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Runners of all ages take part in Memorial Day mile
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Neighbors | Chelsea Weikart .Runners take off from the starting line at the Memorial Mile in Boardman on Route 224.
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Neighbors | Chelsea Weikart .Heinz Offenbecher Jr. of Struthers, runs marathons as a hobby with his friend, Kevin Guthrie. Last .weekend they ran the Cleveland Marathon together. This is their third year running the Marathon Mile.
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Neighbors | Chelsea Weikart .The first group of runners of the Marathon Mile of various ages start off towards the finish line.
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Neighbors | Chelsea Weikart .Runners take off from the starting line at the Memorial Mile in Boardman on Route 224.
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Neighbors | Chelsea Weikart .Sunny the Puppy from Harbor Pet Center decided to join in the race for the second year in a row since it starts where he usually stands at the corner or 224 and 7.
By CHELSEA WEIKART
State Route 224 in Boardman was recently blocked for one mile, but not with traffic. More than 270 runners participated in the Memorial Day Mile May 27.
The owner of Jock Stop in Boardman, Jon Whitman, coordinated the Memorial Mile for the 23rd year in a row before the Memorial Day parade on 224 in Boardman. Twenty-three years ago Whitman, along with Carl Zook and Jeff Robes, came up with the idea to have the road blocked off an extra hour before the parade to host a mini marathon.
“I was running Jock Stop, a sporting goods store and I wanted to give back to the community so we sponsored a race,” Whitman said.
Runners of all ages, started at the intersection of 7 and 224 and finished in front of Quaker Steak and Lube, where they had a free meal waiting for them.
The runners were split into two groups, one for children and their families, the other for more serious runners. Several adults ran both.
First time runners and seasoned runners took to the road, and prizes totaling over $1,000 were given after the race by sponsors including Walgreens, Quaker Steak and the Ohio Institute of Pain Management, whwhich was also offered free massages.
“People are already here to see the parade, so we have a built-in audience right here along the parade route,” Whitman said, “We’ve established ourselves as part of this celebration.” Walgreens is planning on taking over the planning of the race for next year.
Matt Severn who works at the Butler Walgreens worked the stand of free giveaways at the finish line.
“Walgreens loves to get out in the community, that’s one way that we try to separate ourselves from the competition,” Severn said.
Walgreens does a variety of events for the community including the Make a Wish walk, which took place on June 15.