Palya wins 31st Mount Summit Challenge
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Jeff Palya ascends Route 40 Sunday morning on his way to the Summit Inn. Palya, of Hopwood, finished the 31st Mt. Summit Challenge first with a time of 25:59.
Runners set out from Hopwood for the 31st Mt. Summit Challenge Sunday morning.
Debbie Conner of Connellsville finishes the Mt.Summit Challenge Sunday morning as the first female runner. It marks the third time she has won the female running award, and previously won in 2009 and 2010.
Lynn Huggins of Uniontown is overjoyed at being the first female walker to cross the finish line Sunday during the Mt. Summit Challenge on a cold and rainy Sunday morning. The 50 year old woman said it was the first time she won as walker.
HOPWOOD — Bob Seger’s popular song “Running Against The Wind” could have best described the conditions for the 31st Mount Summit Challenge on Sunday.
A total of 687 runners and walkers competed against frigid winds as they wound their way up the mountain course to a new finish line at the historic Summit Inn.
Among the top finishers were several individuals who returned to the winners’ circle after a hiatus of several years.
Jeff Palya of Hopwood had the best overall finish with a time of 25:59 for his first win in the Mount Summit race since 2010. Debbie Conner of Dunbar was the first female runner with a time of 31:23, reclaiming top honors she took in 2009 and 20010 and coming in second the last two years.
Jeff Cwynar of Pittsburgh was the first walker to cross the finish line in a time of 42:06 while Lynn Huggins of Uniontown was a first time winner as she took female honors with a time of 44:38.
Amanda Voithofer, whose family owns the historic Summit Inn resort, said the finish line was moved to the hotel parking lot this year because construction work for a new swimming pool has been taking place near the flat lower area turnoff that has served as the end of the race for years.
“We have to replace our 80-year-old pool,” Voithofer said. “The new pool will also have a new building with restrooms and extra parking.”
While the change in the finish line didn’t extend the length of the race, it did provide a steeper conclusion and caught some participants off guard. Most of the entrants completed the event in a steady drizzle that began just after the start of the race.
That didn’t bother Palya, who said, “It was really windy. Other than that the temperatures were good.” A graduate of California University, Palya first ran the Mount Summit Challenge at the age of 12 and has run the event numerous times since, including his 2010 victory.
“All of this is not for me,” Palya said. “If I win, I can glorify and honor my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. That’s the number one thing for me.”
Conner said the wind provided an extra challenge for her. “I was ahead of Julia (Sapic) from around the two-mile mark.” Conner said the chilly conditions didn’t bother her as much as the wind, even though she ran two 5K races on Saturday.
“I never knew for sure that I’d win,” Conner added. “It was anyone’s race.”
Huggins said she was originally going to run the event but changed her mind to walking several weeks ago because of an injury. “I prefer cold conditions,” she said.
While Huggins has been running since the 1990s, she previously placed third as a walker. As she gave a hug to running entrant Jamie Brooks, Huggins humorously said that Brooks’ decision to change from walking to running several years ago helped her to be the first female walker this year.
The Mt. Summit Challenge is one of the premier races in Fayette County and it’s 3.5 mile course challenges participants beginning on the National Road (Route 40) in Hopwood and climbs more than 1,200 feet the Summit Inn Resort.
As in the past, SERJ Racing provided the race setup and timing technology. The Mount Summit Challenge is sponsored by the Fayette Striders Running Club.