As promised, it was a hot one. And also as promised, EARC had great representation at the July 4th Angie Gioiosa Memorial Race. Our friends at the Hollidaysburg Area YMCA really know how to put on a superb event, from the marching band at the start, to the elaborate post-race food tent. It's no wonder they drew 1,033 participants this year.
The course itself was lined with cheerful onlookers, helpful volunteers, and well-staffed water stops. I especially appreciated the good people at Fox Trot Runners who sponsored a water table near the end of the race. They were positioned along the last major climb, the very place where I usually start to consider faking an injury. Fortunately, the Fox Trotters would have seen through my charade. So I plugged along to the finish, all the better for it.
Indeed, it's hard to complain about the heat and hills when you think about all of the impressive things that this race has to offer. Along these lines, our friend Herb Cratty of Miles of Smiles Timing Services timed the event. From the looks of his own results page, his people were busy on the fourth.
Here are the results for the Altoona races.
As always, the Altoona Mirror was on hand covering the races. Congratulations to the overall male and female winners in the 15k, A.J. Kelly and Sonja Hinish. Same to the 5k winners, Altoona High runner Brad Foust and recent Forest Hills grad, Leah Anne Wirfel. Sam Freet won the 2 mile walk, averaging an impressive 9:42/mile pace.
And congratulations to everyone who competed yesterday. Races like these give us a reason to celebrate life. And the more people who join us, the more we have to celebrate.
congratulations to all earc runners. you represented your club well. someone commented on the yellowed jerseyed college team that participated. not sure if they wore glasses or should have. thanks for championing runner on the mountaintop and supporting the y races. keep up the good work.
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