RECAP:BARNESVILLE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL 5K and a new running cartoon

Today's Barnesville's Pumpkin Festival was run under ideal conditions with a record 615 participants. A fifty-two degree race-start temperature greeted runners and walkers as they raced through the clear, low-humidity air of western Belmont County--perfect conditions for an old guy like me.

Although not totally flat, the course is reasonable with a 300-yard medium grade hill starting just before the one-mile mark. At the top racers enjoy more than a mile and a half downhill and slightly downhill running to the finish line. I love those kind of courses--stretch out the legs and let gravity take over!

As always, race director Carl Kondrach managed an A-Number-One race--great awards, great food, great weather (Carl must have some influence with theWeather Man in the Sky), and a great community that puts on a wonderful festival, perhaps one of the biggest pumpkin festivals in the country. Many runners stay after the race and enjoy the festivities.

The only mistake I encountered today was when I picked up my packet: the name clipped to the front said JOELLA ELLIS. I asked the lady at the registration table if I was entered in the women's  race but she said no. Aw shucks!. At first I thought Coach Chrissy Lewis was pranking me because she entered the Martins Ferry coaches and runners as a team to get a discount. She laughed the hardest when she saw the name but swore she didn't do it. Then Carl followed suit and denied the deed. Finally, Carl came up with the explanation--cheerleaders. They helped put together the packets. 'Nuff said.

All in all it was a fun race with great competition. The grandmasters division is getting especially tough. Of the top four runners over 40, three were grandmasters--Wayne McCracken, age 55--18:15, Me, age 58--19:23, and Joe Klempa, age 52--19:27. Another notable grandmaster time came from female overall winner, Sherry Martin--age 52. Sherry ran 18:57 which produced an age-graded score of 91.57 percent. That, my friends, is considered world class for a 52-year-old woman. Wayne's age-graded score was 84.2 percent which is considered national class and also very impressive. If you want to check your age-graded score, go to this Runner's World link.

All in all it was a fun race with over two hundred awards and good fellowship as the temperature warmed into the 70s for the awards ceremony. Age group winners received a real pumpkin and a medal, and overall winners received a pumpkin and a trophy with a pumpkin on top. There's nothing like the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival 5K to kick off the fall season of racing!

CELL PHONE CALL? YOU'RE KIDDING??--RUNNING CARTOON OF THE WEEK

Have you ever seen this happen during a race?

Maybe so, but did the person actually answer the phone while running? 

I have a friend who told me this happened during the Nashville Marathon. The phone of a runner a few yards ahead of him rang. The guy answered it while trying to keep pace. Apparently, his wife had called him. She didn't realize he was still out on the course struggling to finish the race. She wanted him to stop by the grocery store on the way home to pick up a few things.

Last December when I was in the middle of preaching a sermon my cell phone dinged. That was unusual. I stopped, pulled out the phone and noticed I had just received a text: YOUR DAUGHTER IS ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH TO YOUR FOURTH GRANDSON. GET TO THE HOSPITAL! My congregation wanted to know what was going on. When I told them, they insisted I leave immediately for the hospital. I think they wanted me to be there when Charlie was born, but then again, maybe they didn't want to hear any more of that sermon.

Happy running,

Joe C. Ellis

RECAP -- THE GATORADE STEELER 5K

Wow. Talk about tough competition in the old-guy age groups. The Gatorade-Steelers 5k brought in the best of the best master and grand master runners in the tri-state region. Why? Steelers tickets. Age group winners were awarded a pair of tickets to a Steelers game along with a trophy and a Gatorade towel.No wonder almost 3000 runners toed the line for this past Monday's race (Labor Day). Steelers! Steelers! Steelers!

Old guys especially like the idea of winning Steeler tickets. We were around during the 70s when the Steelers rose to power and dominated the NFL by winning four Super Bowls during that decade. Names like Mean Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Jack Lambert, Franco Harris, and Mike Webster reverberate in the tunnel of our memories and arenas of our minds.

Unfortunately, although I ran a good race (19:21), I didn't come close to winning the tickets. John Brockenbrough of Murraysville, PA took the prize in the 55 to 59 year old category by running an impressive 18:09, more than a minute ahead of me. Two Pittsburgh guys, Carl Hubel and Sherman Snyder, finished second and third, 18:31 and 18:55 respectively. I ended up fifth.

However, my team took second in the team competition, so I didn't go home empty handed. Chrissy Lewis (19:15), Ed Liberatore (19:41), two fellow teachers at Martins Ferry High School, and I represented the Purple Riders, and we each took home a Steeler football, a Gatorade towel, and a Steeler ball cap. Not a bad haul for three small-towners in a big-city race. Chrissy also ran her best race of the year, finishing second in her age division.

Other notable times: Men's winner--Jed Christiansen, 14:23. Women's winner--Carley Seymour, 16:24. Men's Master winner -- James Hommes, 16:25. Women's Master winner--Jo Rupp, 20:31, Men's Grandmaster winner--Paul Zimmeman, 16:28 (this guy is world class and a former top placer at Boston), and Women's Grandmaster winner--Roxanne Roma-Picard, 21:36. Did you notice there were no foreign names listed? Probably because there were no cash awards, and when you say "football" to international runners they envision World Cup Soccer. I'm not sure how many Kenyan Steeler fans are out there. Maybe a few.

All in all it was a great couple of days. My wife and I stayed at the Wyndham near the Point. We hung out with friends, enjoyed the "new" Pittsburgh, and soaked in the beauty of the three rivers (Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio) and Appalachian foothills. I was impressed with the new look of the downtown area, which has been turned from a grimy rust-belt city into a magnificent metropolis which respects its blue-collar roots but definitely embraces contemporary rebirth.

Will I return next year? I hope to, especially if they keep the race on Labor Day. As a lay pastor I only get a few Sundays off a year. Usually on those days I'm running half-marathons, marathons, or hanging out at the beach. Anyway, I definitely consider this one a 5-star race. Go Steelers!

2nd Place -- Team Competition

Martins Ferry Purple Rider Teachers

Joe Ellis, Chrissy Lewis, and Ed Liberatore