Runners try to guess their own race times
ZELIENOPLE — Pati Livengood predicted that she would finish the race in 40 minutes. Kathy Stewart predicted her own time at 31 minutes and 30 seconds. Ron Liscio Jr. and Amy O’Donnell didn’t make any predictions for their race time.
No matter what the racers predicted, many people at the Groundhog Day Prediction Race on Sunday morning said the event was one they had been looking forward to, even if they had been watching the thermometer before race day.
“The prediction part of it makes it unique, it’s a little bit different than a normal 5K,” said Stewart, of Greensburg. “It’s funny, I never used to think I would want to run outside in the winter, and I actually really enjoy it. This is great, and I never would have believed it.”
Sunday’s race had three distance options for runners, 6.66 miles, 3.33 miles and 1.11 mile. The race’s organizer, Joella Baker, founder of Get Fit Families, said the course is different every year, but always is a closed loop to make racers feel like they are going through the events of the movie “Groundhog Day.”
“Since the groundhog predicts when winter is going to end, I thought it would be fun to do a prediction race where people can’t wear their watches, and they have to predict what their time is going to be,” Baker said. “I came up with really weird distances, so that it’s a little harder to predict what their time is going to be.
“It has always been a loop, and they do multiple loops just like the movie.”
The race is a fundraiser for the ALS Foundation, and registration fees are donated to the foundation. The event typically attracts about 70 to 80 participants, Baker said, and Sunday’s race was on par with that average.
Some people, such as Liscio and O’Donnell, planned to do all three of distances.
“I do it almost every year,” said Liscio, of Pittsburgh. “I’m in training for the half-marathon in Pittsburgh, so I use this to help motivate me to run in the winter months.”
The 3.33-mile race was the most popular of the races, and Baker said the middle distance race is usually the most attended.
Livengood and O’Donnell were running the 3.33-mile race with their triathlon group, the Mighty Tri Girls, some of whom donned groundhog hats and scarves to stay warm throughout the run. Livengood said the group travels around the region to participate in “hometown” races, so the group of six women Sunday was happy to participate in the race.
“It’s a little local hometown race, it’s fun, it’s themed,” said Livengood, of Harrison City. “There is nothing else going on this time of year; we’re always looking for things to do.”
The Mighty Tri Girls may have to find another race to participate in next Groundhog Day, because this year’s race was the last one Baker plans to host. She said personal reasons are causing her to not be able to plan the race in the future, to the chagrin of many of the runners Sunday.
“It’s fun. It’s cute. We’re very sad it’s the last year, it’s a little bit of a bummer,” Stewart said.
The runners who finished the race closest to their prediction times normally won free registration for the next year’s Groundhog Day Prediction Race, but because Baker said it may not happen next year, winners would get free registration to a different race her organization plans.
Baker also said she is sad not to be involved in the race in the future, but she is hopeful someone else might pick up its planning.
“It’s a really fun race, I love the prediction side of things,” Baker said. “I would love for someone to take it over, I would be happy to guide someone through their first year.”
