Human spirit on display in Pittsburgh Marathon
The human spirit continually amazes me, especially on the first Sunday of May when thousands gather in Pittsburgh to run in the marathon, marathon relay and 5K. The same human spirit that leads people to believe they can finish 26.2, 3.1 or any of the relay miles is the same spirit that carries runners past the point good sense, with their bodies wracked with pain, to finish the mission at hand.
I thought my participation in the 5K would never get off the ground because of the severe thunderstorms in the wee hours of Sunday morning. While many of you were safely tucked away in your beds, I was up before the birds to the sounds of crashing thunder and driving rain. To my pleasant surprise, the thunderous skies gave way to blue skies as I approached the turnpike.
The weather at the start of the marathon walk was perfect and remained so throughout the morning. The wind picked up as Juan Camacho Pina neared Heinz Stadium, but the conditions couldn’t have been scripted better.
Pina won $12,500 for his efforts while Lioudmila Kortchguina won $15,000, including a bonus of $2,500 for running under 2:32:00.
No need to drag my 5K run so early in the column, so I wait to the end with the hope maybe it’ll be cut off because I wrote too long.
My “partners in pain” had successful days. Jamie Brooks, known to the local road racing circuit as a supreme race walker, found her pace in the 5K run, running away from me in the first mile to finish the altered 3.1-mile course in 23:47. She was 144th overall and the 27th woman to finish.
Neither of us was as sure of Gary Yorty’s finish in the marathon. His training was spotty leading up to the race and wasn’t sure he’d finish his third Pittsburgh Marathon. I tried to bolster his attitude on the ride to Pittsburgh before he toed the start line.
I, too, began to give up hope of his finish near the 4:20:00 mark, looking for information where the “I couldn’t finish the marathon” bus left off runners. Just as I was ready to exit Heinz Field, I hear the public address announcer call out “Gary Yorty” as one of those who just entered the stadium. He completed his task, bolstered by a high five from Jamie Brooks around mile 25 for a 4:22:22 finish. Gary was the 1,025th male to finish out of 1,530.
The marathon, relay and 5K had loads of local folks, including the best finish of the day with Branden Teets placing third in the 5K.
Teets, a Laurel Highlands graduate, finished his first marathon 5K in 17:09. Allison Park’s Dom Wyzomirski won in 16:57 with Bethel Park’s Geo Toomey, third in the recent Mount Summit Challenge, second in 16:58.
The Saint Vincent College student was in a rarefied position because he was leading the race as he headed over the Roberto Clemente Bridge.
“There was the lead motorcycle. I was the guy in front. I was afraid of making a wrong turn. I’ve never been in the lead,” Teets said.
Wyzomirski and Toomey caught Teets with the three battling through the second half of the course.
“I started to kick about a mile to go. I told myself I think I can kick this out,” Teets said of his return trip across the Roberto Clemente Bridge. “I’m thinking to myself ‘I’m going to win this and be on TV.’
“I was third coming into the stadium and saw I was racing for third. I wanted to kick it in strong.”
Fellow Mustang graduate Josh Dennis was in the mix as well, placing sixth in a time of 18:01.
Other local runners in the 5K included Lynn Huggins (121, 23:05), Angie Schimansky (157, 24:06), Debbie Wojcik (522, 31:14), 31:44), Dave Artis (581, 33:10), Judith Giobbi (695, 35:57), Alex Giobbi (681, 35:21), Brenda Koposko (863, 48:46), Asa McCormick (77, 21:46), Bill Filcheck (46, 20:25), Durwin Gates (336, 26:56), Loretta Hunker (563, 3241) and Gregory Nanney (369, 2743).
Uniontown and Westminster College graduate Jacob Gleason is stuck in a marathon rut, running around the same time as he did his first time out in 2002, 2:57.38. The Red Raider standout was the 47th man to finish.
A graduate assistant at Geneva College, the demands of education and assistant coach of the track team cut into Gleason’s training schedule.
“I was training hard for a while, but the miles dropped off because of work. I’m pleased with my time, but I went out a little too hard,” Gleason said. “I began to feel it around the 16-mile mark. The last 10 miles were real tough.
“I knew I toughed it out before and could do it again. I’ve learned a lot as a coach. I’m a sponge, soaking up as much as I can.”
Connellsville graduate Laura Pritts had a first effort she won’t soon forget because not only did she finish 18th in the women’s division, but her time of 3:27:00 was 13 minutes under the qualifying standard for the Boston Marathon.
“Running a marathon has been a dream of mine since junior high school. Since my knee injury, it’s something I really wanted to do,” said Pritts, who credited Connellsville native Brad Herrington for a lot of her success. Herrington paced her through 18 miles.
I began to see familiar faces as the race progressed.
There was Gina Ziegler, nee Raho, a 1991 graduate running her fifth marathon.
Joe Molinaro, a former Connellsville resident, just missed a three-hour marathon in 3:01:28.
Laurel Highlands graduate Wendy Craft finished her second marathon as the 139th woman in a time of 3:57:57.
I briefly spoke with Eric Wilkins, the 15-time defending champion of the Mount Summit Challenge after his Pharoah Hounds won another 4-person relay in a time of 2:26.36. He was out of town on that Sunday, though he admitted he wanted to retain his title.
The relay team of Bill Ulmer, Mark Detweiler, Jerry Solomon and Louis Lozar were eighth overall in a time of 2:54:03. Connellsville resident Rob Parfitt didn’t look too fresh as he crossed the finish line, but his team of UPS Pack (with Ronald Zimmerman, Dennis Miller and Francis Molinaro) was 12th overall in a time of 2:58:26.
The PA State Police team from Waynesburg was 123rd with a time of 3:40:10.
A number of local residents completed the marathon including Ed Filcheck (3:02:59), Christopher Vayansky (3:07:41), Charles Walters (3:18:57), Sean Malloy (3:30:51), Tim Palencik (3:39:22), Phillip Thomas (3:41:54), Mike Cortese (3:44:34), Glenn Schwartz (3:56:43), Joe Cortese (3:57:52), Tim Matsick (4:17:30), Harry Patton (4:40:02), Andrew Place (4:45:18), Chris Baker (5:05:39), Albie Rinehart (5:08:27), Sam Morris (5:33:12), Lisa Barnes (3:43:35) and Margie Palaisa (4:11:57).
If I missed someone, please don’t be offended.
Just let us know in the sports office and we’ll be glad to list your accomplishment.
What about me? Well, my “less is more” approach seems to be working because I was six seconds off last year’s pace, finishing in 24:50.
My chip time was 24:48 so I’ll go with the faster time if you don’t mind.
Jim Downey is a sports writer for the Herald-Standard.