Participation climbed and records fell in the fifth annual Pittsylvania XC Challenge on a clear and cool November 8 at hilly Frick Park.

Participation hit 158 to easily top the 99 in 1999, 78 in 2000, 97 in 2002, and 90 last year. And it pushed the five-year total to 521 for a three-digit average.

Fifteen of 34 age-group records (44%) fell thanks to the large increase in finishers: nine of 23 in the 8K, three of four in the 4K, and three of seven in the 2K.

Record breakers ranged in age from 5-year-old Mary Humphrey of Pittsburgh (5-and-under) to aging West Penners Joyce Geroux (60-64) and John Harwick (70-74).

Two of the area’s top distance runners–Indiana High’s Marrisa Umbel and Jerry Pullins of the Pharaoh Hounds–won the featured 8K races over a demanding course.

Marrisa had capped her junior XC season a week earlier with a silver-medal performance in the PIAAs. That nine-second loss snapped her unbeaten fall streak.

Jerry moved in mid-July to Pittsburgh, and the former Georgetown/Kansas distance ace–despite a heavy racing schedule–has yet to lose a Pittsburgh race.

Marrisa (31:32) claimed an 11-second win over Maureen McGranaghan of the Pharaoh Hounds. Jerry (26:49) edged St. Vincent’s men’s XC coach Andy Herr by two seconds.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, November 9th, 2003 at 10:04 am and is filed under Results, Achievements, Members. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.