Jul 12, 2007 By Patty Yauger 3 min read

CONNELLSVILLE – Cedar Street resident Don Witt, along with a number of his close friends and family members distributed gallons of water Wednesday to hundreds of walkers and runners taking part in the 25th annual Woodruff Race. The home is located at the one-mile mark and the water came at just the right time for those that had traversed the first and most grueling leg of the course.

“Thank you,” said many as they passed along the roadway.

Before the start of the race, Witt and the others filled nearly 400 cups and then lined them along Isabella Street while neighbor Glenn Bell launched fireworks.

When a member of the Uniontown Reserve Police alerted Witt the race had begun, the dozen or so volunteers took positions along the road and held the cups so they could easily be accessed as the runners and walkers passed by.

Because of his location, Witt said he was “coerced” by the race founders to be a timer when the race was initiated and over the years has played the Star Spangled Banner for the opening program and taken part in the race, when he was able to do so.

“I remember one year playing the National Anthem, putting down my trumpet and then running the race,” he said.

The event, said Witt, brings together the community as was evident along the neighborhood streets with people shouting encouragement and greetings or a spray of water.

The race is held in honor of South Connellsville native John Woodruff who won the gold medal at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany in the 800-meter race.

“A lot of people will be thinking of him tonight,” said Joe Turek, one of the founders of the Woodruff Race, just a few hours before the starting gun was fired. “His presence at the race will be missed.”

Turek said that the annual event brings back many memories of friends such as Sully Gambone, Stan McLaughlin and Pete Salatino, who along with others initiated the Woodruff Race to commemorate the hometown hero’s success.

“It was always a great time when John (Woodruff) was here,” he said.

Woodruff, who now resides in Arizona, celebrated his 92nd birthday on July 5. Because of his deteriorating health, he has not attended a race since 2002.

While he would normally be on the sidelines helping to orchestrate the race, Turek said he would be “slogging” the course with 10 members of his Frazier High School cross-country team.

“It’s a slow jog that I do,” he said in explaining the terminology. “The kids had better stay in front of me or they will be in trouble tomorrow.”

As past race participant Joe Hrezo watched several of the runners warm-up by traversing the course, he recalled the early years when Woodruff would make his annual visit and sit for hours talking with the race coordinators while putting race packets together.

“What a humble man,” recalled Hrezo.

David Lint, who like Witt and Hrezo has given up the running shoes and instead volunteers to help with the race, said that Woodruff remains a hero to his hometown.

“He was only a freshman in college when he won his gold medal,” he said. “I often wonder if the Olympics wouldn’t have been halted what he could have accomplished.”

Due to the start of World War II, the Olympics were not held again until 1940.

Turek, meanwhile, said while past races have drawn larger numbers, the local residents continue to turn out and pay tribute to Woodruff and his accomplishments.

“It is a very special event for a very special man,” he said.