal source of income for the NVRC and thus support our sponsorship of youth running, RRCA membership insurance that we extend to many local races, our low-cost timing services, our indoor track meets, and much more.

The story of the race itself was covered with excellence by the NVRC's own Tara Murray for the CDT:

http://www.centredaily.com/2011/07/18/2840482/olympic-trials-qualifier-paces.html

Sponsors for the races this year were University Orthopedics, who furnishes the shirt, which per custom has the official Lanny Sommese Arts Festival design on the front; Roaring Springs Water, who furnished more than enough cases of bottled water for the runners at the finish line; Rapid Transit Sportswear; Centre Communications; The Centre County Conventions and Visitors Bureau for hosting our Saturday registration;  and The State College Spikes, especially Will West, for hosting us and furnishing services on race day.

We thank these volunteers: manning the desk at pre-registration on Saturday: Jan and Larry Miles, Jaimie Wright, and Marty Mazur.  Packet stuffing on Saturday: Erin and Kim Nelson, Larry's brother, Paul Lammert, Lance Bland, and Kathy Simin.  Registration race day: Erin and Kim Melson, Marty Klanchar, Paul Lammert, Jaimie Wright, Kathy Simin, and Amy Paster.  Standing at corners for the race: Amy Paster at the Five Points and Cheryl Capone at the east end of the IST Bridge.  Cheryl not only directed runners but kept unexpectedly-early-arriving artists with vans from completely blocking the road and intersection.  (Must work on that for next year!)  At the Shortlidge Plaza water stop: Tom and Diane Collins, Heidi Metzer, and Scott Collins from The Fitness Circuit, organized by Chanel Ludwig.  The Fitness Circuit had 76 mostly-newbies entered in the races this year.  At the IST 10K Water Stop: Mary Ann Williams from Philipsburg and Morgan Wasikonis and someone else from Girls on the Run.  Food pickup: Mike Weyandt.  Awards layout: Amy Paster.  Keeping the iced containers at the finish line full of bottled water: Jaimie Wright.  Jaimie, in spite of being quite pregnant, was a supervolunteer, working Saturday and at several different jobs Sunday.  My longtime race buddy, and former Arts Fest Race Director, Amy Paster was another supervolunteer on Sunday.

The Kids Races were organized by Jerry Steffy, assisted by Steve and Carol  Gentry, Pam Scott, Jennifer Dahlke, and Mike Casper.

Dave Eggler and Jerry Steffy
Race Directors

Story written by Tara Murray for the Centre Daily Times:

Lauren Philbrook can add Arts Fest 10K winner to her list of running accomplishments. In may, the Penn State grad student was the second American in the Pittsburgh Marathon and earned a spot at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. On Sunday, she cruised to first place in the Sue Crowe Memorial Arts Festival 10K in 38 minutes, 2 seconds, a minute ahead of the next woman. Meira Minard of State College, who was third in the 2010 and 2009 races, moved up to second with a time of 39:02, and 2010 and 2009 winner Beth Herndon was third in 40:12.

Jacob Loverich of State College won the men’s race in 34 minutes flat. Michael Vido of Erdenheim was the runner-up for the second year in a row in 34:23, and A. J. Elly of Altoona was third in 36:02.

A high school runner took the women’s 5K race. Maria Snyder, 16, of Woodbury finished in 18:32, improving on her 2010 winning time by nearly a minute. Snyder is attending a cross country camp at Penn State this summer and will be a junior this fall. “I always like being in this race,” Snyder said after finishing. “This is one of the best places to run.” Heidi Manfred of Altoona, who was third last year, was second in 19:24. Another high school runner, 16-year-old Hannah Grubb of State College, was third in 20:14.

Andy Cunningham of Port Matilda, who won the men’s 5K in 2009, won again this year in 17:06. Mikael Hause, 17, of Kulpmont was second in 17:12, and Stephen Hennigar of State College was third in 17:41.

During the awards ceremony at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, race director Dave Eggler recognized runners who have been part of the 36-year history of the races. Eggler presented t-shirts from the early years of the race, signed by Greg Fredericks, a Penn State standout in the early 1970’s and member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, to three runners.

One went to Rob Crowe of Boalsburg, whose wife, Sue, won the race five times – three times when it was a 10-miler and twice after it was shortened to 10K. After her death, the races, which now include 5K and 10K options, were named in her honor. Crowe was third in the men’s 60-69 division of the 10K this year, and two of his sons, Paul and John, were first and third, respectively, in the 12-19 division.The next went to Marie Doll, who helped found the race in 1976. Doll won the women’s 70-79 division in the 5K. Eggler also recognized the race’s oldest finisher, George Etzweiler, who won the men’s 80 and over division of the 10K at age 91.

Participation in the event has grown over the past few years and is approaching the fields of near 1,000 that it drew in the early 1980’s. According to Eggler, 720 people finished the races this year, up from 580 in 2010. Many of those were new runners, including a group of about seventy wearing matching shirts.  That group came from a boot camp-style class at the Fitness Circuit in State College. Owners Scott and Chanel Ludwig helped them train for the race three times a week. “This was really fun,” said Joyce Hoffman, who ran the 5K. Standing next to her was Norm Horn, proudly wearing the medal he earned as the second finisher in the men’s 30-39 division in the 5K. The Ludwigs had themselves completed the 5K and were down on the baseball field watching their children run in the kids races.