From left, James Dankovich, 54, and Matt Drohan, 54, complete the first lap of the Preston Park 5K on Sunday, Oct. 23. William Pitts/Butler Eagle
BUTLER TWP — Dozens of long-time and first-time runners gathered at Preston Park for its third annual 5K run on Sunday, Oct. 22.
It cost $25 to register to run in the 5K, with all of the proceeds going to the Friends of Preston Park Foundation, the volunteer organization that maintains the park.
In total, 75 runners participated in Sunday’s race, ranging from eight years of age to 67, with the vast majority from Butler County.
The 5K run consisted of two laps around Preston Park. The runners spent the majority of their time concealed by the woods and passed by the parking lot twice on their way to the finish line.
“It's all in the wilderness. It’s all in the trails here at Preston Park,” said Butler Township commissioner Jim Lokhaiser, Jr., who is also a member of the Friends of Preston Park board of directors.
John Kelly, 22, returned to the 5K for the second straight year. Despite not being an avid long-distance runner, he looked forward to returning to Preston Park simply for the atmosphere.
“It’s real scenic. It’s real nice,” Kelly said. “Three miles doesn't feel like three miles when you’re running through the woods. It’s a very pretty course.”
Despite rain the previous night, the course was relatively unaffected for the runners, thanks to the efforts of Preston Park’s “Monday Morning Maintenance Crew” — a group of volunteers that shows up every Monday to keep the park fresh.
“They went out here Monday and spray-painted all the roots and rocks and stuff in the course, so everything’s marked off on the course,” Lokhaiser said. “And they came out yesterday with blowers and blew all the leaves and stuff out of the course, so everything's well marked.”
There were plenty of youngsters, including 13-year-old Justin Sellinger, of Prospect, who came with other members of the cross-country team from Butler Intermediate High School.
Greg Powell, 50, crossed the finish line first with a time of 21:24.74, seven seconds in front of the second-place runner. He was especially fond of the course after running it for the first time.
“It was beautiful,” Powell said. “I’ve never been here, but Preston Park around the lake was gorgeous. The leaves are fantastic right now and there's no rain. This is awesome.”
Just before the race got underway, Friends of Preston Park executive director Anthony Stagno revealed that the organizers were considering the possibility of expanding the 5K to a 10K next year.
A group of runners stands for the national anthem before the Preston Park 5K on Sunday, Oct. 23. William Pitts/Butler Eagle
From left, Cooper Rauschenberger, 10, and Andrew Delorenzo, 8, complete the first lap of the Preston Park 5K on Sunday, Oct. 23. William Pitts/Butler Eagle