Monday, October 26, 2015
By Brian Dzenis
YOUNGSTOWN
There were a few chuckles, some gawking and a couple of attempts to hum the Batman theme song.
That’s the reception Canfield couple Chantele and Jim Mussler received from fellow runners as they ran in the 41st annual Youngstown Peace Race dressed in Batman-themed shirts and shorts complete with a cape, a sight among many Sunday morning.
“Everybody was having fun with it – they were yelling, ‘Batman! Batgirl!’” Chantele said. “It was a great time.”
The Musslers were among a few costumed characters participating in the event. Supergirl and Wonder Woman also were in attendance. The Musslers said they went with the superhero motif as part of a team of runners. About 1,500 runners participated.
Others had their own getup for more-serious purposes. Youngstown city firefighter John Carbon crossed the finish line in full gear, which included the helmet and an air tank strapped to his back. He and roughly a dozen other firefighters did so to help raise awareness for a bill working its way through the Ohio Senate that would allow firefighters to receive cancer-treatment coverage from the state due to the high risk for cancer they face on the job.
“We do this as a group. We started together and we finished together as a group, and that’s how we do things here and on the job.” Carbon said. “It’s a cause that’s important to us, and it’s a cause worth running for.”
Weatherwise, it got better as the day went on, and things were a little bit easier for runners in the middle and back of the pack.
Overall winner Julius Koskei said it wasn’t the temperatures in the high 40s and low 50s that were an issue, but the wind – particularly as the Kenyan made his way into downtown Youngstown. Roughly an hour into the race, the sun came out around noontime, allowing the majority of the runners to finish without immediately needing to bundle up.
“The two-mile was pretty cold, but it warmed up for the 10k,” Jim Mussler said. “It wasn’t too bad when you’re running, but now that we’ve stopped again, it’s getting cold again.”
The finish line at Federal and Market streets was right about what can be expected at the end of any distance race: spent runners looking on the verge of collapse as they slow down, with some looking ready to be sick.
“A lot of times, it’s not fun when you’re actually doing it, but afterwards, it’s about knowing that you completed it or knowing what you’ve accomplished and for competitive people, you can stay competitive, like I can always try to run a faster time than I did before,” five-year Peace Race veteran and 50-year-old Dan Campbell said. “In these races, I have no control over who shows up, so sometimes I’ll place really well and sometimes I might not, but by competing against yourself, you can always stay competitive.
“It’s a just a great race overall, and I’ll keep coming back as long as I can.”