Butler County Milers hit the trail in Preston Park
BUTLER TWP — It wasn’t just the running that brought 16 members of the Butler County Milers out Saturday, Jan. 28, morning to Preston Park, 415 S. Eberhart Road.
In fact, for some the prospect of a 4- to 6-mile run through the trails of the park were just a bonus.
“Honestly it’s just the people,” said Kory Nowakowski, of Butler, as he waited for fellow runners to assemble in the parking lot. “ I’m not a natural runner. I don’t particularly like running, but I enjoy being outside and I enjoy the people.”
Rob Kinney who drove from Ellwood City for Saturday’s run, echoed the sentiment. “It’s the friends. I built a lot of good friends through the group.”
That group, the Butler County Milers, was formed in 2020, by Sean and Jamie Harcar. The club stages four runs a week and one hike a month. The group has around 250 followers on its Facebook page, about 60 regulars who turn out for most of the club runs and what Sean Harcar calls “two dozen hardcore members.”
He said the club’s formation was inspired by the Glacier Ridge Trail Ultramarathon and Trail Run at Moraine State Park
The Saturday Shakeout run was the fourth event of the week for the club following two evening runs and a 5:15 a.m. “Rise and Grind” excursion. The club plans a 3-mile run Tuesdays, a 3- to 5-mile run on Thursdays, a 4- to 6-mile run Thursdays and a 4- to 6-mile run on Saturdays, as well as a monthly hike.
“I started running in high school from Northern California. I’ve been running off and on since 2011,” said Jamie Harcar.
Sean Harcar said, “My wife got my fat butt off the coach and started running.”
For Zach and Sara Porter, of Prospect, running has become a family affair. Three of their four children run cross country for St. Gregory Catholic School in Zelienople.
Although it didn’t start out that way.
Sara Porter said her husband got her started. “He made me do it. He signed me up for a half-marathon. I had to run for it.”
Becca Gellner, of New Castle, said “A friend from high school is a member and he started running last year, and I thought it would be fun.”
Dave Snyder, of Butler Township, came jogging into the parking lot shortly before 9 a.m. after completing a warmup run.
“Everybody’s at different places (in their running.) I usually run five to six days a week,” Snyder said. “I like to run with a group. It’s more fun to run with people than run by yourself all the time.”
Sean Harcar was a member of the early group, saying the early group did 4.5 miles and was ready to run 4 to 6 miles with the 9 a.m. group in a loop from Preston Park to Butler Township Park.
The Harcars said the club contains all levels of runners from some who jog a couple of miles to those who are training for a 100-mile endurance run.
Lori Fromlack, from Butler, was training for the July 29 100-mile 17th annual Burning River Endurance Run & Relayin Northeast Ohio. It will be her fifth 100-mile run.
“Nine years ago I was morbidly obese and a smoker,” she said. After taking up running she lost 85 pounds and competed in the 2018 and 2019 Boston Marathons, a 26.2 mile course.
“I ended in a medical tent in 2018. I was hyperthermic,” she said, but added regardless it was an amazing experience.
“I moved to Butler two years ago and was looking for a group to run with through Facebook,” said Fromlack when she found the Butler County Milers.
Michael Jones was also training for an upcoming 100-mile run, the Eastern States 100 on Aug. 12 and13, a 103-mile single-loop trail race in north-central Pennsylvania that accumulates over 20,000 feet of climbing during the course of the run. It has a reputation of being the second-hardest trail run in the state.
Although Jones was taking some good-natured ribbing from his fellow runners on Saturday over his choice of running clothing. He was wearing American Eagle stretch blue jeans.
“I prefer the jeans in the winter time. No tech clothes, they tend to bunch up when I run,” Jones said.
The Harcars said the running community in Butler County was really strong and divided between the road running and the trail running.
Fromlack said although she is a stronger road runner, she prefers to run on trails. “It keeps your mind engaged and you get to look at the scenery.”
“I started trail running just this year,” Gellner said. “It’s different. You have to pay a lot more attention to your feet. I’m more mentally engaged when you are trail running. You never know what you are going to encounter on the trail.”
Like the freezing creek the runners had to ford recently when running on the equestrian trails at Moraine State Park, Kinney said.
“You will run through anything,” he said.
