Photo by Joe Lovell
Runners make the trek down Main Street on Saturday during the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic, part of the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine. Despite soggy weather throughout the weekend, thousands of participants and spectators came to downtown Wheeling for numerous events.
For the most part, participants over the two days of the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine were able to outrun the rain.
It wasn’t until early Sunday afternoon that the precipitation that had been forecast — and had been falling before and after most of the events of the weekend — finally fell on those working their way through the Tough As Nails Urban Challenge presented by The Health Plan. Yet, despite both the threat and follow-through of those raindrops, thousands of participants and spectators congregated in downtown Wheeling on Saturday and Sunday to take part in a plethora of events.
“Rain or shine, the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine continues to be a fantastic event,” said Jim Spanner, general manager of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register. “When I look out among the crowd and see the smiles on all those faces, it makes the hard work of so many people so worth it.
“It can’t say enough about the effort everyone puts into this weekend each year,” he continued. “Our employees go the extra mile to make this a memorable time. The hundreds of volunteers who graciously give their time throughout the weekend are invaluable. Our wonderful sponsors are the engine that keeps this event rolling. The City of Wheeling’s partnership in this weekend is essential to its success. With all of those parts working at the same time, it adds up to a great time for everyone who participates.”
And there were plenty of people who participated in the myriad of events over the two days. Saturday featured the majority of the weekend’s catalog. According to registration numbers, there were 443 people signed up for the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic run and 77 signed up for the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Walk. There were 285 who participated in the 5K Run presented by Bordas & Bordas and another 245 who participated in the 5K Walk presented by Bordas & Bordas.
Sixty-eight kids were registered for the Ogden Fun Run presented by Bordas & Bordas, while 89 youngsters were signed up for the Tiny Tot Trot presented by Bordas & Bordas. The second-annual Rovers on the River presented by Play N Stay Pet Camp featured 42 furry friends.
“I think everybody was happy,” said Joe Lovell, race director for the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic. “All the races went off well.”
Lovell added that the fact that, even with sketchy weather making some participants consider thinking twice about coming downtown, no one was deterred and it made for another great turnout.
“I’m proud to say we put on a great event,” Lovell said. “We don’t have many issues. We make sure everyone is safe, and they like coming out to the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine because they get their money’s worth.”
Sunday showed a record turnout for the Tough As Nails Urban Challenge presented by The Health Plan. According to Tough As Nails director Eric Anderson, an all-time high of 604 people participated in the event, which takes those urban warriors up, around and through 25 obstacles over the five-mile course.
“It’s fantastic that the Tough As Nails Urban Challenge presented by The Health Plan keeps growing,” Anderson said. “It’s become our No. 1 race for the weekend as far as participation. We had people from 14 states enter and more than 200 volunteers out there helping people.
“People enjoyed the new obstacles that we featured and it was a fantastic way to cap the weekend,” he added.
There was plenty of entertainment around the events, as a DJ spun tunes Saturday and Ohio Valley favorites Eli and the Mojo Kings performed a concert Sunday. During the kid’s races, the Pirate Parrot and Mrs. T’s Pierogies could be found palling around with the younger set.
