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But the time was such that Ngatia, 46, took the Masters (40-49) title in the race.
And with that honor came redemption.
Twenty-two years ago Ngatia remembers heading down the hill on 14th Street in the lead.
“I was in top shape. I was trying to challenge myself to run against the best,” Ngatia said. “Luckily enough I was leading the pack but began cramping and finished third.
‘The inspiration of that slow start is what got me back. I’m lucky to win the Masters,” he said. “It feels great!”
But Ngatia did not win Saturday’s race in the Masters Division thanks to a four leaf clover or wishing on a star.
He’s a veteran runner who ran track at UTEP, recorded a 3:53 mile in 1984, and even won the 1989 Columbus Marathon with a time of 2:11:50.
“It was a challenge. It took me three years to run a four-minute mile,” he said.
But running six or seven races a year is not the only challenge Ngatia faces.
Today, the Kenyan-born Ngatia is a sergeant in the Army, residing at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. This comes after stints teaching geology at El Paso High School and a career in marketing electronics.
He generally finds time between 6:30 a.m.-7:40 a.m. to get his running in.
Army scheduling cuts down on his time to participate in races, but he was able to get a weekend pass to come to Wheeling.
He’ll be back at Fort Carson tomorrow with a nice check and a piece of championship hardware in tow.
Terry McCluskey of Vienna, Ohio pulled away to the Grand Masters title in a time of 1:18:05.
Championship trophies are a familiar sight for McCluskey.
McCluskey was chosen as the outstanding 55-59 year old runner by USA Track and Field magazine in 2005 and Grand Master of the Year by Ohio Runner magazine.
“I think it’s just I’m lucky in that I have a body built for running,” the 5-8, 128 pound McCluskey said.
“I just love doing it. If you’re built for something you should take advantage of it.”
McCluskey, who now lives in Vienna, Ohio, always tries to fit Wheeling into his active schedule.
“I’ve been running 25 years and coming here since the eighties,” he said. “For it’s size its as good as any race in the country.
“It’s the organization. For what it costs you to come here there’s a good crowd, good banquet, good sponsors, good volunteers and good stations.”
While the course has changed, taking away McCluskey’s favorite landmark, the Indian statue on top of Wheeling Hill, he now has a new favorite, and perhaps more appropriate, part of the course.
“At the top of the hill (coming down 14th Street towards the WesBanco Arena) you can see the finish line,” McCluskey said. “There’s a huge mass of people. It’s nice.” |
Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic