News! Updates! The information you’re looking for! Please check back soon for the newly revised West Penn Track club website and information center!

The board of directors has settled the details for the annual winter banquet

• When: Saturday, January 19, 2008.
• Where: Palmieri’s, 101 Penn Plaza, Turtle Creek, PA, 412-824-4696
• Food and Drink: Cash Bat at 6PM, Buffet Dinner at 6:45 PM
• Speakers: Ron DeAngelo (Director of Sports Performance), Dr. Vonda J. Wright (Orthopedic Surgery Dept.)
• Awards: Athlete of the Year, Service Award, Volunteer of the Year, Volunteer Recognition
• Cost: $20, check payable to West Penn Track Club (mail to Janice Boyko, 345 Daily Road, Brentwood, PA, 15227)
• Info: Call Janice Boyko at 412-885-2537

The results from the 2007 Pittsylvania XC Challenge are now posted.

Your friendly neighborhood webmaster has received some emails wondering where the XC Challenge results are. Well, I now have them in my possession, and once I get them properly formatted, they’ll be up for public viewing. Stay tuned.

We are int he midst of building a photo gallery for this site. There’s now a “Photos” link in the menu bar, which will take you to the 2007 pictures that we’ve uploaded so far. We’ll soon be tweaking the old web site’s photos for inclusion. Enjoy!

In his last race as a member of West Penn Track Club, Steve Garand ran the race of his life and was the top masters finisher at the Great Race with a time of 34:00. Steve still has fond feelings for WPTC, but the Pharaoh Hounds’ training regimen suit him better. Good luck, Steve, and keep up the good work! The Hounds are getting a heck of a runner.

Finishing just 18 seconds behind Steve was another West Penner, Larry Van Dyke, who recently won the Run Around the Square. Congratulations on your PR, Larry!

The Post-Gazette recently profiled West Penner Tom Abbott.

Great Race tradition goes on for Indiana Township man

Tom Abbott makes it look easy as he runs along Rich Hill Road near his Indiana Township home, his long strides appearing effortless as he glides along the pavement. At 52, he’s lithe and healthy and could pass for a much younger man. He’s also one of only 26 runners who have competed in every Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race since it began in 1977.

Congratulations go to WPTC member Marti Stephan who took first in the women’s 65-69 group at the Parkersburg Half Marathon with a time of 1:57:06. Keep up the good work!

Hello Western PA Track Club! Great Job on Sunday!

I realize this is short notice, but I’m doing a last minute push to get runners in for the 4th Annual ZooZilla 5k on Sunday, October 7th at 8am. The race starts in the zoo’s main parking lot (off of Butler Street near the Highland Park Bridge). It’s a fun run through the streets around the zoo as well as past the animals! Also, runners get free admittance to the zoo that day!

Any questions, feel free to email me or call the zoo directly. (website or (412) 365-2532)

Maureen Copeland

The 30th Anniversary Great Race is nearly upon us! If you’d like to run for a West Penn team, contact your team captain or John Harwick (competitions committee chair).

Don’t forget to wear your WPTC singlet! If you need to order one, download and mail in the order form or use the form provided in recent newsletters.

Also, be on the lookup for an informal gathering of West Penners near the finish line. Details coming soon…