The July 4th 15K

Near the middle of June we all look at each other and ask "Are we running the 15K this year?"  As if it's even a question.

The July 4th Angie Gioiosa Memorial 15K Race is probably the best roadrunners race in the area.  While the Nittany Valley Half Marathon in early December and our own Turkey Trot 5K have been very popular in their tenures they don't have a fraction of the history and the names that the Fourth of July 15K has garnered over the years.

And they're off!!

The race started in 1973 when its namesake Angelo "Angie" Gioiosa got together with some of his local runner friends for a friendly race the morning of the 4th of July.  Angie was a great man and a great runner who went on to run 10 Boston Marathons and set a course record in the JFK 50 miler.  Angie probably didn't think the race would become so popular so fast.

The race quickly became a favorite of all the local runners and even some of the nation's elite runners.   Famous runners such as Bill Rodgers and Penn State All American/Olympian Greg Fredericks were among the big names in the late 70's and early 80's.    The names weren't that big through the 90's but in 2003, EARC member and 2008 Olympic marathoner Brian Sell showed up and broke the course record with a time of 48:47.

Kate getting it done in '08.

EARC has had a strong turnout for the 15K in both numbers and winners, with Kevin Doyle winning the race in 2012 (51:32) and Kate Remillard winning the women's race in 2008 (1:00:32).  Also worth noting is grey-haired EARC member Bruce Schettig's 4th place time of 51:43 in 1980 when Bill Rodgers and friends decided to show up.  

So, if you're not traveling on the 4th follow the sounds of the marching bands and the cheering fans down to Altoona.   This year marks the 38th year and there is bound to be a great showing.