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The popular menu of Friday night events leads off with the Tiny Tot Trot at 6:45 p.m., followed by the Ogden Fun Run at 7 p.m. and the Ogden Mile at 7:15 p.m.
The Ohio Valley Runners and Walkers Club has been coordinating the Friday night events for the past 15 years in an arrangement that has worked well for the club and the race committee.
“The club does a great job for us,” said Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic race Director Howard Corcoran. “They handle 100 percent of the Friday night activities, and we’re very appreciative of their efforts.”
Much of Friday night’s focus is on the future.
The Tiny Tot Trot is a 100-yard fun run open to all children 5 and under. It starts on 14th Street next to the WesBanco bank entrance and ends at the 20K start/finish line near WesBanco Arena. There’s no entry fee, and all participants receive a ribbon.
The Ogden Fun Run, which starts at the top of Wheeling Hill and ends at the finish line, is a non-competitive mile run open to all children 12 and under. There’s a $5 entry fee, and all participants receive a T-shirt.
The Ogden Mile, a timed event that is one of the fastest 1-mile courses in the nation, also starts at the top of Wheeling Hill. There is a $10 entry fee for the event.
Joe Young, OVRWC vice president and the Friday night events director, said cultivating an early interest in running among the youth should pay dividends for future races.
“Over the years, the race has reached out to more than just the long-distance runners,” he said.
“Friday night they have the Ogden Mile, the Tiny Tot Trot and the Fun Run. All the little ones get an award for crossing the finish line and at that age, that’s really a great thing.”
The Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic has held a special place in Young’s heart ever since he got his first taste of 29th Street Hill as an aspiring 14-year-old runner from southern West Virginia.
“There’s something about this race that just has that ‘Wheeling Feeling,’” he said. “For me, it always had a magical feeling, almost like a spiritual event to be involved in. I really feel like I’m able to give something back to the community.”
Young returned to the Friendly City a few years later to run cross country at Wheeling Jesuit University and is now an Ohio Valley resident.
He’s in his first year as Friday night events director, taking the reins from long-time director Denny Stephan.
“They had a very good setup from years before,” said Young. “I just used the same template in terms of where people should go and how many to send to each respective area.”
The Ohio Valley Runners and Walkers Club is fully committed to the Friday night program, he said. A total of 30 volunteers handle tasks such as registration, staffing information booths, working the start line and the finish line and training other volunteers.
Young said the key to a successful Friday night is having good managers in charge.
“Terry Whitecotton has managed the course portion, from start to finish, for a number of years, which made life easy on me from that standpoint,” he said.
“Carole Cain, my assistant director, has done a lot of work making sure things are done in an orderly fashion, and Heidi Clark handling the signage, support and advertising has been a big help.”
Young says the OVRWC and the Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic Race Committee are very much on the same page for the Friday night events.
Both groups hope today’s Tiny Tot trotter or Fun Run participant will grow up to be tomorrow’s OVRWC member and 20K race runner.
“When my wife and I moved back to the valley,” said Young, “I wanted to get involved in an activity that contributed to society and the OVRWC is a perfect place for me.”
Annual membership fees for the club are $12 for individuals or $17 for families.
Meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month at Edgewood Lutheran Church and are open to the public. |
Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic