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Last Updated: 01 August 2013 01 August 2013

At race time on Sunday morning, July 14, the temperature was 80 deg., and the humidity was so high that the air was heavy to even walk through. Typical conditions for Arts Fest, maybe, but difficult for runners. Nevertheless, 789 registered, and 725 completed one of the three races. Those are all-time records. Numbers may have been up because a third race, a 10 miler, was added this year, at the request of Bob Crowe, President of the NVRC. Bob and many others, including his late wife Sue Crowe, ran the 10 miler before it was curtailed, in favor of a 10K, in 1985. The 10 mile course did a couple loops around the Jordan Center, gathering much applause from the starting lines crowd, before it followed the 10K route out to the PSU golf course, then crossed Corl Street out to Blue Course Bikeway, and rejoined the 10K course up the long Park Avenue hill toward Atherton Street, re-crossed the IST Bridge, and finished at the same spot as the other two races.

You can read about the races in the story by Tara Murray in the CDT:
http://www.centredaily.com/2013/07/15/3688163/running-local-athletes-beat-heat.html

The Daily Collegian also had a story:
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/mobile/article_400a91cc-f267-11e2-a02c-0019bb30f31a.html

Most outstanding performance trophy, if we had one, would have gone to AJ Kelly of Altoona, who took the 10 miler by over four minutes. Kennedy Weisner, an outstanding high school runner from St. Marys, was not too far behind as she won the women’s 10 miler. Two sons of Sue Crowe, Paul and John, were 1-2 in the 10K. Troy Fraley came from Kalispell, Montana, to take the 5K; that race was unusual in that the men and women overall winners came in 1-2-3-4-5-6, including Troy’s sister Heather.

Cheryl Keller Capone took photos from all three races and the kids’ races afterward:
https://plus.google.com/photos/102954331935507752585/albums/5900508023741689313

I thank all the volunteers, who are much-appreciated and essential. At pre-race bag stuffing: Larry and Jan Miles, Emma and John Wilcock, Carl and Nancy Miller, Andy Cunningham, Grace Small, Dean Capone, and Todd Baney. At pre-race registration in the Visitors Center: Meira Minard, Marty Klanchar, Ruth Nissly, and Jim Myers. At race-day registration: John Iceland, Marty Klanchar, Kim Nelson, Andrew Maguire, Rich Olsen, and Paul Lammert, Nancy Miller, Vicky Mazur, and Dave and Susan Beyerle. Doing a little of everything on race day including awards: Jeff Johnson and former Race Director Amy Paster. At the Shortlidge Plaza water stop: a team from Lion Heart Gyms including Jeff Welsh, Laura Penny, and Kevin Becker, assisted by Andrew Maguire; at the IST water stop: a team from Girls on the Run, including Jennifer and Brad Karch and Michael and Ashley Pipe; at the Radio Park 10 miler water stop: Julie Grubb and friends. Directing at strategic spots on the courses: Vicky Mazur, Andrew Maguire, Cheryl and Brian Capone, Jeff Johnson, and Kim Gasper. Moving Roaring Spring water bottles to the finish area and keeping coolers stocked: Davis and Judd Michael. Picking up race food: Mike Weyandt. Helping me set up water station hoses and tables: Bob Crowe. Measuring the new course: Marty Mazur. Leading the 10 milers on her bike: the omnipresent Meira Minard.

Meira directed the more-popular-than-ever kids races and wrote her own thank-yous that appear below.

Dave Eggler
Race Director