Sunday, February 17, 2002 -- Mt Lebanon, PA
27th Annual St. Valentine's Day Run (iPO Event Id#: 4711)
Story and photos contributed by the PRRCA

[Details] [Coverage] [Overall Results] [Pic Set 1]

Running with sun at your back

The Greater Pittsburgh Road Runners Club St. Valentine's Day Run took place on a morning traditional for this race - 28 degrees, windy and snow on the ground. But that makes it all the more fun for the 33 hardy souls who came out to run. Most of the participants were bundled up to the point of being unrecognizable, but you couldn't miss the Pankreas Racing Team, who were out in force in their bright pink t-shirts.

The Mt. Lebanon course begins with a long hill climb from the high school parking lot and winds through more hills in an out-and-back course to a downhill finish in the same parking lot. There were two events, a two-mile and a five-mile race, which began together and followed the same course as far as the one-mile mark where the shorter race course made a turnaround.

I'm telling you,
it's shorts weather!

The first-place finisher for the two-mile run was Matt Winschel (age 13) with 16:10. First place finisher for the 5-mile run was Carl Hubel with a speedy 31:24. This was in spite of some serious slush on the ground in some places.

Race directors Bill and Connie Hoon have put on this race for at least 11 of its 27 years and are to be congratulated for having a fine race. They were aided today by Dick Fershing, Richard Hickey and Kathleen Hickey.

The next GPRRC event will be the St. Paddy's Day Race on March 17 in South Park.

St. Valentine's Day Run Race Directors: Bill and Connie Hoon
Helpers: Dick Fersching, Kathleen and Richard Hickey
Temperature: 28 degrees F, Partly Cloudy, and Light Wind