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It was both a “first” and a “last” for the 16th annual American Red Cross Lehigh River Relay Run held Sunday, Sept. 24, at Lehigh Parkway in Allentown. It was the first time that the race wasn’t held along the 23-mile stretch of the Lehigh River canal towpath from Allentown to Easton. Heavy rains and flooding along the Lehigh and Delaware rivers in late June destroyed much of the race course, forcing the Red Cross to reset the race date and move to a new location. And, it was the last time the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley would host the benefit race. “It’s bittersweet,” said John R. Hughes, executive director of the Greater Lehigh Valley Red Cross. “Since 1991, more than $300,000 has been raised through this event. “The race is unique … it’s a team relay and iron run event. Runners of all abilities love the scenic course. We’ve been extremely fortunate to have an army of dedicated race volunteers and a legion of race supporters. “However, this is a fund-raising event that Red Cross counts on to help us fulfill our work in the community. As we look at the expenses associated with the race, the hours and numbers of volunteers and staff needed to carry out the race, we find the return on our investment isn’t where we’d like it to be. We need to rethink how to better use the time and talents of our volunteers and staff in generating greater revenue to support the ever-increasing costs for services such as disaster assistance and other Red Cross community programs and services. “The ‘sweet’ part of this is that the race will continue. We are passing the baton, so to speak, to Bart Yasso of Runners’ World and founder of this race.” According to Yasso, he plans to go back to the original course (along the canal towpath) and make the race a marathon distance of 26.2 miles. “Proceeds will benefit the George B. Yasso Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund,” Yasso said earlier this week. “This endowed fund will serve as the main fund for the perpetuation of my brother George’s memory in our community, establish his legacy and provide a scholarship award for students who embrace the values George held so dearly. This award may be allocated to any high school senior in our community.” Today 362 runners - 334 team relay runners and 28 iron runners - participated in the benefit race. Runners, ages 10 to 68, hailed from Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. During the awards ceremony Hughes thanked the thousands of runners and volunteers who supported the race over the years, past sponsors, and this year’s race committee members: Chairman Brian Patterson, Primo Acernese, Jim Bedick, Barbara Deitrick, Mark Donham, Joe Klo, Charlie Lamonte, Patricia Moodie, Lori Novak, Karen Tempinski, Dave Wall and Bob Williamson. Following are the award winners: Overall relay team winner: The Wacki Pack (2:15) Overall iron winner male: Creighton Faust (2:25) Overall iron winner female: Valerie Bauer (2:59) Men’s Open (any age) 1. The Flying Irish (3:03) 2. The Deadliners (3:27) Women’s Open (any age) 1. The Fast Five (2:26) 2. Paperclippers (2:53) 3. Scallywags (2:59) Mixed Open (any age) 1. Alpha Phi Omega (2:52:04) 2. Piled Higher and Deeper (2:52:51) 3. Three Queens and Two Jokers (2:54) Corporate Men’s Open (any age) 1. B. Braun (2:53) 2. ExxonMobil Runners for Lunch Bunch (2:57) 3. Running Dogs (3:20) Corporate Women’s Open (any age) 1. Are We There Yet? II (3:13) Corporate Mixed (any age) 1. Lapping Leopards (2:22) 2. Lampire (2:40) 3. Cement In Our Shoes (2:44) Men’s Sub-Masters (min. age 30) 1. AC Centaurs (2:52) Women’s Sub-Masters (min. age 30) 1. Resuscitators (3:10) Mixed Sub-Masters (min. age 30) 1. Tazmanian Devils (2:31) 2. The Timbertoes of Egypt (2:53) 3. The Mamas & Papas (3:01) Men’s Masters (min. age 40) 1. The Five Star Generals -- We Shall Return (2:34) 2. Parkland Swim Dads (3:04) 3. The Tortoise 5 (3:09) Women’s Masters (min. age 40) 1. Brookside Villa Running Squad (3:12) Mixed Masters (min. age 40) 1. Central Bucks & Does (2:39) 2. Mountain Misfits (3:04) 3. My Pace or Yours (3:05) Men’s Grand Masters (min. age 50) 1. Bux-Mont Flyers (2:34:06) 2. Bux-Mont RC Wheezer Geezers (2:34:23) 3. Ward’s Oriental Rug Service (2:42) Race Sponsor 1. HNL Screaming Tomatoes (2:41) 2. Whiz Bang Klunk (2:52) Family 1. The Wacki Pack (2:15) 2. Gotta Be the Genes (2:34) 3. Pop Pop Yasso (3:16) Iron - Male 1. Creighton Faust (2:25) 2. Denis Ruane (2:39) 3. James Dailey (2:45:10) Iron - Female 1. Valerie Bauer (2:59) Iron Masters - Male (min. age 40) 1. Duane Christy (2:51) 2. David Ackerman (3:03) 3. Wayne Dubov (3:10) Iron Grand Masters - Male (min. age 50) 1. Neil Policelli (2:55) 2. Jim Heiney (2:56) 3. Michael Romanic (3:02) Team raising the most money: B. Braun - $350 Most creative team name: “We’ve Got the Runs” Best dressed team: Mountain Misfits See below for complete race results. Presenting sponsor: 99.9 The Hawk; Championship sponsor: The Morning Call; Leg sponsors: The Express-Times/The Allentown Times; Forge Marketing Communications; Global Environmental Technologies; Lehigh Valley Road Runners; Front Runner sponsors: AESCULAP; Coca-Cola Company (Lehigh Valley Syrup Plant); GEICO; Health Network Laboratories; Klunk & Millan Advertising; PPL Corp. & its affiliates; Scott Hummer; Water Stop sponsors: Hartford Customer Services Group; Kraft; SCCI Hospitals; Relay sponsors: Eastern Telephone & Telecomm Inc.; Giant Food Stores; Keystone Consulting Engineers; Kiffle Kitchen; Penske Truck Rental; Suburban EMS; Rest Stop sponsors: Dr. Christine Beck; Buckeye Partners L.P.; Barbara Deitrick; William Elek Plumbing and Heating; Ike’s 25th Street Exxon; Silberline Manufacturing Company, Inc.; Supporting sponsors: Action Party Rentals; Just Born; FedEx Kinko’s; Redner’s Markets of Lehigh Street; Keystone Chiropractic Wellness Center; Primo Produce; Chiquita Fresh, North America; Panera Bread; Nationwide Bowling Centers; Entenmann’s Bakery Outlet; and Herr Foods.
Questions or comments about the race? Contact Beth McKinney, development and community affairs specialist, at (610) 865-4400, ext. 261,
McKinneyE@usa.redcross.org.
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