Chase Bowen, 18, male winner of the Rube’s Run 5K held July 27 in Prospect, shakes the hand of an event volunteer as he receives his trophy. Vayda Pascarella/Butler Eagle

PROSPECT — Runners sped through the tiny borough of Prospect on Saturday, July 27 at the 23rd annual Rube’s Run.

Starting at 8:30 a.m., the annual 5K race began and ended at the Presbyterian Church of Prospect. A kid’s race followed from 9:30 to 10 a.m.

The course sent runners past the Prospect property once occupied by the race’s namesake, Major League Baseball Hall-of Fame pitcher George Edward “Rube” Waddell, who played at the turn of the 20th century.

Waddell was born in Bradford County and moved to Prospect at the age of 4, where he learned how to throw a baseball. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and remained a Prospect resident until he was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics.

Rube’s Run started in 2001, and the proceeds from the event benefit the Prospect Area Preservation Society.

“Outside of its monetary benefit to the area, I think that keeping his memory alive is big,” said Waddell fan Robert Craig. “You’ll talk to a lot of folks who may not know who Rube is, then they’ll do a little Google search and find out about him, but he’s a hometown hero.”

Craig is glad the annual 5K recognizes Waddell and his connection to Prospect.

“… These folks do a great job keeping (Waddell’s) memory alive while benefiting a great cause,” said Craig, who put up a tent at the race featuring Waddell memorabilia and facts about the great hurler’s life.

After they concluded the race, participants enjoyed hot dogs provided by a caterer and bananas donated by The Corner Store.

“It’s our big fundraiser. We started it back when races weren’t real popular and now they’re everywhere” event organizer Dawn Szymoniak said.

She said the race offers a lot, including a reasonable entry fee and donated food and drink for the runners.

Mary Harmon, the original president of the race committee, said community support is needed to carry out Rube’s Run.

“We don’t get grants or anything like that,” Harmon said. “But we’ve had a lot of, over the years, the same people coming. They start in high school and they start coming back each year, so that’s good.”

Returning participants included Prospect resident Michaella Roth. The 2024 race marked Roth’s second time participating.

“I like doing this one because I know a lot of the people from around here because I grew up here, so it’s just nice to come out and be in the community,” Roth said. “It’s nice that I get to run in my hometown.”

Chase Bowen, 18, of Darlington, Beaver County, was the male overall winner for the third year in a row. Roth was the female overall winner.

Bowen said he appreciates the support for the race and the runners shown by the Prospect community.

“As I’m coming through, everyone’s cheering for me,” he said. “Even people that are racing, they’re saying ‘good job.’”

This story was updated on July 30 to reflect the correct spelling of Dawn Szymoniak’s name.