1,300 run in 34th Youngstown Peace Race; Indiana man wins

By Jon Moffett

YOUNGSTOWN — Just a few short months removed from the Olympic games, athletes from all across the globe congregated in Youngstown with a common goal.

To run.

Sunday marked the 34th annual Youngstown Peace Race, a 10-kilometer (6.2 mile) run and 2-mile walk/run event to help promote peace. The two-mile walk began at 9:30 a.m. and the 10K followed at 10:15.

“It was started back in the early ‘70s during the Vietnam era, and some of that was the motive behind starting the thing,” said Ted Rupe, the race’s director. “Through the years there have been different reasons for the event, but it has just become such a great event that it just keeps going and going and going.”

The going and going wasn’t limited to the race itself, but included the nearly 1,300 participants in the event. Rupe, who has been the race director since 1992, said the number was the largest he’s seen since he’s been involved with the race.

The race was designated as the 10K state championship race by the Road Runners Club of America. The 10K course began on West Indianola Avenue near the water tower, extended through Mill Creek Park and finished at the corner of Market Street and West Federal Streetdowntown. Some runners said the course is part of what makes the Peace Run such a fun event.

The first person to finish was Abdelaziz Atmani, 26, who resides in Indianapolis, but is originally from Morocco.