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Peace Race founder brings Sudanese runners
Djouma brothers plan to run Sunday in 38th Youngstown event
A pair of Sudanese teens and the founder of the Peace Race are expected in town for Sunday’s 38th event.
Jack Cessna is attempting to bring Zakaria Adam Djouma and Mahammad Adam Djouma, who are expected to be guests at the Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley for Sunday’s race.
Last year, Zakaria Adam and Mahammad Adam placed second and third, respectively, in the 16-19 men’s group, while brother Yaya Adam Djouma was runnerup in the 16-under age group.
The 17-year-old Zakaria attends Utica (N.Y.) Proctor High and is on his way to getting a scholarship, said Cessna, who noted that Zacharia’s best 5k time is 16:24.
The brothers escaped genocide in Dafur, Sudan and spent 10 years in a refugee camp in Chad.
Cessna, a volunteer coach at Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, was tutoring the Djoumas in English, and realized that they could be good runners.
In early April, Yaya was diagnosed with kidney failure and has since required dialysis. A wish of his was to see Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi. Through political maneuvering, Yaya was treated to the Argentina-Brazil match at the Meadowlands in June.
“Those were $500 seats,” Cessna said of the opportunity.
Yaya is a possible candidate for a kidney transplant.
LODOVICO, 88, PLANS TO RUN
Lou Lodovico of Ellwood City, Pa. has been running in Peace Races since he was 60.
Last year, at age 87, he finished 922nd and won the men’s 80 & over division in 1:09:31.7.
Now, the holder of three American age-group records plans to lace up again at age 88.
“I’m the oldest in most Peace Races,” said Lodovico, whose U.S. records in the 85-89 group are for 8k (45:38), 15k (1:29:04) and 10 mile (1:35:10).
He’s also a six-time USATF Masters age group runner-of-the-year.
“I feel pretty good,” said Lodovico, who was born in Youngstown, but moved when he was four- or five-years-old. “I had a good winter and a good spring, but the summer was too hot and I took it easy. So I’m starting up again.”
In the 8,000-strong Great Race in Pittsburgh several weeks ago, Lodovico was second in his age-graded group.
He’s been to Williamsburg, Va. and Niagara Falls for races, finishing first in his 85-over category.
“But that’s no big deal when there’s no competition,” he said.
Lou said his first race was a 10k in Ellwood City in which his time was 43 minutes.
“My son said I ought to start racing, so we started together. Then he quit and started playing golf. I stayed with the harder sport.”
Lodovico, who retired from Commercial Machine Works as a machinist at age 62, hasn’t run a half-marathon in two or three years. He usually sticks to 5k and 10k distances.
His 5k times when he was in his mid 60s was 19:15 and now he’s between 29:00 and 33:00.
“Some courses are tougher than others and weather has something to do with it too,” said Lodovico, who will be 89 on Feb. 28.