Hundreds keep pace for peace in Valley
Youngstown 2010 Peace Race
2010 Peace Race 2 mile
Complete results from the 2010 Youngstown Peace Race 2 mile walk
By Jon Moffett
Youngstown
Hundreds of runners from all over the world gathered in downtown Youngstown on Sunday to help promote peace through sport.
In its 36th year, the Peace Race is just as effective as ever, a board member said.
“There are a lot of great races out there, and we are one of many,” said Terry McCluskey, who has been on the Peace Race committee for two years. “Our history speaks for itself.”
The race began in a time of turmoil, McCluskey said. With the nation still feeling the effects of the Vietnam War, the race was created to prove peace was possible.
“It was a peace bridge, to piece different people together,” McCluskey said. “That was, and still is, our motive for this race: to help people know and understand each other and try to work out our differences.”
The race attracts hundreds of runners annually. People from all walks of life and parts of the globe sign up for either a 2-mile “fun run” and a 10k race.
This year’s 10k race winner was 23-year-old Andrew Carnes of Canton. He said it was the first time he had run through Mill Creek Park and downtown, and said the scenery was beautiful.
McCluskey said the impact of having so many runners in the city goes well beyond aesthetics.
“It’s the idea of America to be the melting pot of the world, and we’re bringing that here to the present day,” he said. “We all share and have so much in common that we want to focus on that and what we share instead of on our differences.”