Apr 24, 2007 By Rob Burchianti 5 min read

The Mount Summit Challenge 3.5-Mile Run and Walk celebrated its 25th anniversary on Sunday with one of its biggest races to date with around 600 competitors. If the biggest stars on the day are any indication, the event could get even bigger next year.

“I’d like to do it again,” men’s running winner John Brokenbrough said. “I liked the atmosphere of the race.”

Jonathan Fox, who finished second in the men’s walk, commended the event and its people.

“I thought it was well run and had a really good turnout with perfect weather,” Fox said. “My wife, Kimberly Fox, and my daughter, Dana Turrill, both participated. We’re all planning on doing it again next year.”

The 25-year-old Turrill, of Scottdale, placed third in her age group in the women’s walk with a time of 50:19.63.

“The people around these events, they’re always nice folks,” Fox added. “You can walk up to people you don’t even know and talk to them. I enjoy the kind of people you see here.”

The two women champions were repeats from last year in runner Julie Lipniskas and walker Jamie Brooks, with the latter winning her 10th Summit title in a row.

Both also said they’ll try to extend their streaks next year.

“Next year I’d like to see if I can win three in a row,” said the 24-year-old Lipniskas.

The 37-year-old Brooks would like to put title No. 11 … and 12, 13 14 and more … in the books if possible.

“I’m not slowing down, I’m going to keep going, Lord willing,” Brooks said. “As long as he lets me do it, I’m going to do it.”

Brooks appreciated the efforts of the Fayette Striders and president Joe Thomas.

“They did a great job of organizing the race and the post-race party,” Brooks said. “They worked hard and I’d like to thank them for the beautiful shirts and the pizza party.”

After-race festivities took place at the Uniontown VFW.

The weather cooperated perfectly as well.

“You couldn’t ask for more,” Thomas said of the warm, sunny spring day. “About the only problem was we didn’t have enough water at one of the water stops, which was my fault. Other than that, everything turned out very well.”

“I thought the weather was perfect,” Brooks said.

Brokenbrough thought the temperature was almost too warm.

“If you were standing outside in the shade, it was perfect. But once you start running up the hill, all of a sudden it felt really hot,” Brokenbrough said with a laugh. “You had a great view from the top, though, when you got there.”

Lipniskas preferred a little warmth to the recent cold and dampness.

“It was real nice,” Lipniskas said. “I’d rather run in this than when it’s cold and yucky out.”

Superstitious

Brooks is married to Rick Brooks and the two live in Connellsville, but when it comes to competing in the Mount Summit Challenge her partner is Connellsville resident and Herald-Standard sports writer Jim Downey.

“The first two years I walked in the Summit Challenge I finished second,” Brooks said. “Then after two years of just entering races, I got more into it and started training harder.”

It’s not just training and talent, though, according to Brooks.

“Jim and I have been doing this race together for 12 years know. We have rituals of what we do now,” Brooks said with a laugh. “It’s funny. Jim has to pick me up at my house, and we have to listen to disco music (Saturday Night Fever music, according to Downey) on the way there, things like that. I need to see my husband at the start of the race and at the finish. Although now it’s my two-year-old son, Dylan, with him, too.

“Jim and I make sure we do the same things every year.”

It’s worked 10 years in a row for Brooks, and, although he hasn’t won, Downey has fared well also, finishing as high as ninth overall in 2001. This year he placed 15th overall and fifth in the tough men’s 45-49 age group which featured four of the top 11 walkers.

In the books

Two of the fine people Fox talked about in the running and walking community are Charles and Sally Martin of Jones Mills.

“They’re both in their late 70’s and I really enjoyed seeing them,” said the 42-year-old Fox, an avid cyclist who has just recently taken up walking. “Charles walked and Sally ran in the race. I watch them and I realized this is something I might be doing 30 years from now. I really admire them.”

Sally Martin, 76, finished third in the 60-and-over female age group.

“They’re just amazing people,” Fox said. “Sally is a cyclist, too, and has ridden around the world on her bike. I think she even wrote a book about it.”

Indeed, “Mustang Sally’s Guide to World Bicycle Touring” by Sally Martin can be purchased in hardcover or paperback at Amazon.com.

Notes

While Lipniskas and Brooks repeated on the women’s side, men’s winners Brokenbrough and walker Don Slusser were first-time champs. Last year’s men’s champions were Bill Fisher in the run and Frank Mulich in the walk. … Slusser, of Monroeville, finished fourth in 2005 and second last year before finally breaking through with a victory. Tammy Slusser broke the women’s runner record in taking first place in 2000, and she also won in 2004 and 2005. … There were at least two area high school football coaches competing in the event as Uniontown’s John Fortugna and Beth-Center’s Ed Woods were spotted in the running race. … Albert Gallatin and Uniontown students, most of them members of their school’s cross country and/or track and field teams, manned water stations among other things in helping with the event. … Fayette County Commissioner Joe Hardy was the race’s official starter.