Non-athletes race to benefit YWCA in Turtle Trot 0.5K
Throughout the year, Butler County and Western Pennsylvania offer plenty of road races for the cream of the crop of local athletes — everything from 5K to 10K races to half-marathons.
The YWCA’s Turtle Trot 0.5K Run, held on Sunday, Aug. 25 at Alameda Park, was not one of those. It bills itself as “a race for the rest of us,” a “fun run” in every sense of the word.
“It is a 0.5K instead of a 5K,” said Elizabeth Short, executive director of the Butler YWCA. “It's a third of a mile, 1,670 feet. You don’t need to be an athlete to compete in this race.”
Those who signed up were running not just for fun, but for a good cause, as proceeds from the event will go to the Butler YWCA’s programs which serve women living in poverty. The cost of entry into the 0.5K for most runners is $15 each, with runners under six getting in for free.
The route of the race took runners once around the Odd Fellows Loop at Alameda Park.
According to Short, at least 110 runners signed up to enter the race by 12:30 p.m. Sunday. They did not all start at the same time, as there were eight races spaced apart by 15 minutes.
One young runner, Frederick Edwards, completed the course in two and a half minutes, and was the first across the finish line. He raced with his bib number taped to a cast, after he recently injured his wrist in a bike accident.
“My grandma’s working here. She’s doing the cake stand,” Edwards said. “She's handing them out to a bunch of people as they run by.”
Megan Gregor, of Butler brought her entire family over to take part in the Turtle Trot.
“I'm coming out with my whole family to introduce them to something fun,” Gregor said. “I love Alameda. I think it's beautiful and it's great when they do fun events like this.”
Although someone running at full speed could clear the course in as little as two and a half minutes, most chose to walk the route.
The organizers placed several stations along the course to make sure the runners made full use of their time there. These included a balloon animal station, a cake station where runners could “carbo-load,” and even a station where of-age runners could register to vote if they hadn’t done so already.
“At YWCA, we’re really passionate about getting people registered to vote,” Short said.
Once runners reached the finish line, they came home to a finisher’s medal and a cool, refreshing beer in the Odd Fellows Shelter — or root beer, for those not of drinking age.
